Fun Facts about
Johnnie Mercers Fishing Pier
- The pier was originally called the Atlantic View pier and was built in the 1930’s by Julian Morton whose son, Hugh Morton owned Grandfather Mountain.
- Atlantic View Pier was later bought by Luther Rogers who sold it to Johnnie Mercer in 1939.
- Johnnie Mercer was an avid fisherman and renamed the pier after himself. (He was not the famed singer/songwriter)
- Mercer died in a car crash in 1964 and his widow sold the pier to Bob and Shirley Johnson in 1969.
- Bob Johnson removed the ‘ out of Mercers since Johnnie did not own it any more.
- The pier was rebuilt after Hurricane Hazel in 1954.
- Hurricane Fran and Bertha in 1996 were the two storms that devastated the wooden Johnnie Mercers Pier.
- Building of the new concrete pier was always a dream of Bob Johnson and construction began in 1999.
- The new Johnnie Mercers Pier reopened in 2001.
- If you look at certain pilings along the pier, you will find etched in the concrete the date it was made and how many feet it goes down into the sand. Very visible on one piling in particular along the right side before the “T”.
- Johnnie Mercers is the first concrete pier along the NC coastline.
- The pier extends 1200 feet our over the Atlantic Ocean.
- The pier was built to be able to withstand up to 200 MPH winds.
- The grates on the pier are designed to give way during storms to help disperse the weight of the water.
- Bob and Shirley’s son, Matt Johnson, and his family, are now the owners/operaters of the pier.