Archeological dig at Fort Fisher uncovering remnants of Civil War ammunition magazine

FORT FISHER, NC (WWAY) — Fort Fisher State Historic Site is undergoing a major archaeological investigation that could shine more light on original structures built there.

Archaeologists are working in an area that was once a World War 2 airstrip.

So far, they’ve uncovered the remnants of a Civil War ammunition magazine and its connecting tunnels.

State archaeologist Stephen Atkinson said “field testing” and ground radar confirmed the location of these structures.

“It goes to show the importance of archeology and that there’s almost always something left,” Atkinson said. “Even in this section of the fort that was demolished around World War 2, none of us expected this stuff to still be here and through proper attentiveness and archeological method, we were able to discover that there is in fact a significant portion of the fort that still remains.”

Atkinson said eventually the fort plans to build an earthen mound on top of the dig site with a replica magazine room inside for visitors to see.