From the Historic Southport, North Carolina site by Dr. Michael D. Hogan.
I have already written about the fort, but will add some more information.
Today, only one structure remains of Fort Johnston.
At the start of the Revolution, British Royal Governor Martin fled here from New Bern and then to the British warship HMS Cruizer (or Cruzier). The colonists took the fort and millet stores and dismantled the cannons as they were in range of the British man-of-war.
From the March 27, 2010, Wilmington (NC) Star-News article by Amy Hotz.
Before there was a Southport, there was a Smithville, and before that, there was a Fort Johnston.
East Carolina University students have found artifacts at Fort Johnston's site dating back 260 years. In May, 2010, the Southport Branch of the North Carolina Maritime Museum moved to the fort. Improvements were made to the existing building as well as a new building and walkways.
A survey was needed, though because of the area's historical significance. "Shovel tests" every ten feet in a 30-by-30-foot area found brick and mortar, a lady's pin or broach, a Civil War bullet, bottle fragments and ceramic pieces. The earliest artifacts found at this test dated back to the early 1800s.
A Little-Known Historic Site. --Cooter
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