Brunswick

… former town in SE Brunswick County on Cape Fear River, now a State Historic Site. A museum contains artifacts, and many building sites have been excavated. Settled about 1725 and est. 1745. Named for King George I, Duke of Brunswick and Lunenberg. First abandoned about 1776, but two or three families moved back after the Revolution. By 1830 the town was totally in ruins. During the Civil War, Fort St. Philip (named for St. Philips Church there but also known as Fort Anderson) was constructed over part of the site. Brunswick was the county seat, 1764-79. Several colonial governors resided there. Modern archaeological work has revealed foundations of 23 of 60 colonial-era structures identified at the site.