Many things are true landmarks of Wilmington such as the Battleship North Carolina, Ft. Fisher Aquarium, UNCW Campus and many more, but chances are, if you have a love for local oysters, then you have met, and are a friend of, Cornelius “Sonny” Nixon. Sonny died on June 12 at the age of 90.
Nixon’s Oyster House on Market St. near Ogden was a landmark that many people left with oysters and a smile after some heartfelt conversation with Sonny. He was the “gauge block” of integrity and always was more than fair when it came to trading for oysters (both buying and selling) Both my son and I have sold oysters to Sonny, and I can truly say we ALWAYS had positive experiences with him. He demanded pretty oysters for his customers, but paid a generous price for quality.
Nixon was born in 1921 and spent his youth in what today is known as Ogden, then called Middle Sound. There, he first discovered the trade for which he would one day gain local notoriety. He spent his childhood supporting his family by buying, jarring, and reselling oysters to the men and women who worked at the World War II shipyard. Facing claims of “oyster bootlegging” by state authorities, Nixon validated himself —and his trade—by opening New Hanover County’s first oyster shucking facility, a converted crab house on Greenville Sound.
Soon thereafter, Nixon opened a shucking house on Market Street. An inconspicuous white cinder block building in the vicinity of his childhood home, Nixon’s Oyster Plant has remained a local landmark for more than 55 years.
Beyond his entrepreneurial legacy, Nixon was a family man and a prominent citizen. For many years he lived with his family in a Cape Cod-style home on Ruth Avenue—named for his wife—in Ogden. He held a deep concern for the environment that brought him his good fortune. He created a program of oyster shell recycling at his plant: customers returned their shells to him after use; the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries then returned the shells to area waters, providing a habitat for oyster spat to thrive.
Sonny’s legend began long before I ever came along, but to have known Sonny “back in the day” when Nixon’s Oyster House doubled as Hanover Packing (seafood market)… this was nothing shy of lucky on my behalf. During the winter, when the grouper and other bottom fish were plentiful, the oysters were “in season” as well. I have witnessed Sonny lead by example with hard work and good business ethics.
Sonny had quite a following on social networks like Facebook, even though I don’t think he ever turned on a computer in his life.
For me and many more in Wilmington and across North Carolina, we will certainly miss Sonny and his rock solid personality and integrity.
In the future, when you crack open your first oyster of the season, think of Sonny, and know that he would approve of those “pretty oysters”.
Capt. Tim Barefoot
Wilmington
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