The Swansboro Historical Association is recognizing the town’s African American heritage with a special program on the past, present and future of Hammocks Beach State Park and the surrounding area.
The event is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Swansboro Area Heritage Center Assembly Room, 502 Church St.
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Attendees will have the opportunity to hear how the park became important to the Swansboro community and how it evolved into a center for recreation, education, preservation, and conservation.
Area historian and author Patricia Hughey, Onslow County Museum Director Lisa Whitman-Grice, past Hammocks Beach State Park Superintendent Claude Crews and park ranger Renee Evans have been invited to speak during the program.
Hammocks Beach State Park is made up of its mainland, where there’s a visitor center, and three barrier islands, including the 4-mile-long Bear Island.
New York neurosurgeon, Dr. William Sharp, purchased 4,600 acres including Bear Island in 1914 for a hunting and fishing preserve after visiting the area, according to a N.C. State Parks report. The land was deeded in 1950 to the North Carolina Teachers Association, a nonprofit group of Black educators. After an unsuccessful attempt to develop the land, it was donated to the state in 1961. The land was a state park for Black citizens until it was opened to all people in 1963. Hammocks Beach State Park opened for all citizens following the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The U.S. Department of the Interior Designated Bear Island a National Natural Landmark in 1980.
