North Carolina Maritime Museum at Southport

Upcoming Events

Black History Month: African-American Soldiers of the Lower Cape Fear.

Join the NC Maritime Museum at Southport and The Friends of the Museum on Tuesday, February 21, 2012 from 7-9:00 p.m., as we present Retired Master Sergeant Clyde Wilson, U.S. Army, Civil War Re-enactor and researcher. Sgt. Wilson will speak on the role of African-American soldiers in campaigns of the Lower Cape Fear. Learn about the 27th U.S. Colored Troops, who played a key role in accepting the surrender of Fort Fisher, and was the first U.S. unit to garrison Fort Johnston after Confederate abandonment. Program is free and will be held at the Southport Community Building, 223 E. Bay St., Southport.  Please call the Museum to register.(910)457-0003.

Volunteers needed for Park Day March 31, 2012

Since 1996, the Civil War Trust has sponsored Park Day, an annual hands-on preservation event to help Civil War battlefields and historic sites take on maintenance projects large and small.

         Fort Johnston is a historical treasure. It is the longest commissioned fortification in North Carolina. This site, spanning from the colonial period through 2004, has been in every major war. In a beautification effort, The NC Maritime Museum at Southport will be participating in Park Day and planting raised bed gardens with plants of historical significance. Additionally, we will be cleaning up the Fort Johnston Civil War fortification front along the Cape Fear River.

         The Museum will be providing a hotdog lunch for the volunteers. No tools are necessary to be a volunteer for Park Day, but wear clothing and closed toe shoes that can get muddy. Bring your own sun screen and insect repellent. Free T-shirts and badges will be given to participants of this event.

         This year Park Day will be held on Saturday, March 31, 2012 at all participating sites. Please call the NC Maritime Museum at Southport to register for the Fort Johnston site. (910)457-0003. Volunteers will meet at 9:00 a.m. at the Museum located at 204 E. Moore St., Southport, NC 28461. Rain Date: April 14, 2012.

         The nationwide effort is underwritten with a grant from History™, formerly The History Channel, and is recognized by the U.S. Department of the Interior as a "Take Pride in America" event.