The area on
which the Town of Swansboro later developed was intermittently occupied by
native Americans of the Algonkian tribe, who originally gave what is now called
the White Oak River the name “Weetock”. After participating with the Tuscaroras
in an attack on New Bern in 1711, the Algonkians were driven from the area. By
1713, landgrants were being given to English settlers along the White Oak,
including the location of the native American village site where Swansboro would
later be founded
Around 1730, Swansboro started as a small settlement at the mouth of the White Oak River. Jonathan and Grace Green settled here from Massachusetts. Mr. Green died a short time later and Grace married Theophilus Weeks, who had settled in Hadnot Creek. The Weeks family were farmers then tavern owners and then Mr. Weeks was appointed port inspector. Weeks then sold a portion of his land which, first called New Town and Bogue, the waterfront community was incorporated in 1783 as the colonial port town of Swannsborough. It was so named in honor of Samuel Swann, former speaker of the North Carolina House of Commons. In 1783, when the town was established by law, the General Assembly put an end to the confusion over names by bypassing all the earlier names and officially naming the town Swannsborough, which has since been shortened to Swansboro.
The bustling port of Swannsborough thrived, and shipbuilding became its major industry. The town's most famous ship builder was Captain Otway Burns, builder of the Prometheus, the first steamboat constructed in North Carolina. Captain Burns' earlier exploits as the commander of the privateer vessel, the Snapdragon, had already brought much honor to the town. The port continued to prosper until the end of the Civil War.
The decline of the shipping industry initiated considerable growth of lumber and naval stores, which succumbed to the Great Depression in the 1920s. The town's people then turned to another natural resource, the sea, and the development of the commercial fishing industry.
Marine Corps bases at Cherry Point and Camp
Lejeune brought economic growth during the second World War. Growth has
continued to the present day, but Swansboro has managed to retain the quaint
charm and quiet character of a picturesque colonial port while developing its
successful fishing and tourist industries.
CURRENT WEATHER CONDITIONS
IN Swansboro,
NC
SWANSBORO WEBCAM, Swansboro, NC
Swannsborough Yacht
Club Swansboro
Christmas Flotilla
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