06/30/2026
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On this day 300 years ago, June 30, 1726, the first lots in the newly established settlement of Brunswick were sold to a man named Cornelius Harnett, Sr. Harnett, an Irish immigrant who at the time was living in Chowan County and found himself involved in a bit of legal trouble, purchased the lots hoping to establish a ferry service between the eastern and western banks of the Lower Cape Fear River (and also to escape his impending court case).
Brunswick would go on to become the largest and busiest port in 18th century North Carolina, a major seat of commerce, and was the home to two Royal Governors, Arthur Dobbs and William Tryon. Yet, fifty years after she was established, Brunswick, long known as a political hotbed, would become a no-man's land as British and Patriot forces fought for control over the river. After threat of destruction by British forces, many of its inhabitants would flee the town permanently.
The Port of Brunswick continued to operate into the first quarter of the 19th century, when shallow draft vessels powered by steam engines were finally able to bypass the shallow shoals north of the town and make their way up river to Wilmington. What was left of Brunswick was reclaimed by nature.
Today, Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site, our neighbor and part of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, continues to tell the story of this once lost settlement.
Happy 300th Birthday, Brunswick!
Image courtesy of NCDNCR.
