Southport’s 228-year-old Tradition
Southport's 228-year-old Tradition
by Liz Fuller, SHS President
Nowadays, Southport is known as the home of the North Carolina 4th of July festival. But celebrating Independence Day on the lawn of the Garrison is a tradition that goes back more than 225 years. Many of the men who attended those early celebrations were veterans of the Revolutionary War. It’s likely that part of their entertainment involved swapping stories about their encounters with the British, right here, on the shores of the Lower Cape Fear.
Fort Johnston had originally been built by the British military. In 1775, it was still flying the British flag. In July of that year, five hundred Minute Men from Wilmington and Brunswick burned the fort to the ground. Their plan was to drive the British from these shores and to open up the Cape Fear river to the Continental forces.
The British responded by bringing in 5000 troops, stationing many of the men on Smith Island (Bald Head), and at the remains of the ruined fort. Over the course of ten months, the British presence in the Lower Cape Fear grew to seventy vessels. Their fleet included two large men-of-war ships with 50 guns, which they positioned outside the bar. Most of these enemy vessels moved on within a year, leaving to fight elsewhere. But those that stayed, continued to harass the inhabitants by sending troops ashore to pillage supplies and burn houses.
In 1795, twenty years after Fort Johnston had been destroyed, the newly formed U.S. government assigned troops to rebuild it. So, on Independence Day, the military officers who were stationed there, decided to host a celebration. They invited local inhabitants of Smithville and Federal Pointe, captains of vessels lying in the harbor, and summertime visitors from Wilmington, to gather together to celebrate the nation’s nineteenth birthday.
They set up a large awning on the lawn and served a hearty meal. After dinner, they began to make toasts, vying to top each other with their eloquence and patriotic sentiments. Each of the fifteen toasts was followed by loud cheers and the firing of cannons. Many of the toasts honored the past. They saluted the men whose wisdom, spirit, and bravery had contributed to the success of the revolution. But the final toast of the evening, looked toward the future, and the possibilities that lay ahead for their young country. “The progress of useful knowledge! May the arts and sciences be cultivated with success, and their great end be directed to the improvement of social happiness!”
And so, let us follow their example. As we celebrate the this birthday of the United States of America, may we take a moment to look back with pride at all that our nation has accomplished, and look forward with optimism, to all that we have yet to achieve!
