Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Southport, North Carolina

Would you care to take a little tour of one of my favorite towns in the world?  Let's go for a walk in Southport, North Carolina, and let me show you some of the charming houses there.  These pictures were taken this past weekend, and the weather was gorgeous.  Before we see the houses though, here's a little information about the town itself.

Southport was founded in 1792 as Smithville.  It was originally named after Benjamin Smith, who was a colonel in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War and later became a governor of North Carolina.  The name was changed to Southport in 1887 in an effort to promote the town as a major shipping port.  Southport sits on the bank of the Cape Fear River just a few miles inland of the Atlantic Ocean, so it is rich in maritime history.  Fort Johnston, also located within Southport, was built by the British in 1748 to protect the Cape Fear River Region from pirates and privateers. 


Here's the first little charmer on our tour -- a cute, storybook cottage.  I love the gingerbread trim on the porch and the hanging ferns.


This is the house next door, another cute cottage.  The turquoise bench adds a nice pop of color against the yellow siding.  See the black plaque next to the door?  These historic plaques are on almost every house in the downtown district of Southport.



This house was across the street from the first two.  I love these brick steps, the black porch furniture, and the Bermuda shutters on the end of the porch.



This is yet another house in the same little block.


All these pretty rockers make me want to paint our porch rockers black.


Another house on the same block...



At the end of the block and diagonally across the street sits this beautiful old bed and breakfast.






More pretty black rockers.


The last house for today is this cozy cottage.  Fall is such a great time to take pictures; that special quality of sunlight throws beautiful shadows over the houses and lawns in these photos.


Here's a closeup shot of the house -- nice color on the front door.


This picture was taken in Southport one night at dinner, looking out across the water at the marina.  Another great thing about October (and fall in general) is the sunsets; they can be pretty spectacular.  By the way, Southport, particularly this area around the marina, is where the Nicholas Sparks movie "Safe Haven" was filmed.  I haven't seen the movie, but thought I'd throw that out there for those of you who have seen it.  :)  The town of Southport can also be seen in the television series Dawson's Creek, Under the Dome, and Matlock. 

I'll show you the rest of the houses we photographed tomorrow -- which house was your favorite in this group?  Thanks so much for reading my blog, and have a great day!

Denise

**All pictures taken by me and Mr. Forest Manor** 

10 comments:

  1. Charming homes, it looks like a quint little town:@)

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  2. now this is a place I'd love to visit.. thanks for the tour..

    stormy weather today- so they say, we shall see,,

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  3. I don't think I've been here. I love the charming old houses.

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  4. What a beautiful place to live, and each house is so cozy and inviting.
    We have a little seaside town close to my hometown in the North of England called Southport, it's such a special little town.
    Thank you for sharing such a lovely post.
    ~Jo

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  5. Clearly I missed some of the prettiest parts of North Carolina on my visits. :)

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  6. Hi Denise! Oh, what a sweet little neighborhood. The little cottages are so darling. The black rockers looks like it may be a neighborhood thing. Most of the houses in my neighborhood have white rockers and I've gotta get some too! ;) Thank you so much for popping in to see me with your sweet comments.
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

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  7. I could be happy in any of those houses, Denise! However, I'm especially smitten with the first cottage. Oh, it is so cute. I tend to like small and cozy the best. Thanks for sharing all the pretty homes in Southport for us to enjoy through your pics.

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  8. Thanks for taking us along on your tour of Southport, Denise, it's full of charming homes that are so well kept.

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  9. Oh that last cottage sooo has my name on it!

    I would love to visit there - always wondered where Safe Haven was filmed- I've seen it several times, it's a great movie - a thriller but a love story too.

    And Dawnson's Creek my daughters never missed EVER!

    Thanks for both post tours - really enjoyed!

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  10. I like the yellow cottages best. I noticed the Robert Ruark Inn. He wrote one of your Daddy's favorite books, "Poor No More". He has written several novels. I believe he spent summers in Southport with his Grandfather when he was young. Looking forward to more pictures. Love, Mom

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND COMMENTS. I ENJOY READING EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM.

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