www.wrightsvillebeachmagazine.com WBM our story begins in
23
1725 when Roger and
Maurice Moore, sons of
the Royal Governor of
South Carolina, began to settle the area,
with Roger building Orton Plantation
(where he is buried today) and Maurice
surveying and laying out Brunswick
Town. Maurice, having become familiar
with the area during a military operation
a few years prior, saw the potential for
growth on the banks of the Cape Fear
River. So much so, he believed the site of
Brunswick Town to be the ideal location
for a town.
Situated on a bluff overlooking the
Cape Fear River, the town would be safe
from flooding and provide an excellent
vantage point with clear views up and
down the river. At the foot of the bluffs,
three springs fed a little freshwater pond,
supplying more than enough drinking
water for the town. The proximity of
the river channel to the shore meant the
site was perfect for a deepwater port that
could support trans-oceanic shipping, plus
the flats formed by sediment carried in
E
Midway between Wilmington and Southport on Route 133
there are said to be ghosts at every turn.
These ghosts are said to wander the forest, marsh and banks of the Cape Fear River in Colonial garb, in Federal
and Confederate uniforms, as women, children, slaves and freemen. If you stand still and quiet for long enough on
the bluff overlooking the river, you can hear Brunswick Town come alive around you. The streets show themselves
beneath your feet; the homes grow from the earth like cubist anthills; the sounds of wagon wheels, horses and the
blacksmith’s rhythmic hammer fill the air. If you could stand there long enough and listen closely enough, you’d
hear a fantastic story about a town built, burned, abandoned and shelled. You’d hear a story about a town that
altered the course of America not once, but twice. You’d hear the story of Brunswick Town.
Plan of the Town and Port of Brunsick by Claude Joseph Sauthier, 1769. Courtesy of the N.C. Division of Historic Sites.