In 1848, Samuel Beery and his two sons bought property on Eagles Island from Henry Savage for $12,000. Here they constructed the Commercial Mill and Ship Yard, which was turning out 250 ton vessels by 1850. By the time Thomas Beery bought out his father in 1852, the site held a saw mill, a shipyard, a marine railway (a kind of drydock) along with a blacksmith shop and rigging loft.
In 1861, the Benjamin and William Beery began building warships and other support ships for the Confederacy. The most famous one they completed was the ironclad CSS North Carolina, 150 feet long and mounting six 8-inch guns.
She proved to be a very ineffectual ship and was so underpowered that all that could be done with her was to anchor the ship off Smithville (today's Southport) near the Cape Fear River's old entrance and use as a floating battery. She remained there until developing a leak and sinking. So much for her Confederate career.
--Old B-Runner
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