Tuesday, June 29, 2021

June Roadtrip, Day 5...Suddenly, It's a Party

 Day 5

Saturday, June 5

     For the first time in days, the sun was out when I woke up.  With no rush, I rolled out of the motel at 9A and headed towards the ferry to Fort Fisher.  I paid my $7 and the friendly woman at the gate assured me the line was short enough I’d make the 9:15A, which was already starting to board.  



     With perfect conditions, we were off for the forty minute ride to Fort Fisher.





      When you land, you can either take the left toward the fort, or a right to the side of Battery Buchanan and a small beach.  This was the first line of defense for the fort, which in turn was the first line of defense for Wilmington.





      The Confederate battery fired on and hassled any Union ship that got too close.  It was also the fallback position if the main fort should fall.  However, when it was clear they couldn't hold, Genera Whiting led his defenders to this point, only to find no one left, and the canon spiked.  He waved the white flag and surrendered.

      My sister Maggie recently bought a place in Wilmington and offered to let me stay.  Unfortunately, she’s still in Jersey, so we couldn’t hang out.  But, I was truly grateful.  It was so nice not to be in a motel for a few nights.  

      The roadtrip craving for Pizza was starting to kick in, so I did what I always do.  I do a search for what’s been “voted best pizza.”  It rarely goes wrong.  This led me to a place called Slice of Life, in the heart of the historic district, and two blocks from the Cape Fear River.


      Across the river from downtown sits the USS North Carolina.  After World War II, the battleship was decommissioned and eventually headed to the scrapyard.  A statewide campaign to save the ship began, and in 1961 it was brought here.  They do offer tours of the ship.  I took it once as a kid, and again maybe ten years ago.  I even considered a revisit.  


     On the riverwalk, I came across this sculpture of a Venus Flytrap by artists Paul Hill and Stan Harmon.  The plaque below says it's only indigenous to the swamps in this part of North Carolina, and was declared the official State Carnivorous Plant.






      On the far end sits the Cape Fear River Bridge.  It opened when I was a little kid.  I don't remember much about it, but I do remember it was open to pedestrians one day before it opened for cars.  My family walked across.  It was pretty cool for a kid.  And yeah, as an adult, it would still be pretty cool.



     After the post lunch walk along the river, it was time to check out one of Wilmington’s numerous breweries.  Waterline Brewery claims to be “right under the bridge.”  It seemed the perfect place to start.  





      The place was pretty empty when I pulled in, so I parked in the very back of the lot.  Little did I know what was in store.

      I was there for a while, watching the place slowly fill, the line at the bar now out the door and the noise level getting a bit much.  It was time to head back out.

      Once outside, there was a band playing.  A dozen or so tables had appeared out of nowhere.  There were people selling local craftwork.  There were also numerous displays from organizations trying to clean up the river.  In the back of the lot, there was even a taco truck parked next to my car, with a line.



       I started talking with one group who have designed some devices they’re placing in the river that simply filter debris.  Imagine a bright yellow barrel.  On the bottom is what amounts to a propeller.  This causes the water to flow through the barrel, collecting debris in filters.  They dump them every two days.  It seemed like such an easy design, yet still fascinating.  

     When some random guy says, "hey, take my picture..."



      Before I left, I even found myself in a conversation with one of the city councilmen, and he told me about some of the big projects the city has in store.  Since Wilmington has a thriving port, it also means freight trains run back and forth.  So, the city is spending money to build some bridges and reroute a few lines, so they don't disrupt traffic.

      With more and more people flowing in, it was time to go.  I walked up to the line at the taco truck and asked for some help getting my car through the line and down the driveway.  It suddenly turned into a big group effort.  Maybe it was the beer, but everyone seemed happy to help.





June Roadtrip, Day 4...Bald Head Island, or Not

 Day 4

Friday, June 4

    This day was supposed to have been all about Bald Head Island.  There’s an hourly ferry service out to the island, and the ferry company also offers transportation to the various hotels and resorts on the island.  

     My plan was simply to check out the lighthouse, then walk down to the hiking trails in the forest preserve.  Grab some lunch at one of the hotels, then the ferry home.  

      The weather guessers were right on the nose.  Promptly at 6A there was a flash of light, followed by a loud slam.  The morning’s thunderstorm had arrived.  

     By 10A, the skies had cleared.  Taking the 11A ferry seemed like a bit of a late start, so I ditched the car by the waterfront and started walking. 






      Just beyond the tourist area, I found a historic marker.  It recounted Southport's thriving shrimp industry.  By 1915, their shrimp was being shipped as far as New York.  By 1923, a million and a half pounds was being shipped just to New York.  That all changed in 1954 when a category four hurricane named Hazel made landfall around the NC/SC border.  The storm destroyed the docks, buildings and most of the boats.  Southport's shrimp industry never recovered.  

     The town was still called Smithville in 1890 when business leaders and investors came up with a plan.  The idea was to build a railroad extension to connect to the Appalachian coal fields.  Steam ships still had to go the long way around South America and Smithville would be their refueling stop.  As part of the plan, they would change the name of the town to Southport, as in port of the south.  

     Numerous railroad companies failed before the Wilmington, Brunswick and Southern completed the line in 1911.  However, during that twenty year gap, steam ships were already changing from coal to oil.  The opening of the Panama Canal in 1914 did the rest.  

     Cutting back towards downtown, I randomly came across the old Brunswick County Jail.  There are regular tours, but only on Wednesdays and Saturdays.  





    




Yes, I had lunch at a place called the Fishy Fish Cafe.                                   


      The seemingly requisite daily afternoon rain began to splatter, and I just headed back to the motel to wait it out.  A question though.  If rain was in the forecast, why would someone take the doors off their Jeep?  

      With the afternoon rain over and the sun starting to peek out, it was about that time.  It was a little early for sunset, but plenty of time for a nice walk about downtown.  After ditching the car, I found myself at a place called the Moore Street Oyster Bar.  While I'm not much for oysters, they did have some intriguing selections on the menu.  Imagine a grilled cheese sandwich, but with lobster.  Yum.  They also make their own potato chips.  One choice was made with Rosemary.  Really good!

      I decided to head back to the municipal dock for sunset.  On the way, I passed a few groups doing walking tours, and one setting up for an evening ghost tour.  Another night here, and I probably would have taken one.  But, I had a date with the setting sun.

     


                   


     


While only a small corner of the sky lit up like this, there was just too much potential

to call it a day. The sky didn't disappoint. Walking back to the car, I looked over my

shoulder and saw this...


When the colors started fading to the west, it was time to pick up the car and call it a day.

Or not...Looking towards the east...



Not a bad way to end the day.




June Roadtrip, Day 3, A Very Brief Visit to Oak Island

 Day 3

Thursday, June 3

      When I went to bed, multiple weather sites were predicting rain all day, with thunderstorms early.  Imagine my surprise when I woke up to see sunlight peeking around the motel curtains.

      With two full days in Southport, there was plenty of time to explore.  This morning’s excursion was to Oak Island, with a brief stop at the Oak Island Lighthouse, build here in 1958.  It was only a brief stop due to it being closed to Covid-19 restrictions.  This was taken on my phone as I was paused mid u-turn.  The parking area across from the lighthouse was occupied by the local police, blue lights turning.  They were in what looked like a heated discussion with the driver they had pulled over.

   


     My next stop was a fortification known as Battery Schiff, named after 1st Lt. William Schiff, who was killed in the Battle of San Juan Hill in Cuba, during the Spanish American War.  The battery was all but abandoned in 1917 when its guns were removed and shipped to France during WW1.

     A little further are the remnants of Fort Caswell, named after former Governor Richard Caswell.  Construction of the fort was completed in 1836. It remained an active fort through WWII, when it was tasked with coastal defense against German submarines.

     Even further up in Battery McKavett, named after Captain Henry McKavett who died during the Mexican American War.  This site was also abandoned after WW1

     After the war, it was sold and unsuccessfully turned into a exclusive retreat.  The Baptists State Convention of North Carolina bought the site in 1949, and still own it today.

      The pleasant young woman at the gate explained to me the site was closed to visitors.  Unless I had a reservation, I had to turn around.  So, I did.  Yeah, Oak Island was kind of a bust.

      On the drive out, I noticed even the small parking lot for the beach was also chained off.  So much for Oak Island.   Back to the motel to ponder Plan B.

     A short drive would bring me to the ruins of Brunswick Town and Fort Anderson.  Pulling into the parking lot, it was hard to miss three red dresses hanging from some trees.  It's an effort to raise awareness about murdered and exploited indigenous women.  You can read more about the project from this article in Smithsonian Magazine. 



     First established in 1726, Brunswick Town quickly grew into a major port for shipping timber, tar, turpentine and pitch, a stick black resin used to waterproof ship’s hulls.  By 1743, it had grown to the point where it was designated the third capital of the North Carolina colony.

      Five years later, Britain was at war with Spain.  Two Spanish privateers anchored off shore.  Expecting an attack, the townspeople fled.  A day after they raided the empty community, the townspeople organized sixty-seven men with rifles to take Brunswick back.  Ten of the privateers were killed and thirty captured.  

     During the retreat, the privateer ship La Fortuna exploded, killing everyone on board.  The second ship surrendered on the condition they would be allowed to leave.

      The remnants of La Fortuna were scavenged for anything useful, and to recover as much of what was looted as possible.  They sold what they could and used the money to build St. Phillips Church, as well as St. James Church in Wilmington.

     


     By the 1760's, the state capital had been moved away from Brunswick Town.  Wilmington’s growth had also sapped its importance and it was in serious decline. 

    But, that didn’t stop them from making a bold statement against British oppression.  When the Stamp Act of 1765 was passed, the townspeople simply refused to allow anything with a stamp to be unloaded.  They arrested British officials and placed Governor Tyron under house arrest.  A compromise was reached and the stamp tax was no longer collected in the area.



     In order to protect the port of Wilmington during the Civil War, construction began on what would become Fort Anderson, named for Confederate General George Anderson.  In addition to the earthworks, piles were driven into the river to keep Federal gunboats at bay.  Explosives were also added to the piles.  

    Instead, six thousand Federal troops were brought ashore in Southport and marched to Fort Anderson.  With his fort surrounded, Confederate General Hagood fought back the best he could.  But, after two days of heavy shelling, he informed Wilmington he would be abandoning the fort.  



     The Southport waterfront area is probably the exact thing you're imagining.   There's a small municipal park, right on the river.


     There's the seemingly requisite fishing pier...

     

      There are also numerous tour companies, fish markets and seafood restaurants.  I checked the weather, and it looked like I had about an hour before the first band of rain was due.  So, I simply took a walk.  











    Eventually working my way back to Olivers, one of the multiple and seemingly inevitable seafood restaurants.  Considering the imminent forecast, it was all inside seating.  



     My timing couldn’t have been any better.  I was still working on the salad when the rain started.  By the time I was finished with lunch, it had stopped, at least for now.

       On the Southport waterfront is all that’s left of Fort Johnson, now the town’s history museum.  It was originally built to keep the Spanish out, and was under construction when the privateers attacked Brunswick.



     The new colonial governor, Josiah Martin made this headquarters after local militia had attacked his home in April, 1775.  When the militia found out Governor Martin’s plan to arm slaves and fight back, they attacked the fort, burning everything else to the ground.  

      In retaliation, British troops landed in Brunswick Town the next spring and burned it to the ground.  They came back and burned anything left, leaving only the brick frame of the church standing.  

      The site remained all but abandoned until the Civil War.  The Confederates created large earthworks and trenches to defend the Cape Fear River and port city of Wilmington.  

      Back on the Cape Fear River, people(okay, mostly guys) were watching a large container ship off in the distance...


     The crowd grew as the ship approached...


    As it made a sharp turn into the channel, it started to rain.  No one moved...


   It wasn't until the ship had passed the fishing pier that people(myself included) dashed for cover or their cars...