RALEIGH — A pair of beach resorts for Black families organized in North Carolina before desegregation will be recognized with a North Carolina Highway Historical Marker.

Seabreeze and Freeman Beach were two pioneering beach resorts established in New Hanover County in 1922 and 1951, respectively. Closely related to each other geographically, and consequently considered by some to be the same, they provided summertime leisure for thousands of Black visitors from North Carolina and other parts of the country during the Jim Crow era.

The marker commemorating Seabreeze and Freeman Beach will be dedicated May 31 at 10:30 a.m., near the intersection of Carolina Beach and South Seabreeze roads.

The origins of the two resorts began in 1922, when two of Robert Bruce Freeman Sr.’s sons, Roland and Nathan, established the North State Realty and Investment Company. The brothers owned 65 acres of land along Myrtle Grove Sound. They divided their land into small plots which they sold for residential and business use, including the establishment of a Black beach resort.

The first building, called Seabreeze, was erected in 1922, and was later adopted as the name of the larger resort community. The resort received a major boost in January 1924 when Thomas and Victoria Lofton, a prominent Wilmington African American couple, opened a 25-room hotel. Visitation to the resort quickly picked up, with a reported crowd of 3,000 attending Labor Day in 1927. In May 1929, the Russell Hotel opened. The resort was often used by Black civic and business groups to hold conventions.

Expansion continued into the 1930s. In 1934, Dr. Foster F. Burnett, a Wilmington doctor, built a convalescent home and recreation center for Blacks next to Seabreeze. In May 1935, the North Carolina Utilities Commission granted a franchise to the Wilmington Bus Company to run buses between Seabreeze and Wilmington.

During World War II, Seabreeze was a popular destination spot for African American servicemen. The Federal Works Agency earmarked $12,800 for the construction of a bathhouse for their use.

By the 1950s, the fortunes of both Seabreeze and Freeman Beach were in decline. Harassment of visitors was common as they neared or left either resort area. Opposition to the resorts from area whites and the increasing encroachments of local development grew. Erosion also was shrinking the beaches.

When Hurricane Hazel struck in October 1954, the storm severely damaged Seabreeze. A few buildings remained, but the resort never fully recovered. By 1975 most of the businesses associated with the resort closed, although a small community persisted.

For more information about the historical marker and the event, call (919) 814-6625.

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