Pender County Historical Society hosting presentation on area’s steamboat history
BURGAW, NC (WWAY) — The Pender County Historical Society, in collaboration with the Pender County Library, will host a presentation on the history of steamboats in Point Caswell.
The free event will take place on July 22nd at 10:30 a.m. in the Main Library in Burgaw.
Everett Ward, who was born in Savannah, Georgia, but raised in Point Caswell, will be the main presenter. He is a former high school teacher, firefighter, and Wrightsville Beach fire chief.
Ward’s presentation will delve into the stories of four steamboats: Lisbon, Frank Sessoms, Thelma, and Charles M. Whitlock. These are just a sample of the many steamers that once navigated the Black River, the Cape Fear River, the Northeast Cape Fear River, Moores Creek, and Long Creek.
They represent an era that began around 1866, carried on until around 1923, and illustrate a story of changing social order, a political transformation, and a new economy that emerged from the wrath of the Civil War.
