Southport Magazine

Are you looking for a unique Christmas gift, something that will last for a very, very long time? The Southport Historical Society has just the thing! Memorial bricks are on sale until the end of the year and can be personalized to honor, memorialize or celebrate propel, organizations or just your love of Southport. Bricks are placed in the spring at the Old Jail and Garrison House with proceeds from sales going to support all the Southport Historical Society’s efforts to preserve and share our past. We spoke to representatives of the Society about just how the Memorial Brick Program works.

When did the society start selling bricks? Has it proven to be a successful program? Any idea how many have been sold to date?

The Southport Historical Society first sold bricks at the Old Jail about 15 years ago. Then in 2017, we restarted the brick program. This time the focus has been on the walkway around Fort Johnston. In the past few years, the SHS Brick Program has become the “official” way that the City encourages folks to commemorate a particular person, place or event in town.

The program is very popular with the community. People purchase bricks to commemorate friends, family, anniversaries, graduations, milestones, or simply as a way to leave their mark in the community.

We have about 208 bricks at the Old Jail and approximately the same number at Fort Johnston.

Can you share some of your favorite brick dedications?

People are very creative in the ways that they have chosen to dedicate the bricks. Everyone has their favorites. Some prefer the poetic ones, some enjoy the historical markers, and some like the dedications to loved ones. We invite everyone to take a walk along the walkway or on the grounds of the Old Jail and find a favorite of their own. 

How much room do the different sized bricks have for text?

The 4×8 brick has 3 lines of 21 characters (including spaces) $75 donation; the 8×8 has 6 lines of 21 characters (including spaces) $125 donation.

What programs do the brick sales help support? 

The bricks are especially important as a fundraiser this year because we are unable to host the Christmas Home Tour. The proceeds will help with all our programs including:

• Educational programs (50+ this year)
• Oral History interviews
• Scholarships for High School Students
• Southport and Oak Island Research
• Genealogical Research
• Cannon Firings at Local Events
• Maintenance of the Old Jail and Fort Johnston
• Website and Social Media
• Book Publishing
• Cemetery headstone repair
• Historical Tours and Events
• Museum exhibits 

To order your own Commemorative Brick, or for more information on all things Southport history, visit the Southport Historical Society website at: www.southporthistoricalsociety.org