A maritime history and survey of the Cape Fear and Northeast Cape Fear rivers, Wilmington Harbor, North Carolina

488 Pages·1996·78.7 MB·English

by  Jackson, Claude V

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I
The Cape Fear — Northeast Cape Fear Rivers
Comprehensive Study
A Maritime History and Survey
of the
Cape Fear and Northeast Cape Fear Rivers,
Wilmington Harbor, North Carolina
Volume 1
Maritime History
Claude V. Jackson
96-5653

NS.DOGUMBflSr^
CLEARINGHOUSE
The Cape Fear — Northeast Cape Fear Rivers
Comprehensive Study
A Maritime History and Survey
of the
Cape Fear and Northeast Cape Fear Rivers,
Wilmington Harbor, North Carolina
Volume 1
Maritime History
Underwater Archaeology Unit
State Historic Preservation Office
Division of Archives and History
P.O. Box 58
Kure Beach, North Carolina 28449
and the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Wilmington District
P.O. Box 1890
Wilmington, North Carolina 28402
Claude V. Jackson
April 1996
North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
Division of Archives and History
1996
This report was compiled from published sources indicated and from original records
held by the North Carolina Division of Archives and History. Unauthorized reproduction
of the entire report is expressly prohibited. Permission is hereby granted to publish
brief extracts from this work. This authorization is not to be construed as a surrender of
copyright, literary right, or any other property right that is or may be vested in the state
of North Carolina.
Cover Illustration: View of Wilmington, North Carolina.
From Gleason's Pictorial Drawing-Room Companion, c. 1853.
Abstract
This work presents the findings of the cultural resource component of the Cape Fear-
Northeast Cape Fear Rivers Comprehensive Study conducted from March 1993 to
October 1994 as a cooperative project among the North Carolina Department of
Environment, Health, and Natural Resources; the Underwater Archaeology Unit (UAU)
of the Department of Cultural Resources; and the Wilmington District, U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers (USACOE). The need for the comprehensive study arose from projected
deepening and widening of the 33.8-mile-long Cape Fear and Northeast Cape Fear
Rivers navigation channel in New Hanover and Brunswick Counties, North Carolina. A
comprehensive historical overview of the Cape Fear River was produced, as well as
annotated maps of the rivers that showed areas of maritime activity, ferries, bridges,
plantations, lighthouses, quarantine stations, fortifications, dredging activity and
historically documented and known shipwreck sites. Based on this compiled historical
documentation, portions of the river were designated as priority areas according to their
potential to yield significant underwater archaeological sites. A remote sensing survey
and archaeological investigation was conducted at each of the established priority
areas, resulting in the documentation of several previously unrecorded shipwreck sites.
More than 150 dives were made on 102 different remote sensing targets. Several
targets proved to yield historically significant shipwrecks, among them the Civil War
ironclads North Carolina and Raleigh, the blockade-runner Kate, and the early
twentieth-century schooner barge Belfast. Findings from the cartographic and historical
research and the cultural survey are presented in two volumes, as well as
recommendations on the protection of sites threatened by the proposed improvements
to the navigation channel and their potential eligiblity for listing in the National Register
of Historic Places.
in
Acknowledgments
To undertake a project of this magnitude required the assistance and expertise of
several people. While it is not possible to mention everyone involved, the following
persons deserve special recognition. We are grateful for the support and cooperation
provided by the Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources (DEHNR)
of the North Carolina Division of Water Resources, and particularly John Morris and
John Sutherland for their work on many aspects of this project. Equal appreciation is
extended to the Wilmington District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACOE), for
recognizing the need for a comprehensive study of the Cape Fear River and providing
support, personnel, equipment, and technical assistance. Many thanks to everyone at
the USACOE that assisted on this project, including Col. Robert Sperberg, Lawrence
Saunders, Richard Kimmel, Frank Snipes, Coleman Long, Glenn Boone, and Hugh
Heine, Ed Turner, Marc Reavis, Ed Summers, and the crews of the Wanchese and the
Gillette.
Special thanks go to those tireless individuals within our own Department of Cultural
Resources for their help. Without the continued support from Secretary Betty McCain,
Bill Price, David Brook, Wilson Angley, Sarah Freeman, Sondra Ward, Renee Gledhill-
Earley, Steve Claggett, Bob Topkins, Lang Baradell, and others in the Division of
Archives and History, this project could not have been completed. To the rest of our
colleagues at the Underwater Archaeology Unit—Mark Wilde-Ramsing, Leslie S.
Bright, Julep Gillman-Bryan, and Barbara Brooks—the authors wish to extend their
personal thanks for all the work performed in all phases of this project. Our deepest
appreciation and thanks go to the field crew of Glenn Overton, Howard Scott, and
Martin Peebles. We are grateful to John Kennington for doing the initial computer
maps. An extra acknowledgment is extended to Mr. Peebles for the numerous excellent
drawings used in this report.
For the generous use of his equipment and providing technical support, Gordon Watts
of Tidewater Atlantic Research is specially recognized. Thanks go as well to the staff at
Carolina Beach State Park for allowing us the use of its marine facilities during this
project. The enormous task of compiling the vast maritime history of the Cape Fear
River was greatly aided by the knowledgeable assistance from such individuals as
Beverly Tetterton at the New Hanover County Library and historian William Reaves. To
all those other individuals who contributed valuable assistance, we are deeply
appreciative.
Claude V. Jackson
Richard W. Lawrence
Glenn C. Overton
September 1, 1995
IV
Contents
Volume 1 (Maritime History)
List of Figures
List of Tables
Introduction 1
Environmental Setting of the Lower Cape Fear and Northeast Rivers 7
General Setting 7
Climate 7
Geology 8
Historical and Cartographic Research Methodology 9
Historical Research 11
Prehistory 11
Contact Period 14
Explorers and Regional Settlement 17
Geographic Names 39
Plantations 85
Fortifications 131
Lightships and Lighthouses 161
Ferry and Bridge Crossings... 179
Quarantine Stations 197
Shipbuilding along the Lower Cape Fear River 203
Shipyards, Boatyards, Repair Yards and Marine Railways 209
Shipwrecks and Derelicts 255
Historic Navigation and Dredging. 291
Current Navigation Project..... 317
Cartographic Research 323
Historical and Cartographic Research Conclusions 373
References Cited 383
Appendices
Appendix 1A: List of Shipwrecks Lost in the Cape Fear River
Appendix 1B: Cartographic Sources
List of Figures
Figure 1. Map Sections of the lower Cape Fear River 3
Figure 2. Illustration of Native American fishing techniques 16
Figure 3. Sautier 1769 Plan of the Town of Wilmington 25
Figure 4. Geographical Locations: Smith Creek to Town Creek 41
Figure 5. Geographical Locations: Town Creek to Reaves Point 43
Figure 6. Geographical Locations: Reaves Point to Southport 45
Figure 7. Geographical Locations: Southport to Cape Fear 47
Figure 8. Plantations: Smith Creek to Town Creek 87
Figure 9. Plantations: Town Creek to Reaves Point 89
Figure 10. Plantations: Reaves Point to Southport 91
Figure 11. Plantations: Southport to Cape Fear 93
Figure 12. Photograph of Orton Plantation 119
Figure 13. Fortifications and Obstructions: Smith Creek to Town Creek 133
Figure 14. Fortifications and Obstructions: Town Creek to Reaves Point.... 135
Figure 15. Fortifications and Obstructions: Reaves Point to Southport 137
Figure 16. Fortifications and Obstructions: Southport to Cape Fear 139
Figure 17. Civil War Photograph showing Fort Fisher 151
Figure 18. Lighthouses, Ferries & Quarantine Stations: Smith Creek
to Town Creek 163
Figure 19. Lighthouses, Ferries & Quarantine Stations: Town Creek
to Reaves Point 165
Figure 20. Lighthouses, Ferries & Quarantine Stations: Reaves Point
to Southport 167
Figure 21. Lighthouses, Ferries & Quarantine Stations: Southport
to Cape Fear 169
Figure 22. Photograph showing Bald Head Lighthouse 171
Figure 23. Photograph showing Price's Creek Lighthouse 175
Figure 24. Illustration of Market Street Ferry 183
Figure 25. Photograph of the ferry John Knox at Wilmington 186
Figure 26. Photograph showing construction of World War I ship 205
Figure 27. Photograph showing schooners under construction 206
Figure 28. Illustration showing Beery Shipyard on Eagles Island 218
Figure 29. Historic Shipwrecks: Smith Creek to Town Creek 257
Figure 30. Historic Shipwrecks: Town Creek to Reaves Point 259
Figure 31. Historic Shipwrecks: Reaves Point to Southport 261
Figure 32. Historic Shipwrecks: Southport to Cape Fear 263
Figure 33. Civil War River Obstruction 303
Figure 34. Civil War River Raft Obstruction 305
Figure 35. Photograph showing dredging by H. G. Wright 313
Figure 36. Photograph showing shipwreck of unknown schooner 379
Figure 37. Photograph showing shipwrecked steamers 380
VI
List of Tables
Table 1-1. Chronological list of Navigation Improvements on the
Cape Fear River 320
Table 1 -2. Types of Historic Vessels Lost in the Cape Fear Vicinity 378
Table 1-3. Causes of Shipwrecks in the Cape Fear Vicinity 381
VII
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2011 with funding from
LYRASIS members and Sloan Foundation
http://www.archive.org/details/maritimehistorysjack