‘Shovel tests’ reveal long-buried artifacts in Southport

Before Southport was Southport – even before it was Smithville – Fort Johnston brought life and a little bit of action to this small piece of land near the mouth of the Cape Fear River.


And recently, graduate students with East Carolina University uncovered another part of its colorful history with a tiny treasure trove of historical artifacts.

In May, the town approved a plan to move its branch of the N.C. Maritime Museum to the Fort’s property. This meant improvements would have to be made to the old building and a couple of new buildings, connected by a covered cement walkway would need to be built. Any time construction is ordered on a site of historical significance, a survey must be done to ensure nothing of great historic value is disturbed.

For curious locals, this is more than just a precaution. It’s an opportunity to see what has been hidden all along.

With the guidance of ECU professor of archaeology Charles Ewen, students Dawn Luker, Greg Pierce and Joey Roberts dug “shovel tests” in the area where the cement walkway is to be built. Ewen said they kind of knew all along that they might encounter some artifacts. According to old maps, a seamstress’s quarters were located nearby in the 1800s. Various shops could have been in that area, too, during the fort’s more than 260-year history.

Luker and the other students began digging test holes about 10 feet apart in a 30 x 30 foot area. Although the team had to fight with about 3 feet of clay fill that had been brought in during recent history, the work soon paid off.

“We definitely found some brick and mortar. We also found a couple of buttons, what looks like a lady’s pin or broach, the thimble, a Civil War bullet, which was really cool … bottle fragments and a lot of ceramics,” she said. “It was amazing … It’s neat to see all the years come out.”

The earliest artifacts date from the early 19th century.

Now that the information is collected, Ewen said it’s up to state archaeologists and N.C. Maritime Museum officials to decided what they want to do next.

Mary Strickland, manager of the Southport museum said no decision has been made yet as to the construction or whether the artifacts will be on display in the museum’s new location.

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