nc mAll Third Tuesday evening programs are free and open to the public; however, donations are appreciated. Lectures are held at 7:00 p.m. at the Southport Community Building, 223 E. Bay St., unless otherwise noted. Lectures are geared for 16 years and older.  Please contact the museum at 910-477-5151 for more information or to register. Seating is limited, so registration is required!

January 21: Maritime Movie Masterpiece
Life Boat (1944)
Several survivors of a torpedoed merchant ship in World War II find themselves in the same lifeboat with one of the U-boat men who sunk it. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Starring Tallulah Bankhead, John Hodiak, and Walter Slezak.

Sponsored by Irene Joseph

February 18: Dr. Valinda Littlefield
I am Only One, But I am One:  Southern African American Schoolteachers and Struggles for Freedom, 1884-1964
Join Dr. Littlefield in discussing the advancements of African Americans  on the social, economic, political, and educational battlefields of the southern landscape.

Sponsored by Willie and Lelia Gore

March 17: Dr. Paul Townend
Alcohol and the Irish
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in a historically cool way. Join Dr. Townend in learning about Irish emigrants in North Carolina and their connection to alcohol from pre-emigration to present day.

Sponsored by Sea Glass Realty

April 21: Dr. David Winkler
Incidents at Sea: Confrontation during the Cold War and Beyond
The talk expands upon Winkler’s 1998 Ph.D. dissertation that was subsequently published in the U.S., Canada, and China and again in 2017 in the U.S. by Naval Institute Press under the title “Incidents at Sea: American Confrontation and Cooperation with Russia and China – 1945-2016.” Winkler argues the maritime realm does not offer the territorial restraints that separate armed forces during peacetime and that an incident at sea could have consequences for international relationships. Recognizing the need to prevent incidents, the U.S. and Soviet Union/Russia and now the U.S. and China have negotiated safety at sea accords.

Sponsored by Irene Joseph

May 19: Bald Head Island Conservancy
A Sea Turtle’s Perspective on Coastal North Carolina
A sea turtle’s time on our beaches is relatively short, and most of their days are spent at sea. Our encounters with loggerhead sea turtles are typically on a beach, where these 400-pound mothers drag themselves up the sand and slowly but determinedly lay their nests. What is maritime life like for these animals? What challenges do they face? We will discuss relevant findings from the conservancy and collaborators about the life and habits of loggerhead sea turtles as they experience North Carolina beaches and after they leave us for the open ocean. Organizations like the Bald Head Island Conservancy have been protecting sea turtle nests on oceanfront beaches for over 30 years.

Sponsored by Norm Greisen

June 16: David Campbell
Submarine Salvage Rescue and Operations
From the inception of the submarine force in 1900 to today’s submarine force, join Campbell in diving deep into incidents, lost and damaged subs, and loss of life. Campbell will cover the history of the US submarine through disasters, rescues and salvage missions.

Sponsored by Robert Ruark Inn

July 21: Dr. Christopher Jasparro
21st Century Pirates
Dive into contemporary piracy including geography, causes, and operation habits. Learn who they are and what is being done to combat pirates around the world.

Sponsored by Irene Joseph

August 18: Dr. Jennifer McKinnon
WWII in the Pacific: Archaeology of Planes, Tanks and Shipwrecks
Dive into a decade of underwater archaeology research on WWII vehicles, aircraft, and shipwrecks in the Pacific Theater with Dr. McKinnon. The presentation includes historical snapshots of specific sites, 3D visualization, and information about veterans’ programming currently in progress to train in underwater archaeology and conduct missions on World War II sites in Saipan.

Sponsored by Irene Joseph

October 20: Dr. Lynn Harris
Shipyards of the Carolinas: Interpretations, Historical and Archaeological Evidence
Shipyards in North and South Carolina—like Hobcaw, Mars Bluff, and McKnight’s—were established at locations chosen primarily for convenient access to transportation networks, building materials, clientele, and labor. The historical record reveals a home front role played by local plantation owners and slaves as shipyard labor. Women served as project fundraisers, shipyard dilettantes, shipwright’s wives, and possibly slave mistresses with a paucity of material culture to confirm their presence in the archaeological record. Archaeological investigations on land and underwater yield evidence of artifacts associated with diet, shipbuilding, warfare, and ethnicity.

Sponsored by Jim and Nancy Crum

November 17: Bill and Laura Howell
Sailing Around the World: A Couple’s Adventure
Hop aboard the engineless 28′ Columbia 8.7 or the engineless S&S Swan 36 with Bill and Laura Howell as they recount their travels circumnavigating the world (twice!). First, as a newly married couple, then again while homeschooling their two sons. Travel to a wide variety of places while learning just what it takes to sail 60,000 nautical miles. Experience the lows of running out of money and working in Australia and South Africa, as well as the highs of selling their home and pouring their savings into a 62′ Deerfoot sailboat to take on circumnavigation a second time.

Sponsored by Carol Midgett

December 15: Madeline Flagler
Water/Ways in Wrightsville
Chosen by a North Carolina Humanities Council selection committee, six rural North Carolina host sites will showcase the exhibit in their respective communities. North Carolina’s distinct aquatic landscape of Atlantic Coast beaches, mountain rivers and local lakes plays an integral part in shaping our state’s identity. The multi-panel exhibit explores water as an essential natural resource that allows us to travel, determines where we live, controls what we eat and drink, and inspires culture.

Water/Ways is part of Museum on Main Street, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and the North Carolina Humanities Council and was adapted from an exhibition organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York.