3,700) whose historic houses and buildings include Fort Johnston, the North Carolina Maritime Museum at Southport,[2] and year-round ferry service across the Cape Fear River to the NC Aquarium and Civil War battleground site at Fort Fisher.
It is now used as a year-round coastal retreat and conference center for churches, associations, agencies, and other affiliates of the Baptist State Convention.
One of the facility's main purposes has been to serve as a camp for the youth of North Carolina's Baptist churches, especially during the summer months.
Many of the current full-time employees and administration started out as summer staff in years past.
[4] The facilities, which include housing and program buildings such as Hatch Auditorium which hosts the Civil War Roundtable[5] and the Smith Conference Center, are also used by non-Baptist church and educational groups.