5 things to know about Sloop Point in Pender County

With Hampstead and Surf City booming, one small area between the two offers a rich history and is also facing the effects of growth.

As a place that was a port before Wilmington became the main port city in the state, Sloop Point has lots of history. Sloop Point natives have spent years trying to document the history of the area.

More: How Sloop Point has transformed from a shipping port to a fast-growing residential area

Here are some interesting facts:

• Before Wilmington became a port city, Sloop Point was the go-to port because the Cape Fear River was too rough for boats to safely navigate at the time.

• Sloop Point is home to one of the eight remaining Rosenwald schools in Pender County. These schools were created by Booker T. Washington and Julius Rosenwald to educate Black children in the South.

• Curtis Hardison is a Pender County native and he attended the Sloop Point Consolidated Elementary School, which was the Rosenwald school. He wrote a book about the Edgecombe community, a historically Black community that attended the Rosenwald school, and titled it "Griot: The Evolution of Edgecombe."

• The Sloop Point Plantation is the oldest surviving house in the state as it was built in 1726 and owned by John Baptista Ashe. Over the years, many heirs of Ashe have owned and lived in the house, but now the house has new owners who have made many changes to the house.

• Sloop Point was once an incorporated town, but only for a short two years before it become unincorporated. This makes Sloop Point the second shortest-lived town right behind a community in Gaston County.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Sloop Point in Pender County, NC, offers rich history