Video courtesy of WECT TV6 Wilmington, NC
WINNABOW – Archaeological investigations at Brunswick Town/Ft. Anderson State Historic Site have discovered a 147 year old wooden gun platform that supported an 11,360 lb. Sea Coast 32-Pounder cannon. The excavations mark the first archaeology to be undertaken at the site in over 40 years and are the first ever to focus on Ft. Anderson.
The archaeological investigations are under the direction of archaeologist John J. Mintz of the N.C. Office of State Archaeology. Assisting on site are Brenda Bryant and Jim McKee of N.C. State Historic Sites and Properties. Volunteers at the excavation include members of Friends of Brunswick Town/Ft. Anderson, and UNC-Wilmington students from the class of Dr. Chris E. Fonvielle. The divisions of State Archaeology and Historic Sites are part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, www.ncculture.com.
Information obtained from these excavations will be used to aid efforts to reconstruct a gun emplacement at Ft. Anderson for the upcoming American Civil War Sesquicentennial commemorations that will be observed from 2011-2015.
Brunswick Town was the first permanent settlement on the Lower Cape Fear River, established in 1726 as a port for ocean-going vessels. The town was attacked and captured by Spanish privateers in September 1748 and was the site of the Stamp Act Rebellion in 1766. In 1776 it was partially burned by British troops and all but abandoned by the end of the Revolutionary War. In 1862 Confederate forces constructed Fort Anderson on part of the town.
Today one can tour ruins of a number of buildings and houses that lie along the shaded scenic tour trail. Other attractions include the majestic ruins of St. Philip’s Anglican Church, featuring three-foot thick brick walls that recall the splendor of what was once a bustling colonial port, and the remains of Russellborough, where North Carolina colonial governors Arthur Dobbs and William Tryon lived. Brunswick was also the unofficial capital of colonial North Carolina from 1758-1770.
The goal of Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site is to preserve and interpret the history of Brunswick Town, the Cape Fear region’s first permanent settlement, and Fort Anderson, the Civil War fortification built at the site. It is located at 8884 St. Philip’s Road S.E., Winnabow, N.C. Take Interstate 40 east to Wilmington where the interstate ends and becomes College Road. Then take U.S. 17/74 south/west through Wilmington. Remain on this highway to the Southport/Leland exit. Take this exit and follow N.C. 133 south for approximately 17 miles and follow the signs to Brunswick Town. From Southport take N.C. 133 north approximately 15 miles to the site.
For more information call (910) 371-6613, e-mail brunswick@ncmail.net or visit its Web site at www.nchistoricsites.org/brunswic/brunswic.htm or www.brunswicktown.org.
Administered by the Division of State Historic Sites, Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson is part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, a state agency dedicated to the promotion and protection of North Carolina’s arts, history and culture. Join the Cultural Resources 2009 theme observance of “Treasure N.C. Culture.” For more information, visit www.ncculture.com.