Missiles and More Museum
Visit the Museum to learn about Ocean City NC, the first Beach area available to African American's in NC. Located at 720 Channel Blvd.The one-mile stretch of land known as Ocean City between North Topsail Beach and Surf City was once owned by a white Lawyer named Edgar Yow who wanted to provide the opportunity for African American’s to own beach property against the attitudes of the 1940's. At the time there was only one African American Beach for Blacks to access. It was a small place called Seabreeze that was only accessible by boat about 15 miles from Wilmington.Mr. Yow shared his plan with Dr. Samuel J. Grey, a black physician in Wilmington who was a past client. Shortly after their original conversation Dr. Grey involved the Chestnut Brothers who today are considered the developers of Ocean City. Dr. Grey, the Chestnut brothers, and their sister Louise bought the first tracts of land from Edger Yow. An interracial corporation, ‘Ocean City Developers’ was formed in 1949 and was headed by Robert Chestnut, Sr. whose goal was to sell the property to African Americans.Its establishment created the first beachfront town where people of color could purchase property and build in North Carolina. It was Wade Chestnut’s idea to name this section of Topsail Island Ocean City and he served as the secretary of the corporation. Wade took over the development of Ocean City and became passionate about creating a beach for black ownership. Later in 1959, Wade bought and remodeled one of the remaining observation towers from NASA Project Bumblebee to be a restaurant and tackle shop. He built the first houses and moved his family (wife and two young sons) to Ocean City. The next two houses built were that of Stephen Rodgers of Fayetteville and Henry Mallette, Sr. of Wilmington.Wade Chestnut and his partner William Eaton of Fayetteville built a ten-room motel and restaurant in 1952, a church summer camp with a 60 camper dormitory and St. Mark’s Episcopal Chapel (Wade H. Chestnut Memorial Chapel). Their intent was to build up the Ocean City area to encourage the development of a planned town with residential and a separate commercial area with a family-friendly beach.Today the Historical Ocean City Community invites North Carolinians to the area to help them Celebrate their roots and history during the Annual Ocean City Jazz Festival. More can be learned about the Chestnuts and Ocean City by visiting their Exhibit in the Missiles and More Museum in Topsail Beach. Hours and locations are posted on their website at http://missilesandmoremuseum.org/.
Manhollow Missionary Baptist Church
The Edgecomb community north of Surf City is home to the Manhollow Missionary Baptist Church and the Sloop Point School. The following is an excerpt from Curtis Hardison's manuscript who is a direct descendent of Tuney and Janey, first generation of the enslaved. The location of the Church and School is 55 Manhollow Church Rd, Hampstead, NC 28443.My enslaved ancestors began coming together as a community of hopeful Christians in 1861 when a white Missionary Baptist minister by the name of Alvin D. Love was allowed by the slave owners to lead slave families from the Batts and Sidbury plantations in worship services. During slavery, religious worship services for slaves were used primarily as a means of controlling slaves using carefully selected scriptures that appeared to support the concept of slavery. The selected scriptures were edited and used to create the slaves Bible from which sermons were delivered to slaves throughout the South. The unexpected consequence of allowing religious services also presented the opportunity for slaves to gather and socialize in groups for reasons other than forced labor; Their bonds as a community of family members was reinforced by the new opportunities to socialize and fellowship without being under the ever-present gaze of owners and overseers. Early preachers were white missionaries, and eventually slaves that were chosen by their owners more for their ability to deliver sermons that focused on being “good and obedient” servants, than on teaching the Word of God. Church services were usually conducted on the farm grounds, under trees, in barns or in stables. Slaves were allowed, even encouraged to attend Sunday church service at the newly organized Manhollow Missionary Baptist Church as it became the centerpiece of the slave community. The original church building, constructed in 1862, also served as a place of personal and spiritual growth and renewal, but primarily as a place for worship. During the week, slaves toiled from pre-dawn to well after nightfall in the various enterprises of the Batts and Sidbury families and generally looked forward to the Sunday worship service where they could rest and feel safe while worshiping, learning about the Bible, and most important of all, indulge in bonding and socializing activities with their extended family members. This was all done under the leadership and watchful eyes of the white missionary Alvin D. Love, whose primary objective was to convince them to adhere to the Word as written in the Slave Bible and to be good, faithful and obedient slaves in order to assure an everlasting life of plenty in the hereafter. The slaves usually made a practice of arriving early for Sunday worship service to secretly learn from each other how to read and write, using the Bible as the only available text. While Missionary Love spent his day leading worship service, the younger slaves continued to secretly learn and teach reading and writing during and after the worship services. Unlike many Independent black churches in the South that were founded after the end of the Civil War, Manhollow Missionary Baptist Church was unique in that it was established four years prior to the end of the Civil War and slavery. In 1868, three years after the Civil War, the cornerstone was laid for the construction of a permanent Church building and now, more than one hundred and fifty years later, and after many additions, modifications, upgrades and renovations, Manhollow Missionary Baptist Church continues to anchor the community by providing a place for spiritual renewal as well as social and community growth, education and fellowship renewal for the Edgecombe community. It has been joined by Gethsemane Holiness Church, which was constructed by a daughter of Fannie, my grandmother Reverend Minnie Bell Nelson in the early 1950’s.
Poplar Grove Plantation
Poplar Grove Plantation, once the largest peanut farm in North Carolina, has an interesting legacy. Joseph Mumford Foy built a manor house on more than 2,000 acres in what is known today as Scotts Hill in Pender County. Foy was a staunch Unionist and opposed succeeding from the Union.Yet, a planter by vocation, Foy owned enslaved people. According to the family records, he never sold a slave. He operated a “task” plantation in which the enslaved worked until the task was completed. However, when the work was done, the enslaved could hire out their talents and keep their wages.When Poplar Grove fell upon hard times, it was the enslaved who provided the money to keep the taxes paid and the farm solvent. Poplar Grove is a part of the northernmost portion of the Gullah Geechee National Corridor, established by the National Parks Service. The Gullah Geechee corridor stretches from St. Johns County, Florida to Poplar Grove and inland 30 miles along the coast. The corridor celebrates the Gullah Geechee culture, who were direct descendants of Africans brought to the United States and their enslaved descendants.Poplar Grove Plantation is located at 10200 US-17, Wilmington, NC 28411. Museum tours are available. Please check their website www.poplargrove.org for seasonal museum schedules. http://poplargrove.org/discover/foyfamilyhousehold/http://poplargrove.org/discover/gullah-geechee-2/
Pender County Training School Museum and Community Center
The orginal location of the Pender County Training School is located just inside the community of Rocky Point NC. Though the orginal structures are no longer safe for visitors the Alumni Association located on Shaw Hwy have collected years of photos, yearbooks, historical documents and more that is on display in the Pender County Training School Musuem and Community Center.The Pender County Training School was one of the only higher education facilites in NC for those of African descent. In the winter of 1917/18 the school opened for 218 students and just 2 teachers but within weeks more teachers were hired to meet the demand for a solid education. Throughout the years the campus grew to include mulitple buildings including a canteen and gymnasium and gave the African American Community the oppurtunity to participate in sports, music, drama and more.The Pender County Training School had some of the best African American teachers in the state, that even under the adversity of the times were able to cultivate their students into successfull and inspiring adults. Graduates went on to become doctors, lawyers, professors, military personell, performers, artists and other professionals. The school produced a doctor of physics, the first African American county commissioner, Artist Ivey Hayes, the notable Ambassador Mattie Sharpless and more. To read more click hereIf you would like to schedule a Tour and learn more about the history of the Pender County Training School and its graduates please call (910) 675-8528.
NC Mountains to Sea Trail
Even though Howard Lee isn’t from Pender County he has been monumental in the creation of the NC Mountains-to-Sea Trail which runs through Pender County and the Holly Shelter Game Lands. Lee is considered the ‘Father’ of the 1,200 mile trail which stretches across the state in Segments. Howard Lee first purposed the idea in 1977 as secretary of what is now the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Pender County is featured in Segments 14 and 15 of the MST beginning at the Pender/Bladen County line and traversing all the way to Surf City at the Pender/Onslow line. Hikers from all over the state and beyond travel through our county on a regular basis to experience Pender’s history, wildlife and many ecosystems. We can't mention the Mountains to Sea Trail without giving him the proper thanks and gratitude he deserves. To learn more about Howard Lee and his contributions and accomplishments watch this video that was featured on Spectrum News. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usHL8cPwXfA. For more information as well as starting points for the MST trail visit https://mountainstoseatrail.org/
Macedonia AME Church
Historic Macedonia African Methodist Episcopal Church located at 300 N Walk St. in Burgaw NC; 141 years old.Organized January 27, 1880. on the corner of North Walker and East Ashe Streets on one half-acre plot of land given by Wilmington and Weldon Railroad Company. Original site and structure maintain same architectural layout/design and windows. Member of the 2nd Episcopal District of Connectional A.M.E. Church which was founded by Freeman Richard Allen in 1787 in Philadelphia, PA.
Pender County Courthouse
The Pender County Courthouse has witnessed its fair share of drama over the years, but in the 1970s it gained international attention as the site of the trial of the Wilmington Ten.The Wilmington Ten were nine young Black men and one white woman (the majority were high school age) who were wrongfully convicted in 1971. At a time of racial unrest, the Wilmington Ten protested the unfair treatment of Black students in the New Hanover schools during desegregation. Black schools were closed, and students were sent to all-white schools where they were harassed.The Wilmington Ten was sentenced to up to 29 years in prison in a trial that attracted the attention of Amnesty International and other civil rights organizations. In 1978, after public outcry, NC Governor Jim Hunt reduced their sentences, but federal appeals courts overturned the convictions, arguing that the prosecutor violated the Wilmington Ten’s constitutional rights. According to Kenneth Robert Janken, in his book The Wilmington Ten: Violence, Injustice, and the Rise of Black Politics in the 1970s, contributing to the success of the final pardon was because Pender County Courthouse staff discovered evidence they had preserved from the prosecutor’s files. In 2012, the Wilmington Ten was pardoned by Gov. Bev Perdue. Sadly, by that time four of the ten had passed away.Located at 100 S Wright St, Burgaw, NC 28425.Links:https://www.britannica.com/topic/Wilmington-Tenhttps://youtu.be/fzOEAeJg2U8
Pender County Historical Museum
The Pender County Historical Society Museum features exhibits that tell the untold stories of the African American Community. Featuring exhibits about the Rosenwald School Program including a focus on Canetuck Community Center, one of the best preserved historical Rosenwald school houses in the state. Also featured is an exhibit about the influence and contributions made by the African American Community to the Steamboat era locally and regionally.
Old Stage Road
Old Stage Road runs through Moores Creek National Battlefield has been referred to many names over the years including the Road to the Battle of 1776 and Negro Head Point Road. It wound its way from the waters of the Cape Fear Rivers to colonial Campbelltown and Cross Creek (present-day Fayetteville). It appears on North Carolina maps as early as 1743 and was used by colonists for transportation of goods and military use such as when Colonel Alexander Lillington and his Minuteman won the Battle of Moores Creek Bridge during the American Revolutionary War.This route was pivotal to the Revolutionary War, but as many historical landmarks do, it does have a darker past. African Americans were once marched using this same road from Wilmington to the Historic Fayetteville Market where they were being sold to inland plantation owners. Ferryboats had been crossing the Cape Fear River from the Wilmington docks to Negro Head Point for centuries. The peninsula, known as Negro Head Point, is created by the confluence of the Northeast and Northwest Cape Fear Rivers. The plantation's enslaved were kept at this point in holding pens before and after auctions to reduce contact with free blacks and urban slaves. However, there are some accounts of slaves using this trek to hide from authorities or as an escape from captivity leading to the mouth of the Cape Fear River. To walk this trace, follow the Tar Heel Trail to the tar kiln and the rail fence. At this point, the historic “highway” is easy to see to your right. Leave the Tar Heel Trail and walk across the entrance road where you will see signs designating the historic road. Walk down this shady lane and along the tree line. Make a sharp left toward the battlefield and earthworks. Here the historic trace becomes a sandy road and continues to the bridge spanning Moores Creek.Visit the site at Moores Creek National Battlefield located at 40 Patriots Hall Dr. Currie, NC 28435 or visit their webpage for hours of operation https://www.nps.gov/mocr/index.htm.To learn more visit the links below.https://davidcecelski.com/2018/11/30/the-road-to-the-cape-fear-susan-johnsons-diary-part-8/https://www.ncpedia.org/negro-head-roadhttps://www.ncpedia.org/monument/moores-creek-stage-roadhttps://www.ncpedia.org/battle-moores-creek-bridge-american
