Work underway to save historic building in Southport

SOUTHPORT, NC (WECT) - The Fort Johnston-Southport Museum and Visitor's Center is a popular destination for visitors in Brunswick County. It overlooks the mouth of the Cape Fear River and showcases the area's history, heritage, culture and natural beauty.

The Garrison building was originally constructed in 1810 by the military to protect the region from Spanish and French attacks, but now it belongs to the City of Southport.

A restoration company from Raleigh has spent the last several weeks working on the exterior brick walls.

"We found that at one of the restorations in the 90s, they put a Portland mortar into between the bricks, and that is a cement base mortar, and it does not breath with these old bricks, when it is hot and cold, the bricks seem to breath and they expand and contrast with the weather," said Randy Jones, with the City of Southport.

So several weeks ago, workers began taking out all of the Portland cement mortar between the thousands of bricks and replacing it with the correct lime base mortar.

The work is not coming cheap, to the tune of about $140,000.

Fortunately, the city has received a state grant of $94,000 for the work. But the request has gone out in the community to pitch in for the remaining funds needed, one brick at a time, with donations as small as $10. Some of the city's community organizations have already donated several thousand dollars.

It's not just all of the mortar being replaced. The restoration company has been able to locate new aged appropriate bricks to replace the ones that have already cracked and are now unusable.

Jones says if the work had not been done, more bricks would have cracked, putting the entire structure in danger.

"If we had not gone and looked at the long range plans for the building, we probably would have had major damage, so what we are trying to do is be pro-active and take care of this building so it will be here for generations to come," Jones said.

The three-month program started in May and without any future unexpected delays, workers hope to wrap up the entire mortar and brick replacement project in early July, just in time for North Carolina's official 4th of July celebration.

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