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In 1818, James Seawell launched a steamboat and a new era from his plantation on the east bank of the Cape Fear River.
The boat was named after Seawell's daughter,Henrietta.
Henrieta was launched April 30, 1818 under the command of Captain Charles Taws.
Perhaps its most famous trip came when it raced the Chatham, a stern-wheel boat with two boilers. The Chatham was considered to be one of the faster boats on the river.
The Chatham left Fayetteville 15 minutes before the Henrietta.
The Henrietta, with engines throbbing and passengers screaming, passed the Chatham on a straight section of river at a "snail's pace," according to historical accounts.
The Henrietta arrived in Wilmington two hours before the Chatham.
Seawell was a champion for change in the county.
He helped finance the Clarendon Bridge in 1819, the first span across the Cape Fear River in the county.