Southport
Lifestyle
A
quaint fishing village on the mouth of the Cape Fear River, Southport
is place you come to visit and end up never wanting to leave.
Beautiful Victorian-style homes grace the sidewalk-lined streets
under huge sweeping oak trees, hundreds of years old. Cool ocean
breezes keep temperatures mild year round. And Southport’s
midway point between Wilmington and Myrtle Beach make it close
to all of the action, yet with an ambiance that feels worlds away.
Self-guided walking tours provide a wealth of
discovery. Stroll down Moore Street and visit the many colorful
gift shops, art galleries and antique dealerships. Stop and rest
at Waterfront Park where you may see huge cargo ships making their
way up the Cape Fear River to the port city of Wilmington. Enjoy
fresh seafood overlooking the Southport Yacht Basin and Marina
where sailing vessels stop on their way along the Inter-coastal
waterway.
The many historic sites like the old Southport
Jail, St. Philips Episcopal Church and Smithfield cemetery are
all easily accessible on foot. You can also learn about the colorful
history of Southport and real life legends of the famous pirate
Stede Bonnet at the Southport Maritime Museum. The Southport Visitor
Center provides maps, brochures and self-guided walking tours.
Southport
History
The
first Spanish explorers to the region arrived in 1521, but it
was further up the Cape Fear River that the first settlement,
Brunswick Town was formed in the mid-1700s. Between 1745 and 1754
Fort Johnson was built as quarantine service for incoming seamen
and to protect settlements further up the river. Located at the
mouth of the Cape Fear, Fort Johnson attracted a small community
of river pilots and fishermen and the area began to thrive.
In 1792, the NC General Assembly, at the request
of Joshua Potts, commissioned a new township and what is now known
as Southport was born. The new town was originally named Smithville,
after Benjamin Smith who served under George Washington in the
revolutionary war. Cool summer breezes soon made Smithville a
popular summer resort, and its strategic location made Fort Johnston
important in every United States war. In 1808, Smithville became
the county seat of Brunswick County.
After
the Civil War, entrepreneurial and visionary businessmen saw opportunity
to create a major southern port city by combining the city’s
river transportation with the new railroad system which was changing
the face of the United States. As part of their strategy, Smithville
was renamed Southport in 1887. Telegraph service and a coaling
dock for steamships were added. Although Southport never became
the major port city they dreamed of, railroads served the town
from 1911 to World War II and it was on the river steamer routes
until 1925.
