walked two hundred yards north to the stop on August 25, 1899,
when she, “in some unaccountable way,” reported the Wilmington
Messenger on August 26, 1899, stepped right onto the track just
five feet in front of the cow-catcher. The ocean side wheels cut her
body in two on impact — an unspeakable horror viewed by her
son-in-law, two young grandchildren and several other witnesses.
Mrs. McPherson’s remains were returned to the Northrop
Cottage where many neighbors gathered to comfort the family.
Her brother, Wilmington pharmacist J. H. Hardin, accompanied
the body to Wilmington on a special train run, about three hours
after the accident. The funeral service was held the next day at St.
§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ § as the sap rose, so did Harriss’s real estate portfolio. At one time,
he owned houses at 15 South Fifth, 806 Orange and 517 Dock
streets and also a waterfront Wrightsville Sound retreat at Bradley
Creek. Harriss, forever known to many after the war as Capt.
Northrop, entertained hosts of friends and relatives on the sound
during mosquito season. He was famous for his cheerful hospitality,
and the Northrops’ breezy, oak-laden sound property made
a perfect backdrop for eating, clinking glasses and reliving Civil
War battles. At one reunion of the famous Third North Carolina
Regiment, their Rebel Yell was said to have literally shaken the
rafters of the house.
The Northrops added oceanfront land to their property
list when the Nathan and Schloss families developed
Ocean View, which covered most of the south end of
today’s Wrightsville Beach. The Ocean View Railroad
began operation in 1889, making it easier to live at the
beach and more accessible for property buyers. The
Northrops bought two cottages. Ten years later there were
more than 60 dwellings on Ocean View and the Town of
Wrightsville Beach was incorporated. Harriss’s brother,
Samuel, served as the municipality’s first mayor.
That year also brought a frightful tragedy to the
Northrop family. The mother-in-law of his beloved
nephew and namesake, W. H. Northrop I, was run over
by the Seacoast Railroad’s engine near the Seashore Hotel.
Susan McPherson had just left the Northrop Cottage and
§§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ §§ § §33
Clockwise from top right: Northrop Cottage. Courtsey
of Cape Fear Museum (Cecil and Silvey Robinson). Capt.
and Mrs. Harriss Northrop at Wrightsville Beach.
Ocean View Railroad.
www.wrightsvillebeachmagazine.com WBM