Fort Anderson (North Carolina)

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Fort Anderson was an early fort in the lower Cape Fear Region of North Carolina, at Brunswick Town in Brunswick County. It was used as a Confederate Fort during the American Civil War. It was pivotal in protecting the Cape Fear River inlets and Wilmington upstream. Earthen batteries surround the fort as well as cannons. The Confederacy decided to build forts around Cape Fear River to protect the port of Wilmington from the Union blockade. There were blockade runners that got supplies to the Confederacy like iron, guns, and ammunition. The goal of the fort was to stop movement of the Union. Fort Anderson was built on the ruins of Brunswick Town and it was originally called Fort St. Philip. The name was changed to honor Col. George B. Anderson. The Battle of Fort Anderson took place here. Lawrence Lee was the first to begin exploring and researching the land in 1951 where Brunswick Town and Fort Anderson once stood. He realized how historically valuable the land was. Because of him, the site was named a historic site. The family that owned Orton Plantation sold a majority of the land to the State Department of Archives and History for one dollar and the Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina sold the land they owned for one dollar too. Seven years later, he directed the recovery of the site. From the excavation, many things were revealed. For example: Brunswick Town’s streets and the foundations of houses. In 1958, Stanly South, a professional archaeologist, came to the site to work. Through the years, he and his team found artifacts, foundations of old structures, and around sixty archeological features. In April 1967, the visitor center opened. Its purpose was to inform everyone on the history of Brunswick Town and Fort Anderson. Excavation was halted in 1968 due to North Carolina’s Department of Cultural Resources stopping excavation in all state-owned parks. It was because of money issues that this occurred. This is still a problem even today.

The fort is today a museum and can be visited.

References:

• Brunswick Town State Historic Site Manager. Oral Interview.
• Chris E. Fonvielle, Jr., Fort Anderson (Mason City, Iowa: Savas Publishing Company, 1999), 94-100.
• Encyclopedia of North Carolina, s.v. “Brunswick Town.”
• Lawrence Lee. Book of Documents. Unpublished.
• Lawrence Lee, The History of Brunswick County North Carolina, 208