First-ever Fort Caswell historical excavation is under way

Although in its early stages, the first archeological investigation of Fort Caswell is already yielding clues about the past of this former outpost, originally built to shore-up America’s coastal defenses following the War of 1812. The archeological field school from William Peace University has taken on the site for a month-long dig, in cooperation with the owner, the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. The N.C. Baptist Assembly runs camps, retreats and programs from a complex of modern structures scattered between remains of the old fortress and batteries dating back to 1827. While Fort Caswell saw little in the way of major action, it played a role in the Spanish-American War, Civil War, World War I and World War II. The Confederate army seized the fort during the Civil War and destroyed part of it toward the end of the conflict. It was used for training and U-boat searches during World War I. Fort Caswell was a naval patrol, communications and submarine tracking center during World War II. While it is a highly visible part of the landscape of the lower Cape Fear, the fort’s distant past has never before been probed. (Some articles from The State Port Pilot newspaper are used on the stateportpilot.com website, but represent only a portion of material that is included in the print edition and e-Pilot online, both of which are available by subscription through this website.) “There has been no scientific, archeological research done on this fort or the batteries,” said Thomas Beamon, anthropology instructor at Wake Technical Community College. Beaman and William Peace University anthropology assistant professor Vincent Melomo are co-directors of the investigation. The team is investigating the site as part of the Baptist State Convention’s effort to have it listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The goals include documenting the cross-shaped citadel that makes the fort architecturally unique. The 100-by-40-foot structure was burned when Confederates abandoned the fort in 1865, but how or why the rest of the structure fell is unknown. Researchers hope to define some of the missing corners of the fort and probe another unique feature—both wet and dry moats. Another interesting feature attributed to the fort was that it had some sort of plumbing system that ran from the citadel to outside the original walls. The team hopes that its work also will reveal more about what daily life was like for the men who endured isolation, heat, insects, disease and the constant threat of death. “This is the only opportunity we’re going to have to really look and see what we can find from the old fort,” said Jim McKee, a Southport resident and historian at Brunswick Town/Ft. Anderson State Historic Site. “It’s a great mystery, and there are still people alive who were stationed there.” The work is slow and methodical. Grids marked by lines place every artifact, and the pieces are all collected gently by hand, inch by inch. Some members dig while others haul soil, and still others work sifters and sort the findings. McKee said it’s possible the investigation will also include sweeps with metal detectors. Beamon said the crew had located a corner of the original citadel, a promising find. They will keep digging until they hit the living surface where soldiers worked, and continue into the undisturbed subsoil. So far they have found buttons, glass, nails, an original fireplace, grape shot (fired from a cannon), spikes and a woman’s brooch. Beamon described the work as like unwrapping a puzzle “piece by piece.” Once all the artifacts are washed and cataloged, they will be returned to the assembly. “Tom and I are immensely grateful for the opportunity to work on this important and fascinating historic site,” Melomo said. “The field school has been a great success so far, and we are looking forward to more exciting finds as we continue to uncover the past and hopefully explore the Civil War-era layers over the next two weeks.” Article From State Port Pilot Ken Keegan Real Estate Broker

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