Shipwreck Park

Of the many thousands of ships that have been lost off the notorious Cape Fear Coast, there is one that has resurfaced and can be visited again today in the middle of a seemingly random street in Oak Island, North Carolina.

The 138 foot long Mary E. Morris was built in 1884 and sunk in 1893 while transporting phosphorus off the coast of Southport. It spent a century under water, until its remains were brought to shore in 1999. A public program worked in conjunction with archaeologists to move the ship’s skeletal remains to Barbee St where it now rests on a median to be easily observed by anyone.Perhaps this pile of wood looks like more of a husk than a ship today, but the incongruous sight of it in the middle of this idyllic beach town neighborhood makes for an unusual and interesting stop.