Four walls stand in what many would call a small oasis in the middle of a wilderness.
Anyone happening to wander upon the site might easily underestimate what they are seeing. Is it the beginnings of a building, what’s left of one or is it something that was begun, but never completed?
What in fact people will find if they visit Brunswick Town and Fort Anderson are the remnants of St. Philips Church. The four walls are still beautiful, hundreds of years after they were constructed to house an Anglican church.
The church is just one part of the history of Brunswick Town, but it is a key element in the town’s history and indeed in the history of North Carolina.
Brunswick Town was a pre-Revolutionary War port city on the Cape Fear River that was destroyed by British Troops and never rebuilt. While it wasn’t rebuilt, it is now a historic site which not only houses St. Philips, but also the destroyed relics of homes and of Ft. Anderson.
According to historicsites.nc.gov, the crown jewel — St. Philips — took many years to build as there were a variety of issues with its construction. The town began attempts to construct the facility in the 1740s, but it was still unfinished by 1759.
St. Philips was finally erected in the 1760s only to see fire destroy the roof. It was completed in 1768, but was only in use until 1776 when the church, along with the town, was destroyed by British troops.
While the church was destroyed, the four walls still stand showing the beautiful architecture of the time, along with the graves of many who were buried either inside or outside of the facility, including Royal Governor Arthur Dobbs and the infant son of Royal Governor William Tryon.
Historian James Sprunt described the facility in his writings:
“Within the boundaries of this forgotten town are the picturesque ruins of St. Philips Church, which was built by the citizens of Brunswick ... St. Philips Church was built of large brick brought from England. Its walls are nearly three feet thick and are solid and almost intact still, the roof and the floor having disappeared ... It must have possessed much architectural beauty and massive grandeur with its high-pitched roof, its lofty doors and beautiful chancel windows.”
And, while a visit to St. Philips is enough reason to leave the beaten path, a trip to Ft. Anderson and Brunswick Town will be far less than complete if travelers skip the ruins of the homes that made up the once beautiful homestead.
Wandering through the hills that lead to the Cape Fear River, visitors can see what is left of the homes that once made up Brunswick Town.
The homes include what is left of the Judge Moore House, which is realistically very little. There are some of the foundation walls that reach only a foot or two high, but those relics still exist.
The Hepburn-Reonalds Site is the first recorded lot of the town and — like many of the homes that made up Brunswick Town — had a first floor and a basement.
Brunswick Town was founded by Maurice Moore, who was the son of a former South Carolina governor, in 1726. It was named Brunswick to honor King George I of England, who was also the Duke of Brunswick.
Because of its location on the beautiful Cape Fear River, Brunswick Town quickly became a popular port city and, according to the North Carolina Historic Sites, was a popular export city for tar, pitch and turpentine.
“With two successive royal governors in residence, Brunswick was the de facto capital of the colony and the colonial assembly occasionally met in the courthouse,” according to North Carolina’s history. “Official port functions required merchants to pay taxes and shipping costs to the local representatives of the English Crown. In 1765, the colonists challenged the Crown’s authority to distribute hated tax stamps. That action, eight years before the Boston Tea Party, halted the collection of the tax along the Cape Fear.”
While Brunswick’s place in history is secure, the influence of the town began to wane even before the British destroyed it. The rise of Wilmington and the relocation of those, such as the royal governors, left it with a smaller population and less merchants.
In “The Story of Brunswick Town & Fort Anderson,” author Franda D. Pedlow said that once British ships started landing in the Cape Fear near Brunswick, there was fear of attack.
“Some forays were made by the British soldiers into the town to look for anything of value,” Pedlow said. “A large group led by Generals Clinton and Cornwallis marched on Robert Howe’s plantation, Kendall, where it was reported they mistreated women … Brunswick was destroyed and Lockwood’s Folly became the county seat for a few years.”
After sitting vacant for nearly 100 years, the site became the scene for a Civil War Fort. It was built by hand and consisted of two batteries with five canons each overlooking the shipping channel.
Following the Confederate surrender, the site became practically vacant again for decades. Then, in the 1950s, Lawrence Lee — who was a historian and amateur archaeologist — helped to uncover the past in Brunswick Town. With the help of Stanley South, the town was excavated — including St. Philips along with such places as Russellborough, the home of an old sea captain used by Tryon and Dobbs.
The site now hosts a Visitor’s Center with displays and a trail that takes those who stop along the path of the homes and businesses that once made up Brunswick Town.
Those wishing to take this trip “off the beaten path” and discover the wonderful history of St. Philips, Brunswick Town and Ft. Anderson can do so from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Tuesdays-Saturdays.
Brunswick Town is located at 8884 S.E. St. Philip’s Road in Winnabow.
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