Southport Magazine

One of our community’s greatest treasures just got even better. The fine folks at the Brunswick Town-Fort Andersen Historic Site have unveiled a surprise—the first of a series of nature trails. The new trail begins in the site’s overflow parking area and leads through the woods to Cushings Cove, a site with its own interesting story.

William Barker Cushing was a Union Navy officer who fought in the battle of Fort Fisher, but is more famous for a daring raid that sank the Confederate armor clad CSS Albemarle. According to Assistant Site Manager Shannon Walker, Cushing landed in what is now called Cushings Cove, where a spring-fed stream leads into the Cape Fear River, and spied on the Confederates at Fort Anderson. 

To find Cushing’s secret landing spot, you’ll need to follow small orange tabs nailed to trees along the new nature trail. It’s not quite the daring spy operation of history, but why not use a little imagination and pretend?

Walker said this is the first of three planned nature trails. The second phase will take visitors to the Russelboro mansion ruins and the third will lead to Fort Anderson’s Battery B. Work on the next two trails will wait until fall, “after snake season,” Walker said.

While these trails have been planned for some time, disasters, from Hurricane Florence to the COVID pandemic, have been holding up progress. Walker said she is glad to have one trail finally complete and open. “I’ve been wanting to get these open for many years now,” she said. 

More Brunswick Town-Fort Andersen News

The spring archaeology field school is back this month! Professor Claude Howell and his students from UNCW are returning to dig into the history of Brunswick Town and Fort Andersen. The dates were still up in the air at press time, but if you keep an eye on the Historic Site’s Facebook page, the dates and times will be announced. 

Walker said visitors are invited to watch the live archaeology going on, ask questions, and “perhaps you’ll get a chance to get your hands dirty.”