Unique
Town Has Exotic Past, Serene Present
BY MARJORIE MEGIVERN
You have to hunt for Navassa.
It's not one of those little
towns with a tourist trail
down the middle where the weary
traveler stops for coffee or gas, not
a place you pass through on your
way to somewhere else. It almost
seems to hide from the world in the
heart of Northwest Township ad
joining Leland.
Once upon a time, though, long
before incorporation, the communi
ty had great importance for this
area. It owed its early livelihood
and its name to a Caribbean island
called Navassa. The valuable import
from this tiny island was guano, a
fertilizer made of bird excrement,
that was packed and distributed in
Navassa, N.C. in the late 1800s. So
successful was the Navassa Guano
Company, organized in 1869, a post
office was established in the Bruns
wick County community, even in
the absence of any form of govern
ment.
The mining of guano deposits
was short-lived, however. An at
tempted uprising among island la
borers in 1889 led to a bloody mas
sacre, abandonment of the island,
and in 1916 to the placement of
Navassa under the jurisdiction of
the U.S. Coast Guard.
Fortunately, the island's name
sake has fared better. Other fertiliz
er companies succeeded the ill-fated
Navassa Guano Company until the
1950s when the name "guano" dis
appeared for good. Although that
was the end of the community's in
dustrial era, it was probably a turn
for the better for what is now the
town of Navassa.
Incorporated in 1977 by Louis
Brown, the town's first and present
mayor, Navassa built a Town Hall
NAVASSA'S CHIEF CELEBRITY, basketball pro Chucky Brown,
lives in this attractive two-story house across from the Town Hall.
RENT IT FROM...
The
Cockl
Linens, baby equipment, air conditioners, TV's,
beach umbrellas, chairs, etc.
-Also
Seashells ? Books ? Hermit Crabs ? Gifts
VISIT OUR BAKERY
HOLDEN BEACH CAUSEWAY ? OPEN EVERYDAY ? 842-6030
"When the
name is NAPA
the standard
is quality"
NEW LOCATION!
109 Shallotte Ave.
(Behind our former Main Street location)
Coastal Parts
109 Shallotte Ave., Shallotte ? 754-4902
Q1881 THE BRUNSWICK BEACON
t rnviwi OT nWUVKIC MCUfVCIU
IN THE HEART OF NAVASSA is this intersection, where the Davis Chapel Baptist Church, Chucky
Brown's home and the Town Hall ( corner visible on right) converge.
in 1983. Through Community
Block grants, streets have been
paved, a water system established, a
ballfield built and 14 houses reha
bilitated. Brown proudly declared in
a 1984 interview, "Navassa was be
low poverty-level guidelines. We
had a lot of dilapidated property and
people still using outhouses. I saw
the need and now we don't have
that anymore."
This is, however, no growing,
thriving city with new businesses
springing up on every corner. The
population remains comfortably un
der 500, ?8% of the residents black,
and the business element consists of
one convenience store. Most able
bodied residents obviously work in
Wilmington or nearby Brunswick
County towns.
An exception is Charlena Alston,
town clerk, who is one of the town's
three employees. "There's no unem
ployment problem here," Charlena
declared, "but most young people
leave when they graduate from high
school. Then they usually come
back. A lot of families stay for
many generations."
Upon reflection and a closer look
at Navassa, it's easy to understand
why folks are content in this home
town. While there may not be what
other cities call "high society," or
"great opportunities," there are tra
ditions that are meaningful to
Navassans, two churches (Baptist
and Methodist) for spiritual under
girding, and there is evidence the
people have a good time together.
Since 1982, for instance, there
has been an annual town festival, al
ways held the weekend after July 4.
Charlena described plans for this
year's events: "On Thursday we'll
have a block party and there's a
banquet on Friday. Then the parade
is Saturday morning, with floats and
a combined band from all the high
schools. All afternoon there'll be
rides and games at the ballfield."
Something new is being intro
duced at this festival. "We're having
a boat ride, a cruise from Carolina
Beach to Wrightsville Beach,"
Charlena said.
A tradition was born early this
year with observance of Martin
Luther King's birthday. "We had a
march to the fire department and
speakers at a dinner," Charlena ex
plained.
In addition to such annual events,
townspeople enjoy their ball park
year-round. There are tennis courts,
a basketball court, and this year
lights have been added.
If you want still more excitement,
get this! Chucky Brown of
Cleveland Cavaliers basketball
fame, has a beautiful home across
the street from Town Hall.
According to Charlena, he spends a
lot of time in Navassa.
Into this peaceful pastoral scene
has recently come the word that
usually spells change and growth:
annexation. Petitions have been
submitted to Navassa officials, ask
ing that a square-mile area west to
ward Leland be annexed by the
town. Eulis Willis, longtime town
councilman, said there was talk that
Leland wanted to annex the area but
the people preferred to be a part of
Navassa. The action awaits only the
final red tape, according to Willis.
Driving through the little town,
with its well-kept lawns, its homes
that reflect a mix of middle and low
income but all neat and attractive,
one can't resist the hope that
Navassa remains forever as it is.
Without fast food restaurants, indus
trial smokestacks and traffic, it's al
most Utopian. Well, at least it's like
Charlena put it: "This is a quiet,
nice place to live."
VETERINARIAN
Companion Animal Hospital
?Small Animal Medicine
and Surgery
?Boarding
?Grooming
by Appointment
?House Calls
?Dentistry
?lams Pet Foods
?Hill's Prescription Diets
?Flea Control Products
?Heartworm Preventive
Medication
?Cardiopet Heart
Monitoring
DOCTORS AVAILABLE 24 HOURS
Dr. Betsy Burbank Dr. Brad Kerr
754-7282
OFFICE HOURS: Monday-Friday 8 am-6pm, Saturday 9 am- 1 2 Moon
150-6 East Gate Square, Holden Beach Road, Shallotte