A fishing village that started its life as Fort Johnston, the town
changed its name to Smithville, and then Southport, as it is known
today, read the town's long and watery history.
Southport is a small seaside village whose rich history began as early
as 1754, when Fort Johnston was built. In 1792, it was incorporated as
the town of Smithville, but in 1887, with their busy fishing village
growing, the citizens decided to rename it Southport in hopes it would
bring a port to their town. Much to their disappointment, however, the
port was located in Wilmington. In 1954, Hurricane Hazel made landfall,
and the storm surge delivered to Southport was the greatest in North
Carolina's recorded history. Like most seaside villages, Southport
recovered and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places
today. Observing Independence Day since 1795, Southport annually hosts
the official North Carolina Fourth of July celebration.