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Historical Marker Auction

Southport Historical Marker Auction

Own a Piece of Southport History!

The Southport Historical Society has a long history of providing the Southport community with a walking tour collection of historical markers. A few years ago, the Society installed new markers. Recognizing the historical and sentimental significance of the old markers, volunteers from the Southport Beautification Committee prepared them for display.

From May 31st to June 24th, the Society is holding an online auction to help each of these vintage markers find its permanent home.

In preparation for the auction, the Society is creating short videos highlighting each marker. Use the links below to view the videos.

To see the markers in person, please visit the Old Brunswick County Jail, on Saturday, June 10th, 17th, & 24th from 12:30pm – 3:30pm.

“Raising Corn, Embankments, and a Little Hell: Impressed Labor and the Wilmington Fortifications” presented by Jaime Amanda Martinez, UNC Pembroke

“Raising Corn, Embankments, and a Little Hell:
Impressed Labor and the Wilmington Fortifications”

by Greta Jorgensen Watts

“Raising Corn, Embankments, and a Little Hell: Impressed Labor and the Wilmington Fortifications”

by Jaime Amanda Martinez, PhD

The Brunswick Civil War Round Table shared the following information about Lower Cape Fear history with the Southport Historical Society:

Impressment laws were enacted in North Carolina in the summer of 1862, and lasted throughout the war. Impressment was the legislated policy of the Confederate government to seize food, fuel, slaves, and other commodities to meet the needs of the Confederate army. Importantly, slave impressment was officially enacted in the March 1863 Impressment Act, which allowed the government to force slave holders to surrender control of their slave populations in order to defend the Confederate states. Despite protests from slave owners, slave impressment proved critical in allowing the Confederate government to shore up fortifications and keep the war machine churning out arms and ammunition until the end of the war.

The summer of 1864 became a key point in time when North Carolina Governor Zebulon Vance was running for re-election. In question was his level of support for the war effort. This involved the Confederate government centralizing slave impressment, and Vance’s concern for the fate of enslaved men impressed to work at Wilmington, while the grain planters needed their labor at home. As a result, American Indian men were impressed as laborers, leading to armed conflict between Lumbee men and the North Carolina Home Guard in Robeson County by the end of the war.

This information is based on a presentation entitled, “Raising Corn, Embankments, and a Little Hell: Impressed Labor and the Wilmington
Fortifications” by Jaime Amanda Martinez, Ph.D., Professor, and Chair
in the Department of History at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. Ms. Martinez’ first book is entitled, Confederate Slave Impressment in the Upper South. She is a frequent speaker at Fort Fisher events to talk about the role of enslaved, free black, and American Indian men in building the Wilmington fortifications, and is a member of the North Carolina Historical Highway Marker Advisory Committee.

Taking a Peek at Price’s Creek

Taking a Peek at Price's Creek

by Liz Fuller, SHS President

Recently SHS VP Bob Surridge and I had the rare opportunity to visit Price’s Creek “Lighthouse” in person. Although commonly referred to as a lighthouse, it is actually a River Light. Built in 1849 or 1850, it stands 20 feet tall, with walls ranging from 3 feet thick at the base to 2 feet thick at the top. The base is 17 feet wide and narrows to 9 feet wide at the top.

The light worked in tandem with a second light on top of the nearby keeper’s cottage. River Pilots could determine their position in the river by lining up the two lights. There were originally seven lights and a lightship stationed along the 25-mile stretch of the river leading to Wilmington.

The Cape Fear River Lights were decommissioned sometime after the Civil War. Price’s Creek is the only structure that still exists. Left to the elements, it has fallen into a state of disrepair. The land on which the lighthouse sits is owned by Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) and is not open to the public. Normally, the only way to see the tower is from the deck of a ferry boat or from the ferry landing.

But in March of this year, Henry Stogner, ADM Plant Manager, invited John Moseley and Shannon Walker of the Maritime Museum in Southport, Jake Grossman of the Old Baldy Foundation, and Bob and me, to a meeting to discuss the possibility of repairing and preserving the tower.

We joined a group of seven ADM employees eager to see the Lighthouse saved. At the end of the meeting, we were permitted to inspect the Lighthouse firsthand.

Restoration ventures like this are never quick or easy. There is a lot of work to be done to assess the current state of the structure and to determine what needs to be done to repair the tower while maintaining its historical integrity. Once that is done, funding will need to be secured and qualified restorationists hired.

The meeting was a promising first step in the lengthy process. It appears that the historic tower may be able to be saved. In future publications, we will provide more history of the river light and updates on the project’s progress.

We are also interested in hearing your stories of Price’s Creek Light. The land was accessible to the public until the middle of the last century when it was sold to Pfizer Corporation. We know that many people who grew up here have memories of visiting the light, the surrounding grounds, and the “Robin’s Nest” house that sat on the property. If you have stories to share, please get in touch with us at info@southporthistoricalsociety.org or 910-477-3461.

Price’s Creek Lighthouse, Early 1900s
Photo Courtesy of the State Port Pilot

Arbor Day and Franklin Square Park

by Mary Ellen Watts Poole

To celebrate Arbor Day, I decided to write about Franklin Square Park, known for its beautiful trees, and to share fond memories I have of the park. I recently was the presenter of a video for the Historical Society of a vintage historic marker which was about the Park. You may not have seen the video, so I thought you may enjoy a write-up.

Arbor Day is a holiday to celebrate trees. In 1907, President Roosevelt issued an “Arbor Day Proclamation to the school children of the United States”. This Proclamation stressed the value of trees and that forestry deserved to be taught in the school systems. It is important to note that the City of Southport has been recognized, receiving a Growth Award as a Tree City, USA, by the Arbor Day Foundation.

In early 1793, shortly after the City was chartered (1792), the City Commissioners of this new Town (later to be renamed Southport), set aside a large square of property that could only be used by civic, religious, or fraternal organizations.
The northwest corner remained an open area which was originally known as “’The Oak Grove” for its beautiful oak trees. Later, it was named Franklin Square Park, in honor of Benjamin Franklin, the foremost Founding Father, who helped draft the Declaration and also was one of the signers. This honor recognized that the City townsfolk were proud of the Country’s independence.
Today, the square contains Southport Baptist and Trinity United Methodist Churches, the Masonic Lodge Building, Franklin Square Art Gallery (which was originally a school), Southport Fire Department Downtown Substation, and the City’s Gym and Recreation Areas.

Mercedes Watts standing among the Four Sisters, 1938, Photo courtesy of the State Port Pilot.

A tight cluster of oak trees, fondly known as the “Four Sisters” stand regally between the Art Gallery and City Gym. The “Four Sisters” have been a favorite play site since at least the early 1900s. It certainly was my special spot in the Park. Many children that grew up in the City have fond memories of playing in and around the “Four Sisters”. Perhaps you are one of them. I hope these memories spark yours. The “Four Sisters” served as a home base for a great game of tag or a wonderful place to play house. They often were Pirate Stede Bonnet’s ship, a military fort, a mansion for a movie star, and my favorite, a British Castle, as the Sisters were the perfect venue for an afternoon tea party! The “Four Sisters” never failed to pique and satisfy a child’s imagination, that grew up in a small, beautiful seaside town.