St. Philip's Church, Brunswick Town, is a ruined parish church in Brunswick County, North Carolina, United States. The

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

church was erected in 1768 and destroyed in 1776. The ruins are located beside the Cape Fear River in the

Brunswick Town Historic District The Brunswick Town Historic District encompasses the ruins of colonial Brunswick Town, North Carolina, the Civil War-era Fort Anderson, St. Philip's Church Ruins, and the remains of Russellborough, the home of two colonial governors. The d ...

, along with

Fort Anderson Fort Anderson can refer to: *Fort Anderson (Kentucky) ; A Union fort used in the American Civil War and site of the Battle of Paducah, Kentucky *Fort Anderson (North Carolina) ; A Confederate fort used in the American Civil War *Fort Anderson Locate ...

, Russelborough, and the nearby Orton Plantation. Construction lasted 14 years, but took only one day to be destroyed when the British Army burned Brunswick Town. Before its demise, the church was considered one of the finest religious structures in North Carolina. On February 26, 1970, the historic site was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

History

In 1741, the St. Philip's Parish was created in Brunswick Town with Rev. James Moir as the first vicar. It was the sister church of St. James Church, Wilmington. Construction of St. Philip's Church began in 1754, but was not completed until 1768. The first minister to lead the new church was Rev. John Barnett and Governor Arthur Dobbs designated St. Philip's as "His Majesty’s Chapel in North Carolina." Barnett was succeeded by J. Cramp and Nicholas Christian. During the American Revolutionary War, the British Army attacked Brunswick Town and burned the church, Russelborough, and most of the homes and businesses. The church walls were the only parts of the structure not to be destroyed. Brunswick Town was deserted and the church remains were relatively untouched for almost a century. In March 1862, Confederate engineers began to survey the remains of Brunswick Town and St. Philip's Church. They built

earthworks Earthworks may refer to: Construction *Earthworks (archaeology), human-made constructions that modify the land contour * Earthworks (engineering), civil engineering works created by moving or processing quantities of soil *Earthworks (military), m ...

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 upstream, a vital port during the Civil War. The bastion was named Fort St. Philip, but renamed Fort Anderson in July 1863. During the attack on Fort Anderson in February 1865, cannonballs shot from Union ships hit the walls of the church and are still evident today. Confederate soldiers killed in action (KIA) were initially placed inside the church. When the Confederate forces were defeated, Union soldiers desecrated several graves at St. Philip's Church and removed the building's cornerstone. In 1899, the newly formed Cape Fear Chapter of the North Carolina Society of the

Colonial Dames of America The Colonial Dames of America (CDA) is an American organization composed of women who are descended from an ancestor who lived in British America from 1607 to 1775, and was of service to the colonies by either holding public office, being in th ...

visited the historic site to pay homage to American Revolutionary War casualties in Brunswick Town. In 1902, Cape Fear Chapter erected a marble plaque inside St. Philip's to commemorate Brunswick Town co-founder, Maurice Moore. Excavations at Brunswick Town began in 1958 and items such as bullets, buttons, and a cannonball were retrieved from inside the ruins. The building is now part of the Brunswick Town State historic site. Visitors may walk through the church and tour the earthworks of nearby Fort Anderson.

Architecture

The ruins consist of four brick walls, as well as graves located inside and outside of the church. The bricks used for construction were imported from England and the walls measure three feet (0.91 m) thick. The building is 76 feet, six inches (23.3 m) long, 53 feet, three inches (16.2 m) wide, and 24 feet, four inches (7.4 m) high. The floor and roof were destroyed in the fire, as well as the three doors and eleven windows that measured fifteen by seven feet (4.6 m x 2.1 m). The church floor was made of wood, except for the aisles which featured one-foot-square (0.3 m) brick tiles that formed the shape of a cross. The pews were wooden and the Governor's pew was raised above the others. Twelve burial sites are located inside the church and there are several graves remaining outside of the structure that were not desecrated by Union troops. Notable people buried at St. Philip's Church include Arthur Dobbs, Governor Benjamin Smith, and

Supreme Court Associate Justice An associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States is any member of the Supreme Court of the United States other than the chief justice of the United States. The number of associate justices is eight, as set by the Judiciary Act of 1 ...

Alfred Moore.

History

Architecture

See also

References

Further reading