Robertsport

In the mid-15th century, the Portuguese navigator Pedro de Sintra reached the cape, a 1,000-foot high granite promontory, which he named Cabo do Monte (Cape Mount).

Cape Mount was the site of Dutch trading post, which turned out to be very hard to defend. The post never became self-sufficient, and habitually required assistance from the station at Elmina, about 750 miles away by sea.{{cite book |last1=Lawrence |first1=A.W. |title=Trade Castles & Forts of West Africa |date=1963 |publisher=Jonathan Cape |location=London |pages=41, 57}}

Théodore Canot, a writer and slave-trader, established a settlement in the area in 1840.{{cite book |last1=Dunn |first1=Elwood E. |last2=Beyan |first2=Amos J. |last3=Burrowes |first3=Carl Patrick |title=Historical Dictionary of Liberia |date=20 December 2000 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0810838765 |page=147 |edition=2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qt0_RrW8ghkC&q=pedro+de+sintra+robertsport&pg=PA147 |accessdate=18 February 2019}}

In 1849 the Liberian government signed a treaty with the Vai people, acquiring the territory of Cape Mount and subsequently founding Robertsport in 1856.

Robertsport used to host the Tubman Center of African Culture, which was built in 1964 to commemorate William V.S. Tubman's sixty-ninth birthday.{{cite journal |last1=Zetterström |first1=Kjell |title=The Tubman Center of African Culture |journal=Liberian Studies Journal |date=1968 |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=73–74 |url=https://www.africabib.org/rec.php?RID=190573406 |accessdate=18 February 2019}} The institution was meant to be a world-wide center of research,{{cite journal |last1=Girma |first1=Kidane |title=The National Museum: Liberia - (mission) |journal=Participation and Cooperation for Development Programmes and International Campaigns |date=1982 |volume=4 |page=3 |url=https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000054808 |accessdate=18 February 2019 |publisher=UNESCO}} and to support and promote African studies. The civil war destroyed the structure, and only the ruins remain.{{cite web |title=Tubman Center of African Culture {{!}} Robertsport, Liberia Attractions |url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/liberia/robertsport/attractions/tubman-center-of-african-culture/a/poi-sig/1556608/1337616 |website=Lonely Planet |accessdate=18 February 2019 |language=en}}

Since the Second Liberian Civil War, the town, still mostly a fishing village, is being developed as a seaside resort for surfing. American visitors coming to the area after 2003 met up with a local, Robert Lomax, whom they taught to surf. Lomax taught others how to surf, including Philip Banini, who became a surfing teacher and owner of a guesthouse for surfers. {{As of|2022}}, the Robertsport Surf Club was expected to start owning its own beach property for surfing lessons and fishing trips.{{cite news |url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/amp/robertsport-liberia-surf-spc-intl/index.html |title=A post-war surfing renaissance is underway in Africa's oldest republic |first=Jo |last=Munnik |publisher=CNN |date=20 May 2022 |accessdate=21 May 2022}} The film “We The Surfers” about the annual African national Surfing titles held in Robertstown and it’s participants including women surfers Faith and Butterfly from Robertstown was showcased at the Ocean Film Festival 2025.

Robertsport's coast contains five point breaks, including three main points known for surfing: Fisherman's Point, closest to town; Cotton Trees; and Cassava Point.{{Contradict-inline|reason=Four different 'points' are listed in the next paragraph, bringing the total to at least seven.|date=February 2019}}{{cite web |last1=Thomas |first1=Kate |title=Surfing Liberia |url=http://www.lonelyplanet.com/travelstories/article/liberia_1007 |website=Lonely Planet |accessdate=18 February 2019 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080904004039/http://www.lonelyplanet.com/travelstories/article/liberia_1007/ |archivedate=4 September 2008 |url-status=dead| date=October 2007}}

In 2009, Liberia's surfer, Alfred Lomax, took a reporter to see what he considered the best surfing spots, "'This here,' he says pointing out to the waves surging down the beach, 'we call this Camp Point. Then, up the beach, is Cutting Point — that’s where they break both ways.'"[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article6366665.ece Leitch, Luke. "Alfred Lomax: the man who could be Liberia's first professional surfer." The Times (London). May 27, 2009]{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

Nearby towns and villages include Bassa Community (0.6 nm), Kru Town (0.3 nm), Bombotown (0.3 nm) and Gomboja (0.3 nm).{{cn|date=February 2019}}

IMRAY(1884) p0575 LIBERIA, CAPE MOUNT RIVER.jpg|Map of Robertsport (1884)

Robertsport.jpg|Cape Mount Bay

Church in Robertsport, 2009.jpg|Mount Zion Baptist Church

Robertsport Liberia.jpg|Beach

Robertsport2.jpg|Hillside view

Fanti Town Port, Robertsville.jpg|Port of Fanti Town

Robertsport has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen Am) with a short dry season from January to March and a long, persistent wet season covering the rest of the year. At the peak of the wet season from July to September rainfall is exceedingly heavy, with monthly averages of around {{convert|35|in|mm|-2|disp=or}}.

{{Weather box|width = auto

|location = Robertsport

|single line = Yes

|temperature colour = pastel

|Jan high F = 88

|Feb high F = 89

|Mar high F = 90

|Apr high F = 89

|May high F = 89

|Jun high F = 85

|Jul high F = 80

|Aug high F = 80

|Sep high F = 82

|Oct high F = 85

|Nov high F = 87

|Dec high F = 87

|year high F = 86

|Jan low F = 71

|Feb low F = 72

|Mar low F = 73

|Apr low F = 74

|May low F = 74

|Jun low F = 73

|Jul low F = 73

|Aug low F = 71

|Sep low F = 72

|Oct low F = 72

|Nov low F = 72

|Dec low F = 71

|year low F = 72

|rain colour = green

|Jan rain inch = 1.5

|Feb rain inch = 0.2

|Mar rain inch = 0.7

|Apr rain inch = 7.1

|May rain inch = 10

|Jun rain inch = 19.1

|Jul rain inch = 31.6

|Aug rain inch = 36.5

|Sep rain inch = 36.5

|Oct rain inch = 14.6

|Nov rain inch = 4.5

|Dec rain inch = 3.3

|year rain inch = 165.6

|source 1 = Weatherbase

{{cite web

|url =http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=95656&refer=wikipedia |title =Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Robertsport, Liberia

|publisher=Weatherbase

|year=2011

}}

Retrieved on November 24, 2011.

|date=November 2011

}}

As of the 2008 census, Robertsport has a population of 3,933. Of this, 1,994 were male and 1,939 female.{{cite web|url=http://www.emansion.gov.lr/doc/census_2008provisionalresults.pdf|title=2008 National Population and Housing Census: Preliminary Results|date=June 2008|work=Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services|publisher=Government of the Republic of Liberia|accessdate=2008-11-15|archive-date=2012-02-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120213110308/http://www.emansion.gov.lr/doc/census_2008provisionalresults.pdf|url-status=dead}} Robertsport was founded in 1856 as a settlement for recently arrived African American immigrants. The Vai are the dominant indigenous ethnic group, but other groups are present as well, notably the Gola, Mende, Mandingo, Fante, Klao [Kru], and Bassa.

Liberia is a war torn country. Despite looting, the town has remained structurally intact. The town's architecture includes now-decrepit, plantation-style houses reminiscent of the Southern United States - a historical influence on Liberia - which line wide avenues that lean against the hills on the town's edge.

Robertsport residents are mainly rice farmers and fishermen, with 30% of the population engaging in fishing.{{cite web |title=Grand Cape Mount County Development Agenda |url=https://www.liberianobserver.com/lib-life/robertsports-untapped-tourism-potential/ |website=mia.gov.lr |accessdate=18 February 2019 |page=19}}

• Johann Büttikofer (1850-1927), Swiss zoologist
• Florence Chenoweth (1945-2023), politician and agriculture and food security specialist
• Amymusu Jones (c. 1948-2018), jurist and magistrate
• Varney Sherman (born 1953), politician
• Victoria Tolbert (1916–1997), Former First Lady of Liberia{{cite book |last1=Dunn|first1= Elwood D.|last2=Beyan|first2=Amos J.|last3=Burrowes|first3=Carl Patrick|date=2000|title=Historical Dictionary of Liberia |trans-title=|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qt0_RrW8ghkC|language=English |location= |isbn=|pages=323–324}}

{{reflist}}

{{Wikivoyage}}

{{commonscat-inline}}

{{coord|6|45|N|11|22|W|region:LR_type:city|display=title}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Grand Cape Mount County

Category:County capitals in Liberia

Category:Roberts family (Liberia)

Category:Populated places established in 1856