Historic Sites of Southport, North Carolina

The charming old city of Southport overlooks the historic Cape Fear River on the coast of North Carolina and serves as a gateway to one of the most fascinating areas of the South.
Southport got its start in 1745 when the British built Fort Johnston there to guard the entrance to the Cape Fear and protect the important upriver port of Wilmington. Because river pilots were then needed to guide ships into the harbor, a small community grew under the shelter of the guns of the fort. Over time the pilots and their families were joined by traders and others and by the time of the American Revolution a small village had grown up around Fort Johnston.

In 1792, the village was incorporated as the town of Smithville, a name that it kept until 1887 when the city renamed itself Southport. It served as the county seat of Brunswick County until 1975, when the seat of government was moved following a hotly contested referendum.

Southport now stands as a charming and historic city overlooking the waters of the Cape Fear. It is rich in historic sites and served as the setting for the popular 1980s movie, "Crimes of the Heart." The city also is a gateway to the historic lower Cape Fear region. Ferries connect the waterfront with nearby Bald Head Island as well as historic Fort Fisher across the river.

To learn more about Southport and its historic sites and points of interest, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/southportnc.

Old Baldy Lighthouse - Bald Island, North Carolina

Built in 1817, historic Old Baldy Lighthouse has stood watch over North Carolina's famed Cape Fear region for more than 190 years.

The waters surrounding Bald Head Island are among the most historic in the South. It was here that the "gentleman pirate" Stede Bonnett finally met his match and the notorious Blackbeard once cruised the hidden inlets of the Cape Fear River.

Because the stretch of coast was so treacherous in the days before modern navigational systems, the U.S. Government selected Bald Head Island at the mouth of the Cape Fear to become the site of an important lighthouse. The original structure was endangered by erosion less than ten years after it was completed, so the tower was taken down and the materials used in 1817 to build the Old Baldy Lighthouse that stands today.

There is no way to know how many storms, hurricanes and gales the lighthouse has weathered over the years. It also weathered the storm of the Civil War. The Confederates built Fort Holmes on Bald Head Island as one of a system of forts that helped keep the Cape Fear open to blockade runners until nearly the end of the war.

Old Baldy Lighthouse today is a fascinating historic site that draws visitors from around the world to Bald Head Island. To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/oldbaldy.