History with ‘Hud’: Detailing the remains of a nearly 300-year-old Brunswick County church
BRUNSWICK TOWN, NC (WWAY) — The Cape Fear has a handful of churches dating back to the 1700s. While some are in great condition and still being attended today, others aren’t in as good of shape.
One of those stands in Brunswick Town along the Cape Fear River. The walls of St. Philips Church can still be found amazingly intact nearly 300 years after first being designed, as the only remaining above-ground structure at the historic site.
But it took a long time to get the church from idea to finalized structure. A bill was passed in 1729 ordering the building of a new church at Brunswick Town. But when the seat of government moved from Brunswick Town to Wilmington in 1740, the church plan moved with it.
Not to be defeated, Brunswick Town residents continued to vouch for a church. By 1754, it was noted residents were building a large brick church from stones brought over from England. Its walls were nearly 3 feet thick with wooden floors and pews, except for a section of one foot square tiles in the shape of a cross.
Despite their efforts, the church remained unfinished by 1759 when a lottery was held to raise money to finish the building. By 1760, enough money had been collected and a roof was erected on St. Philips Church. Unfortunately, the success would be short lived, as a lightning strike destroyed the roof and part of the church the following summer.
Repairs were made a few years later, thanks to backing from prominent people in the state including governor William Tryon, with the church being dedicated on May 24, 1768. Reverend John McDowell was named full time minister of the largest church in North Carolina at the time, receiving a small house and 300 acres of nearby land.
But parishioners were only able to enjoy the building for eight years before it was set ablaze by the British in 1776. Due to another major setback to the structure in less than two decades, no effort was made to rebuild the church again. All that remained after the fire were the thick brick walls, which would come into play decades later.
In March 1862, Confederate engineers began to survey the remains of Brunswick Town and St. Philip’s Church. They built earthworks and trenches throughout the town, covering the remains of several burnt structures except for the church.
The fort was constructed to protect the city of Wilmington 18 miles upstream, a vital port during the Civil War. During the attack on Fort Anderson in February 1865, cannonballs shot from Union ships hit the walls of the church with divots still evident today. But the walls came through the bombardment mostly intact.
Over the years, numerous people were buried inside the church walls and surrounding grounds, with their remains still there.
With no plans to restore the building, the church relinquished control to the state of North Carolina in 1952, with the structure being added to the National Register of Historic Places in February of 1970.
More than half a century since then, the site has become one of the key pieces for visitors to see of what was once a thriving, but short-lived church along the river.
Meteorologist Matthew Huddleston (‘Hud’) has always had two major loves – weather and history. While you can watch him talk about weather each morning on WWAY, he looks forward to bringing you a little piece of history each Thursday on WWAY’s website.
To read other History with ‘Hud’ segments, click HERE.
