Southport Historic District

Southport is a small coastal town at the mouth of the Cape Fear River, first laid out in 1792-93 as Smithville. Its livelihood long depended on river piloting, guiding ships past shoals to Wilmington. Most of the district's buildings date from 1885-1905, when a surge of speculation and the opening of local brick and lumber companies led to about a hundred new houses in the years 1889-1896. Local carpenters such as the Daniel brothers and A. J. Robbins built modest one- and two-story frame dwellings using traditional plans like the double cottage and side passage house, rather than copying national styles. Brick commercial buildings on East Moore Street followed in the early twentieth century. Live and water oaks canopy the uncurbed, winding streets, and fishing boats and docks add to the town's character. The district was listed because it offers an unusually complete picture of Victorian building practice in a small North Carolina town.