Southport Magazine

By Carol Pearson

The red brick building with the white columns sits proudly atop the sweep of green lawn on East Bay Street. Picnickers lounge under the trees on the old Fort Johnson property while ship watchers enjoy the view. Yet if you haven’t gone inside the fort’s historic Garrison House, you’re missing an unassuming yet richly packed resource in the heart of downtown Southport.

The Fort Johnson/Southport Museum and Visitors’ Center is tucked into the ground floor of the old Garrison House and offers a rich selection of artifacts and information about Southport-area history. This really should be on everyone’s bucket list, whether you’re a visitor to town or a long-time local.

“We really have two goals for the museum,” explained Randy Jones, Director of Tourism and Communications for the City of Southport. “First of all, we want this to be a true visitors center, where our ambassadors greet the public and promote not just our museum but all the other great museums and historical sites in the area.

“Secondly, we aim to provide specific information to questions about the area’s history,” he said. “If we don’t know the answer off-hand, we have some amazing resources to help figure it out.”

The museum is run by the City of Southport’s Department of Tourism, and holds a special place in the history of the local community. The beautiful brick building itself is a lesson in the military history of the area; Fort Johnson was an active-duty fort for 250 years, right up until it was conveyed to the city in 2006. Jones shares this quick history lesson from his second-floor office overlooking the water, pointing out what he says may be “the best office view in town.” 

For locals, it’s personal

Jones has a deep personal connection to the museum and the building itself. The Southport native (he descends from two well-known local families, the Joneses and the Doshers) points out a photograph of three women on the wall of the museum.

“The first time I ever saw a photograph of my great-grandmother was in this museum,” Jones said, pointing out the sepia-toned picture and identifying first his great-grandmother, then his aunt and grandmother. His father, while serving as an engineer at the Military Ocean Terminal at Sunny Point, oversaw renovations on the Garrison House in the 1950s. Through the years the Garrison Housed served as housing for commanding officers, while what is now the nearby NC Maritime Museum was the officers’ barracks. 

The museum runs with a staff of three full-time and one part-time staff, and the indispensable help of 40+ volunteer ambassadors. Walking through the front door of the Garrison House, I was welcomed with huge smiles and hellos from Jim Ryan and Cathie Courtnage. As volunteers they are at the ready with information, local tidbits, and some charming local legends, like the story of the “mermaid’s tears” that Bob shares with the youngest visitors to the museum.

“I just love seeing their eyes get wide as I tell the legend of our local sea glass,” Jim says before launching into the story and offering me a piece to take home. The ambassadors are also available to help visitors purchase items from the museum shop, with all proceeds going directly to the Southport Historical Society to benefit the Fort Johnston Garrison House.

For movie fans, it’s a must-see

For cinema fans, the museum offers an unexpected treat, letting visitors get up close and personal with memorabilia from a surprising number of films shot in and around Southport. The list includes “Crimes of the Heart,” “Firestarter” (shot on location at Orton Plantation), “A Walk to Remember” with Mandy Moore and, of course, “Safe Haven” starring Julianne Hough and Josh Duhamel.

“This is the bicycle [Julianne] rode in the movie,” Jones tells me on a recent tour of the museum, sharing how he once wheeled the movie artifact out onto the lawn for a couple who were having their wedding photos taken.

Fans of the movie will recognize several props and wardrobe pieces (yes, those are really the shoes Ms. Hough wore during filming) as they walk through the “movie room.” You’ll also find stories of some of the locals who were recruited by other movie crews over the years. You’ll discover that Southport has played a vital role in helping make Wilmington the film production center that it is today.

Your starting point for understanding Southport

The most impressive thing about this museum may be the incredible variety they’ve been able to pack into the somewhat limited space. Inside this gem of a museum and visitors center there is truly something for everyone:

• Curious what’s going on around town? The display window always has current events calendars and local happenings, from band concerts to library events and everything in between.
• Have the grandkids in town? Stop by the desk and ask about the story of the mermaid tears; the kids will be enchanted.
• Want to get to know more of the city and its rich, diverse history? Grab the City of Southport Scavenger Hunt sheet to help you explore the town on your own. 
• Looking a new understanding of the rich cultural history of the area, especially the important contributions of Black families to this area? This museum serves as a good introduction, and offers the opportunity to explore specific topics in an intimate setting.
• A storm chaser at heart? Find some nuggets of information from local families who were here for “the big ones,” especially Hurricane Hazel in 1954.
• Love to read local authors? The museum offers an intimate look at the local literary community, including native son Robert Chester Ruark, Jr. 

In addition to permanent displays (the massive graphic timeline gives a unique perspective to local and national events), Jones and his team make sure the museum always includes new and updated exhibits.

“If a local comes in, we want to make sure they always see something different and learn something new,” Jones said. “We also want to make sure everyone is aware of all the other great museums to explore in this area,” like the old Brunswick County Jail, the NC Maritime Museum at Southport, and the beautiful historic homes of this fishing port on the Lower Cape Fear.

Located at 203 E. Bay Street in Southport, the Fort Johnson/Southport Museum and Visitors’ Center is free and open to the public Monday – Saturday from 10 am – 4 pm. Public parking is available on nearby streets. For more information visit the City of Southport website at www.cityofsouthport.com and click the Visitors tab, or call the Tourism office at (910) 457-7927.