This small quaint seaport has roots back to April 7, 1730 when Isaac and Jonathan Green Sr. purchased from Ebenezer Harker "a certain plantation and track of land containing by estimation 441 acres situate lying and being in ye Carterett in ye county of province of aforsaid being ye west side of ye mouth off White Oak River." By 1771 Theophilus Weeks started a town on his plantation, laying out a plat and selling lots. Formerly known as Bogue, Week's Point, The Wharf and New Town, the town was officially designated by the North Carolina General Assembly on May 6, 1783. Above photo (from North Carolina State Archives) courtesy Jack Dudley, as included in Swansboro - A Pictorial Tribute

Bartley-Pittman Store circa 1890

Bartley-Pittman Store - Image courtesy Jack Dudley - Swansboro-A Pictorial Tribute
NATIONAL REGISTER of Historic Places: 120 Front Street (north side) - False-fronted commercial structure with original display windows, second story removed in 1918. Merchants James Thomas Bartley and John A. Pittman were early occupants of the building.

According to Jack Dudley's book, "the store was built circa 1893 since his deed states he purchased the lot from W.D. Hargett the same year. Bartley sold the store to John Pittman in 1896 and Pittman operated the store for several years, and was known as The Pittman Store. In photographs before 1930, the building had two stories. Swansboro's first "central" or telephone operator's office was on the second floor. The building has had many uses including serving as the post office."

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