A history of Swansboro
![A statue of the privateer and Swansboro resident Otway Burns stands in Bicentennial Park. [Kelsey Stiglitz]](https://www.blueridgenow.com/gcdn/authoring/2020/09/15/NJDN/ghows-NC-92119424-25aa-4377-bc2a-896969ace2aa-4e4757f8.jpeg?width=300&height=400&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp "swansboro yacht club owner dies")
Long before “Salt Life” stickers, swans in the splash pad and the Mullet Festival, Swansboro was a thriving port in Onslow County. Its residents extracted salt from the seawater during shortages in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812; slaves and impoverished workers distilled turpentine that traveled on its boats departing from the White Oak River; and its oak trees supplied shipbuilders with strong wood to sail the waterways.
Those familiar with Swansboro might know the town seal, which uses a swan as a mascot. Its name does not come from the swan, however. Swansborough (later shortened to Swansboro) was incorporated in 1783, and named for the speaker of the house Samuel Swann Jr., who built his plantation home in Pender County and helped survey land on the North Carolina and Virginia State line. According to Lisa Whitman-Grice, Onslow County Museum Director, Swansboro is the oldest incorporated town in Onslow County. Over 10 years before the town received its namesake, the “official” founder of Swansboro, plantation owner Theophilus Weeks, designed the town, calling it New Town. According to Swansboro historian Tucker Littleton, Weeks divided his property into 48 lots and 6 streets, and records show purchase of the lots as far back as 1771.
As the town grew over the years, residents allegedly built over some of its oldest cemeteries, and legend has it, built over Weeks’ Grave.
“You can take a walk and wonder, is this where Theophilus Weeks is buried?” Amelia Dees-Killette, president of the Swansboro Historic Association, said. The exact location of his grave is unknown, but she said there is speculation he rests somewhere around Ward Shore Park.
Despite developments over the earliest grave sites, Swansboro has maintained several of its historic sites and buildings, including houses built before the 19th century and the pre-Civil War era. Historic sites like the Emerton School(1928), which was once home to town hall, and the Old Brick Store (1839), which was operated by merchant William Ferrand, still welcome shoppers and visitors today. The Old Brick Store is home to Lovely’s Boutique, and the Emerton School House is now home to the Swansboro Historic Association.
“Sometimes people forget that’s a time where you can see the coastal maritime [origins] here,” Dees-Killete said.
In wartime, the friendly city by the sea practiced the salt life mantra by extracting salt to preserve food and feed soldiers.
“They grew out of necessity during the Revolutionary and Civil Wars because the supply of salt had been cut off from the area,” Dees-Killette said.
Before refrigeration, salt was the most widely used preservation method. Dees-Killette said salt was extracted from the surrounding sea water by boiling it down in large vats. Around 30 vats were operated in these times, which became a target for Union Forces during the Civil War in order to interrupt the Confederate food supply. Onslow County Museum Director Lisa Whitman- Grice said the salt works were key to war efforts, and primary sources point to the burning and destruction of the salt works, as well as the mills in Swansboro during the Civil War.
“You wouldn’t think that would be a wartime target but it was,” Whitman-Grice said.
The forest’s resources in Onslow County lent themselves to the production of turpentine, rosin, and lumber - all exports that were carried over the White Oak River from Swansboro. Tar and turpentine were key in waterproofing ships and their components, while lumber was processed in the lumber mills located in Swansboro. North Carolina historian David Cecelski said Onslow County was de-forested between the 1840s-1850s, and people there wrote about every single pine tree in the area cut with the telltale “V” of sap extraction for turpentine.
While it was a plentiful and well-known export for North Carolina, Cecelski said turpentine production was dominated by slave labor and indentured white workers.
“None of it was done by rich people - that was a poor man’s job,” Cecelski said. “It wasn’t an easy thing to do, it was dangerous, and there was a craft to it… there’s about 10 different grades of quality [of turpentine].”
The process was similar to the distillation of moonshine, where the sap was distilled to a certain degree, but it is flammable and high-risk for those involved. The end result, however, was a huge industry of its time, Cecelski said. Turpentine had hundreds of uses, from medicinal cures to waterproofing to lamp burning. And while the industry was lucrative while it lasted, workers had to migrate further south as the pine trees of North Carolina dried up.
Under the water and in the foundations of some businesses, ballistones and artifacts of curing blanks remind the town of its legacy in the shipbuilding business. Dees-Killette said owners of the Ice House restaurant discovered curing blanks, large planks of oak wood, preserved by the water after Hurricane Florence clean-up in 2018. According to Onslow County Museum records, 16 vessels were built in Swansboro from 1783-1812. One of the most well-known and lucrative shipyards was operated by Otway Burns, who is known for his privateering exploits aboard the Snap Dragon, as well as producing one of the first steam boats in North Carolina. He is buried in the old Beaufort cemetery and memorialized with a statue in Swansboro during the bicentennial celebration in 1983.
According to Dees-Killette, ship building extended into the 19th century and then evolved into the building of charter boats in the 20th century. At the height of Swansboro Lumber Company and Meeks Mill, the town’s population practically doubled from 200 to 500 between 1890-1915. Jack Dudley, local historian, said the late 1800s were defined by the two large saw mills in the area.
“You had steam-powered boats taking logs down the White Oak River from Swansboro,” Dudley said.
With increased deforestation and the recession during the Great Depression, business at the mills greatly declined and waned off. After World War II, commercial fishing and charter boats really took off in the ‘40s and ‘50s, Dudley said. With the introduction of Camp Lejeune in 1941, opportunities for civil service jobs increased and Swansboro’s younger generation welcomed Marines and service men with dances at the USO, Dees-Killete said.
“It was a tradition for some folks to go to the USO, and you had several young women marrying into the military,” she added. “It definitely had an impact on families as well as work.”
Like much of the area, segregation was prevalent in Swansboro. Founding fathers like Otway Burns were documented slave traders. Founded on a plantation, Swansboro was no exception to Klan violence and race segregation. But one lesser-known practice in Swansboro was its prohibition of Black visitors after dark well into the 60s or 70s, according to Cecelski. After a white mail carrier, Cy Jones, was fatally shot in 1922, the police prosecuted a 15-year-old Black boy, Willie Hardison. Jones had alleged before his death that he was targeted by a group of four Black men. The arrest, arguable confession, conviction and then execution of Hardison was followed by a pattern of continued violence and fear towards the Black community. Cecelski writes that Swansboro locals posted a sign near the city limits reading “N---- don’t let the sun go down on you in this town.” It is not clear when the sign was removed. Primary sources, such as interviews with park rangers from Hammocks Beach, indicate Swansboro was off limits to African Americans for some time.
Behind the gate of Hammocks Beach, however, African Americans could picnic in peace at the beach designated for Black folks. The origin of Hammock’s Beach is that property on Bear Island was passed from Dr. William Sharpe, a wealthy white surgeon from New York, to his Black hunting guide, William Hurst. Hurst convinced Sharpe to donate the land to the North Carolina Teachers Association, which benefited African American teachers. This designation was made official in 1950, according to the North Carolina State Park’s website. As the group attempted to develop Bear Island and could not secure the funds, they donated the land to the state of North Carolina in 1961. It retained its designation as a park for minorities, and Dees-Killette said this reputation of Hammocks Beach lived on for many years after it was opened to whites in 1964. Now, Hammocks Beach State Park welcomes people of all nationalities; where locals and military transplants alike enjoy the sand dollar hunting and camping on Bear Island, hiking on the mainland, and exploring the waterfront. The water is the highlight for those visiting Swansboro, where local charters carry folks across the river to the unspoiled sands of Bear Island and paddle boat instructors teach people to move on the water, just as schooners used to sail through the waterways carrying the town’s salted mullet and turpentine.
Dudley says it’s the waterfront that really sets Swansboro apart, despite its economic decline in the early 1900s.
“If you have water, you’re blessed,” Dudley said. “People come to Swansboro to relax.”
Dees-Killette shared a similar sentiment, saying the Swansboro’s beginning as a port town lives on in the town’s simplicity.
“When you look at the houses that are historic and businesses that are still here and have not been gentrified, there’s enough that people can see what that simple coastal village life was like,” Dees-Killette said. “You can look across the water and still see the land undeveloped, it makes people feel nostalgic for how things used to be.”
Swansboro Yacht Club
| Category: | , |
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| Address: | 126 E Corbett Ave, Swansboro, NC 28584, USA |
| Zip code: | 28584 |
| Opening hours | |
|---|---|
| Monday: | 11:00 AM – 2:00 AM |
| Tuesday: | 11:00 AM – 2:00 AM |
| Wednesday: | 11:00 AM – 2:00 AM |
| Thursday: | 11:00 AM – 2:00 AM |
| Friday: | 11:00 AM – 2:00 AM |
| Saturday: | 11:00 AM – 2:00 AM |
| Sunday: | 12:00 PM – 2:00 AM |
Customer Ratings and Reviews
They have a NEW inexperienced bar tender. He has BIG SHOES TO FILL following the departure of JAY KLINGMAN. It will take a while to TRAIN the green horn to that level of standards. We will eventually adjust. He's at least FRIENDLY enough.
This is a great place where the bartender know your drink. Love the outside view here.
Gr8 bartenders, GR8 service, friendly atmosphere, Gr8 drinks..can now officially mark this off my " bucket list"
Great place to relax and have a cold beer. Beautiful views from the deck.
This place is totally awesome. First time here we docked for bad weather. Found it to be a strong current to dock in. There are no deck hands. (check your tides). Wonderful small town with a full days worth of window shopping and delicious places everywhere. (seasonal) Dining is hard to choose from. They all serve goodies.. And I have to mention Jamie. Mothers day come on the way back. She is a great asset. We received presents for mother from all over with her help.
Photos of Swansboro Yacht Club
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Swansboro will continue its effort to bring the Swannsborough Yacht Club property into compliance with town ordinances. Drew Lutheran, owner of the property, died on Oct. 15.
Aug 11, 2021. 3. Though work to rebuild the Swannsborough Yacht Club has come to a halt, Drew Lutheran, owner of the nightclub and restaurant on the Swansboro causeway, is working with town ...
Swansboro. Joseph "Joe" Mueller, Jr., 84, of Swansboro, North Carolina, passed away, Monday, May 7, 2018 at his home, surrounded by his family. A celebration of life service will be held at 10:00 ...
Swansboro Yacht Club, Swansboro, North Carolina. 8,511 likes · 2 talking about this · 21,435 were here. Serving the cheapest and best drink specials in town for over 20 years! Come check out our...
Save. Drew Lutheran is hoping that a full accounting of the repair and remodeling work that has taken place on the Swannsborough Yacht Club in the past several months will allow him to settle a ...
Early life and education. Ellison was born on August 17, 1944, in New York City to Florence Spellman, an unwed Jewish mother. His biological father was an Italian American United States Army Air Corps pilot. After Ellison contracted pneumonia at the age of nine months, his mother gave him to her aunt and uncle for adoption. He did not meet his biological mother again until he was 48.
Jan 2016 • Friends. An early January yacht delivery found the three of us at Dudley's Marina in Swanboro. After securing the boat, we asked the dock master for a dinner recommendation. He suggested a ten minute walk to an area with multiple restaurants. The first place we came upon was the Swansboro Yacht Club.
Swansborough (later shortened to Swansboro) was incorporated in 1783, and named for the speaker of the house Samuel Swann Jr., who built his plantation home in Pender County and helped survey land on the North Carolina and Virginia State line. According to Lisa Whitman-Grice, Onslow County Museum Director, Swansboro is the oldest incorporated ...
Swannsborough Yacht Club, Swansboro, NC, United States Marina. Find marina reviews, phone number, boat and yacht docks, slips, and moorings for rent at Swannsborough Yacht Club.
By The Bridge 108-3 W Corbett Ave, Swansboro, NC 28584, USA Swansboro Food & Beverage Co. 106 Front St, Swansboro, NC 28584, USA Sweet Edventure's Dessert Bar 118 Front St, Swansboro, NC 28584, USA
Jan 2016 • Friends. An early January yacht delivery found the three of us at Dudley's Marina in Swanboro. After securing the boat, we asked the dock master for a dinner recommendation. He suggested a ten minute walk to an area with multiple restaurants. The first place we came upon was the Swansboro Yacht Club.
1 of 1. View the menu of Swansborough Yacht Club Jacksonville, Swansboro at Zomato for delivery, dine-out or takeaway.
Swansboro Yacht Club. Swansboro Yacht Club is located at 126 E Corbett Ave in Swansboro, North Carolina 28584. Swansboro Yacht Club can be contacted via phone at (910) 326-7272 for pricing, hours and directions. Contact Info (910) 326-7272; Questions & Answers
Jan 2016 • Friends. An early January yacht delivery found the three of us at Dudley's Marina in Swanboro. After securing the boat, we asked the dock master for a dinner recommendation. He suggested a ten minute walk to an area with multiple restaurants. The first place we came upon was the Swansboro Yacht Club.
SWANNSBOROUGH YACHT CLUB INC. is a North Carolina Domestic Business Corporation filed on May 14, 1993. The company's filing status is listed as Suspended and its File Number is 0324647. The Registered Agent on file for this company is Lutheran, Drew and is located at Po Box 1797, Swansboro, NC 28584. The company's principal address is 126 ...
DON'T FORGET.... It's $2 Tuesday---$2 domestic bottles of beer! All you can eat PEEL & EAT SHRIMP starts at 5pm and. YES, WE HAVE OYSTERS!!!!
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Jan 2016 • Friends. An early January yacht delivery found the three of us at Dudley's Marina in Swanboro. After securing the boat, we asked the dock master for a dinner recommendation. He suggested a ten minute walk to an area with multiple restaurants. The first place we came upon was the Swansboro Yacht Club.
Jan 2016 • Friends. An early January yacht delivery found the three of us at Dudley's Marina in Swanboro. After securing the boat, we asked the dock master for a dinner recommendation. He suggested a ten minute walk to an area with multiple restaurants. The first place we came upon was the Swansboro Yacht Club.
View the online menu of Swannsborough Yacht Club and other restaurants in Swansboro, North Carolina.
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