Day 3
Thursday, June 3
When I went to bed, multiple weather sites were predicting rain all day, with thunderstorms early. Imagine my surprise when I woke up to see sunlight peeking around the motel curtains.
With two full days in Southport, there was plenty of time to explore. This morning’s excursion was to Oak Island, with a brief stop at the Oak Island Lighthouse, build here in 1958. It was only a brief stop due to it being closed to Covid-19 restrictions. This was taken on my phone as I was paused mid u-turn. The parking area across from the lighthouse was occupied by the local police, blue lights turning. They were in what looked like a heated discussion with the driver they had pulled over.
My next stop was a fortification known as Battery Schiff, named after 1st Lt. William Schiff, who was killed in the Battle of San Juan Hill in Cuba, during the Spanish American War. The battery was all but abandoned in 1917 when its guns were removed and shipped to France during WW1.
A little further are the remnants of Fort Caswell, named after former Governor Richard Caswell. Construction of the fort was completed in 1836. It remained an active fort through WWII, when it was tasked with coastal defense against German submarines.
Even further up in Battery McKavett, named after Captain Henry McKavett who died during the Mexican American War. This site was also abandoned after WW1
After the war, it was sold and unsuccessfully turned into a exclusive retreat. The Baptists State Convention of North Carolina bought the site in 1949, and still own it today.
The pleasant young woman at the gate explained to me the site was closed to visitors. Unless I had a reservation, I had to turn around. So, I did. Yeah, Oak Island was kind of a bust.
On the drive out, I noticed even the small parking lot for the beach was also chained off. So much for Oak Island. Back to the motel to ponder Plan B.
A short drive would bring me to the ruins of Brunswick Town and Fort Anderson. Pulling into the parking lot, it was hard to miss three red dresses hanging from some trees. It's an effort to raise awareness about murdered and exploited indigenous women. You can read more about the project from this article in Smithsonian Magazine.
First established in 1726, Brunswick Town quickly grew into a major port for shipping timber, tar, turpentine and pitch, a stick black resin used to waterproof ship’s hulls. By 1743, it had grown to the point where it was designated the third capital of the North Carolina colony.
Five years later, Britain was at war with Spain. Two Spanish privateers anchored off shore. Expecting an attack, the townspeople fled. A day after they raided the empty community, the townspeople organized sixty-seven men with rifles to take Brunswick back. Ten of the privateers were killed and thirty captured.
During the retreat, the privateer ship La Fortuna exploded, killing everyone on board. The second ship surrendered on the condition they would be allowed to leave.
The remnants of La Fortuna were scavenged for anything useful, and to recover as much of what was looted as possible. They sold what they could and used the money to build St. Phillips Church, as well as St. James Church in Wilmington.
By the 1760's, the state capital had been moved away from Brunswick Town. Wilmington’s growth had also sapped its importance and it was in serious decline.
But, that didn’t stop them from making a bold statement against British oppression. When the Stamp Act of 1765 was passed, the townspeople simply refused to allow anything with a stamp to be unloaded. They arrested British officials and placed Governor Tyron under house arrest. A compromise was reached and the stamp tax was no longer collected in the area.
In order to protect the port of Wilmington during the Civil War, construction began on what would become Fort Anderson, named for Confederate General George Anderson. In addition to the earthworks, piles were driven into the river to keep Federal gunboats at bay. Explosives were also added to the piles.
Instead, six thousand Federal troops were brought ashore in Southport and marched to Fort Anderson. With his fort surrounded, Confederate General Hagood fought back the best he could. But, after two days of heavy shelling, he informed Wilmington he would be abandoning the fort.
The Southport waterfront area is probably the exact thing you're imagining. There's a small municipal park, right on the river.
There's the seemingly requisite fishing pier...
There are also numerous tour companies, fish markets and seafood restaurants. I checked the weather, and it looked like I had about an hour before the first band of rain was due. So, I simply took a walk.
Eventually working my way back to Olivers, one of the multiple and seemingly inevitable seafood restaurants. Considering the imminent forecast, it was all inside seating.
My timing couldn’t have been any better. I was still working on the salad when the rain started. By the time I was finished with lunch, it had stopped, at least for now.
On the Southport waterfront is all that’s left of Fort Johnson, now the town’s history museum. It was originally built to keep the Spanish out, and was under construction when the privateers attacked Brunswick.
The new colonial governor, Josiah Martin made this headquarters after local militia had attacked his home in April, 1775. When the militia found out Governor Martin’s plan to arm slaves and fight back, they attacked the fort, burning everything else to the ground.
In retaliation, British troops landed in Brunswick Town the next spring and burned it to the ground. They came back and burned anything left, leaving only the brick frame of the church standing.
The site remained all but abandoned until the Civil War. The Confederates created large earthworks and trenches to defend the Cape Fear River and port city of Wilmington.
The crowd grew as the ship approached...
As it made a sharp turn into the channel, it started to rain. No one moved...
It wasn't until the ship had passed the fishing pier that people(myself included) dashed for cover or their cars...
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