Carolina Shore - Ocean, Seafood, History & More!

[giradman]

Fort Macon State Park - Part I

Fort Macon State Park is the second oldest North Carolina State Park and consists of the restored masonry fort (built w/ 9+ million locally made bricks!), the fairly new Visitor's Center (not present on our last trip to Ft. Macon), and the wonderful beach areas facing the Atlantic Ocean and Bogue/Beaufort waters - the park is located near Atlantic Beach (just a 10 minute drive from our hotel) at the eastern tip of the barrier island. The first half dozen images below show the location of the park and some aerial views of the fort - the new Visitor's Center is a beautiful timber-framed building w/ an excellent introductory film and a substantial gift shop.

Susan and I took the crowded guided tour from a local w/ plenty of history about the area and the fort - apparently one of his great great (another great?) grandfather's was a Confederate volunteer in the fort; quoted below from the link giving some more history of the State Park and the Civil War history and capture of the fort by the Union Army in April 1862. The subsequent images are my own from w/i the grounds of the fort, including Susan about to take a bunch of pics w/ her iPhone - a shorter follow-up post w/ more pics. Dave

Fort Macon State Park is a North Carolina state park in Carteret County. Located on Bogue Banks near Atlantic Beach, the park opened in 1936. Fort Macon State Park is the second most visited state park in North Carolina, with an annual visitation of 1.3 million, despite being one of the smallest state parks. Fort Macon was built as part of the Third System of US fortifications, and was preceded by Fort Hampton of the Second System. The Battle of Fort Macon was fought there during March and April 1862. In addition to the fully restored fort, the park offers visitors both soundside and surf fishing, nature trails, ranger guided tours, a protected swim area, a refreshment stand, and a bathhouse (Source).

Early in 1862, Union forces commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside swept through eastern North Carolina, and part of Burnside's command under Brig. Gen. John G. Parke was sent to capture Fort Macon. Parke's men captured Morehead City and Beaufort without resistance, then landed on Bogue Banks during March and April to fight to gain Fort Macon. Col. Moses J. White and 400 North Carolina Confederates in the fort refused to surrender even though the fort was hopelessly surrounded. On April 25, 1862, Parke's Union forces bombarded the fort with heavy siege guns for 11 hours, aided by the fire of four Union gunboats in the ocean offshore and floating batteries in the sound to the east (Source).

While the fort easily repulsed the Union gunboat attack, the Union land batteries, utilizing new rifled cannons, hit the fort 560 times. There was such extensive damage that Col. White was forced to surrender the following morning, April 26, with the fort's Confederate garrison being paroled as prisoners of war. This battle was the second time in history new rifled cannons were used against a fort, demonstrating the obsolescence of such fortifications as a way of defense. The Union held Fort Macon for the remainder of the war, while Beaufort Harbor served as an important coaling and repair station for its navy (Source).

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[giradman]

Fort Macon State Park - II

The restored Fort Macon was constructed between 1826 and 1834, designed by Simon Bernard, a French general of engineers. The fort was named after North Carolina’s eminent statesman of the period, Nathaniel Macon - see quotes below for more history of the structure - note that the fort was 'upgraded' in the early 1840s - a young military captain of engineers was sent to the Carolina coast to evaluate the fortifications and offer improvements; his name was Robert E. Lee - he stayed in Beaufort in the last months of 1840, evaluated Ft. Macon, and made several recommendations, especially concerning construction of levies; on our Beaufort tour, the houses that Lee & Burnside occupied were seen and discussed by the guide.

The fort has over two dozen vaulted casemates and a number have been converted to demonstration exhibits (all air conditioned) - the exhibits cover the beginnings of the fort(s) on the island's eastern point, through the various wars (especially the Civil War), and the conversion to a state park. Below are additional views of the outside, including the Hot Shot Furnace, where cannonballs would be heated until red hot, loaded into the cannon, to hopefully hit the wooden ships of the era and start fires and possibly explode the powder stores. Additional images of just a few of the objects and informational panels available for viewing. Finally, an image of a book on North Carolina's coastal Civil War history which I've just begun to read.

Just an additional note on the use of the Parrott rifled cannon (invented by its name sake, a West Point graduate) - the use of this artillery on Ft. Macon (and Ft. Pulaski in Savannah - mentioned in one of my other travelogues) made these masonry fortifications obsolete. Dave

Fort Macon is a Third System fort designed by Brigadier General Simon Bernard and built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers between 1826 and 1834. From its completion in 1834 until the start of the U.S. Civil War in 1861 it was garrisoned for less than six years and in the hands of a single caretaker most of that time.

The inner structure of the fort is shaped as an irregular pentagon and constructed of brick and stone masonry. It has 26 casemates enclosed by walls that average 4 1/2 feet thick. Three of the five sides face seaward. The inner structure is surrounded by a ditch with two drawbridge entrances. The ditch is surrounded by a high earthwork with additional gun emplacements. The fort was upgraded between 1841 and 1846 (Source).

The fort was in the hands of a caretaker when the U.S. Civil War began on 12 Apr 1861. The North Carolina Militia seized control of the fort two days later and began upgrading the armament in anticipation of a Union attack. The fort remained in Confederate hands for a year before Union forces under Brigadier General John G. Parke mounted a siege. The siege included land base gun and mortar batteries south of the fort, a fleet of gunboats offshore and floating batteries in the sound. Some of the Union land batteries were using new rifled cannon and their fire proved too much for the masonry fort. When the fort's magazines became exposed and vulnerable, the Confederate fort commander, Colonel Moses J. White, surrendered on 26 Apr 1862. The fort remained in Union hands for the duration of the war (Source).

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[scifan57]

Fort Macon State Park - II

The restored Fort Macon was constructed between 1826 and 1834, designed by Simon Bernard, a French general of engineers. The fort was named after North Carolina’s eminent statesman of the period, Nathaniel Macon - see quotes below for more history of the structure - note that the fort was 'upgraded' in the early 1840s - a young military captain of engineers was sent to the Carolina coast to evaluate the fortifications and offer improvements; his name was Robert E. Lee - he stayed in Beaufort in the last months of 1840, evaluated Ft. Macon, and made several recommendations, especially concerning construction of levies; on our Beaufort tour, the houses that Lee & Burnside occupied were seen and discussed by the guide.

The fort has over two dozen vaulted casemates and a number have been converted to demonstration exhibits (all air conditioned) - the exhibits cover the beginnings of the fort(s) on the island's eastern point, through the various wars (especially the Civil War), and the conversion to a state park. Below are additional views of the outside, including the Hot Shot Furnace, where cannonballs would be heated until red hot, loaded into the cannon, to hopefully hit the wooden ships of the era and start fires and possibly explode the powder stores. Additional images of just a few of the objects and informational panels available for viewing. Finally, an image of a book on North Carolina's coastal Civil War history which I've just begun to read.

Just an additional note on the use of the Parrott rifled cannon (invented by its name sake, a West Point graduate) - the use of this artillery on Ft. Macon (and Ft. Pulaski in Savannah - mentioned in one of my other travelogues) made these masonry fortifications obsolete. Dave




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Thanks for s very informative couple of posts. I'm interested in this type of histiry and would visit the site is I ever visit.

A very late fortification is the Halifax Citadel in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It was designed from the outset with defence against artillery in mind.

If you're at the bottom of the hill looking up at the fort you wouldn't see any of the stonework as it rises no higher than the natural surface of the hill. What you would see are the large turf ramparts containing embrasures for the artillery pieces.

There are rifle galleries in the dry most that would make quick work of any enemies lucky enough to make it that far.

 

[giradman]

A very late fortification is the Halifax Citadel in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It was designed from the outset with defence against artillery in mind.

If you're at the bottom of the hill looking up at the fort you wouldn't see any of the stonework as it rises no higher than the natural surface of the hill. What you would see are the large turf ramparts containing embrasures for the artillery pieces.

There are rifle galleries in the dry most that would make quick work of any enemies lucky enough to make it that far.

Hi Scifan.. - thought that you might like Ft. Macon - a lot of these masonry forts that I've posted on over many different travelogues - Susan usually gets bored but seems to have enjoyed the film in the visitor's center and also learning to use her iPhone to take pics.

Probably in the late 1980s, we did a week's trip to Nova Scotia w/ a few days on Prince Edward Island (PEI) - flew into Halifax, toured the city including the Citadel (some pics below for those who might be wondering about the description above); then drove to Cape Breton Island - stayed at the Celtic Lodge (last pic my own - believe shown before somewhere in the forum?) - a bagpiper played outside at dusk each early evening - then a drive of nearly all of the Cabot Trail - onto PEI for 2-3 days, and then back to Halifax after a day's trip to Peggy's Cove - had a great seafood lunch there, as I recall. Dave

P.S. we had a LOT of shellfish on that trip, especially lobsters!
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[giradman]

New Bern & Tryon Palace - Part I

Well, I cannot leave the Crystal Coast without mention of another important historic NC town, i.e. New Bern - see first pics below (located about 45 mins north of Morehead City via HW 70) and quotes; founded in 1710 and listed as the second oldest town in the state (although disputed by those in Beaufort) (Source). New Bern was the colonial capital of North Carolina - William Tryon (1729-1788) was the British governor from 1765-1771 - he was responsible for having a mansion built for himself that became known as Tryon Palace (topic of next post); from 1771 to 1780, he was the governor of New York.

New Bern is a wonderful historic town worth a couple of full days - activities include a wide variety of tours (town, walking or motorized; ghost tours, and a variety of boat rides), a visit to the birthplace of Pepsi Cola, and finally a tour of the house and gardens of Tryon Palace. There are plenty of places to stay, most inexpensive - probably our favorite is Courtyard by Marriott (on the Neuse River in a quiet location but a short walk to the waterfront, the historic houses, and a number of restaurants) - Tryon Palace is about a mile away; plenty of Bed & Breakfast places are also available if that is a preference. Also, the coastal areas in the vicinity are a fun exploration, such as the coastal town of Oriental. Dave

New Bern, located at the confluence of the Trent and the Neuse rivers, was settled in 1710 by Swiss and Palatine German immigrants. The new colonists named the settlement after Bern, the capital of Switzerland and hometown of their leader Christoph von Graffenried. The English connection with Switzerland had been established by some Marian exiles who sought refuge in Protestant parts of Switzerland. There were also marriages between the Royal House of Stuart and notable people in the history of Calvinism. The colonists later discovered they had started their settlement on the site of a former Tuscarora village named Chattoka, causing conflicts with the Tuscaroras in the area (Source).

New Bern is the second-oldest European-American colonial town in North Carolina, and served as the capital of the North Carolina colonial government, then briefly as the state capital. After the American Revolution, New Bern became wealthy and quickly developed a rich cultural life. New Bern has four historic districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places; their numerous contributing buildings include residences, stores and churches dating back to the early eighteenth century. Within easy walking distance of the waterfront are more than 164 homes and buildings listed on the National Register. Also nearby are several bed and breakfasts, hotels, restaurants, banks, antiques stores and specialty shops. These areas provide much of New Bern's unique charm, appeal to retirees and heritage tourism, and contribute to the city's economic success (Source).

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[giradman]

New Bern & Tryon Palace - Part II

Tryon Palace is the most popular attraction in New Bern and is worth a visit - now a State Historic Site, the present building is a marvelous reconstruction of the original - the guided inside tour is highly recommended - pics below from the web, both outside & inside views. Dave

Tryon Palace, located in New Bern, North Carolina, is a replica of the mansion built in the late 1760s for the Royal Governor of the Province of North Carolina. Also the seat of the province's Colonial government, it was seized by rebel troops in 1775 and retained that role through the creation of the State of North Carolina in 1789. Shortly after the state capital was relocated to Raleigh in 1792 the original building burned to the ground. A modern recreation faithful to the original architect's plans and some period appropriate support structures were erected on the site in the 1950s and opened to the public in 1959. Today, a State Historic Site, the gardens were also recreated, with 16 acres of plantings representing three centuries of landscape and gardening heritage (Source).

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[scifan57]

New Bern & Tryon Palace - Part II

Tryon Palace is the most popular attraction in New Bern and is worth a visit - now a State Historic Site, the present building is a marvelous reconstruction of the original - the guided inside tour is highly recommended - pics below from the web, both outside & inside views. Dave


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They've done a marvellous recreation.

 

[giradman]

They've done a marvellous recreation.

Hi Scifan.. - a lot more information on the original building and the reconstruction HERE - originally built between 1767-1770 as a Georgian-styled building (the architect was British and the plans preserved & re-used); Tryon and his family lived just a year in the 'palace' but he kept detailed records which allowed accurate replication of the building and also filling the rooms w/ 'similar' period pieces.

Following the American Revolution, New Bern remained the capital of North Carolina and the first four 'independent' state governors resided there - President Washington made a visit in 1791 (quote below from the link above) on his 'southern tour' which included Salem (as in my other travelogue); in 1794, Raleigh became the state capital and the building(s) were used for other purposes, as described below. The fire that destroyed the main structure started in the cellar in 1798. Amazing, what was done to start the reconstruction, i.e. "The first restoration challenge was to clear the site. This involved removing more than 50 buildings and rerouting North Carolina Route 70, including a bridge over the Trent River." Dave

On the evening of April 21, 1791, the Palace was the scene of a dinner and dancing assembly held in honor of President George Washington, who was exploring New Bern while on his Southern Tour. (See the section on the Stanly House.) Raleigh became the state capital in 1794. Space in the Palace was rented for various purposes, including a Masonic lodge, a private school and a boarding house. In February of 1798, a fire started in the cellar, where hay was being stored. The fire quickly devastated the main building, which collapsed, but the Kitchen and Stable Offices were saved. The Kitchen Office was demolished in the early 19th century; the Stable Office survives. In the 19th century, George Street was extended over the original Palace foundation and dozens of houses and businesses were built on either side. At the end of the street, a bridge crossed the Trent River. In the 1930s a movement began to restore North Carolina’s first capitol.

 

[suenc]

Beaufort NC - Much More Than Just the Maritime Museum!

Beaufort, NC offers fabulous history (including capture by the Spanish, British, & Union Army during the Civil War), natural beauty w/ island preserves and national seashores where wild horses flourish, a multiple of sea & ocean related activities (swimming, shelling, boating, and many other options), great seafood and restaurants - a LOT more discussion HERE, for those interested and certainly for people visiting the area.

The first two images below relate to Rachel Carson, who wrote Silent Spring, one of my favorite books from my teens - she actually lived and did research in Beaufort and in her honor, a nature preserve was named for her - impressive! The several following images continue this natural theme, i.e. the wild (feral) horses which live on the barrier islands (e.g. Carrot Island and adjacent ones & Shackleford Banks) - there are about 60 or so horses in the 'Carrot Island' herd which are genetically different from the 140 or so on Shackelford Banks; the latter by DNA analysis are traced back to Spain as are most of the horses on the Virginia & Carolina coastal islands are animals that made landfall after Spanish ship wrecks - this is a continuing story. The following two pics are more of the Maritime Museum and the Watercraft extension across Front Street.

The next images show downtown Beaufort and the adjacent barrier islands where the horses live - these can be visited in a variety of ways (ferry, tours, etc.) for those interested. There is also a Visitor's Center w/ historic houses, a local art gallery, and a bus tour (on an old English double-decker) which provides a great review of the history of Beaufort, a view of the many historic houses, churches, graveyard, and other sites - we took the tour and a STRONG recommendation - views of Front Street, the boardwalk on the waterfront, one of the MANY historic houses, and the burying ground are shown below. AGAIN, a fascinating historic NC coastal town worth a visit if you are in the area. Dave
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I had forgotten how much there was to do in that area. Looking forward to going back.

 

[suenc]

Fort Macon State Park - Part I

Fort Macon State Park is the second oldest North Carolina State Park and consists of the restored masonry fort (built w/ 9+ million locally made bricks!), the fairly new Visitor's Center (not present on our last trip to Ft. Macon), and the wonderful beach areas facing the Atlantic Ocean and Bogue/Beaufort waters - the park is located near Atlantic Beach (just a 10 minute drive from our hotel) at the eastern tip of the barrier island. The first half dozen images below show the location of the park and some aerial views of the fort - the new Visitor's Center is a beautiful timber-framed building w/ an excellent introductory film and a substantial gift shop.

Susan and I took the crowded guided tour from a local w/ plenty of history about the area and the fort - apparently one of his great great (another great?) grandfather's was a Confederate volunteer in the fort; quoted below from the link giving some more history of the State Park and the Civil War history and capture of the fort by the Union Army in April 1862. The subsequent images are my own from w/i the grounds of the fort, including Susan about to take a bunch of pics w/ her iPhone - a shorter follow-up post w/ more pics. Dave






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That picture of me is me looking up at you taking a picture of me.

 

[suenc]

Atlantic Beach - Beaufort - Cape Lookout Lighthouse & More!

Susan and I are on a short 4-night trip to Atlantic Beach, a barrier island near Morehead City/Beaufort, NC - about a 4-hour drive from our home (see the first 2 maps below) - this is kind of a continuation of my latest previous posts about the NC lighthouses - we are staying at a 'modest' place which is quite nice, the DoubleTree Inn w/ an 8th floor oceanfront room (a few pics from the two balconies below) - the beach on the Atlantic Ocean is beautiful and goes for miles in both directions. The weather is 'iffy' throughout our stay - tomorrow, we will try for a boat ride from Harker's Island to the Cape Lookout Lighthouse.

Activities will include a visit to the Pine Knoll Shores Aquarium just down the road (and one of 3 NC aquariums), a return to the NC Maritime Museum in Beaufort (where artifacts from the undersea ongoing archeological investigation of Blackbeard's ship, the Queen Anne Revenge, are kept), a number of boat rides and tours, another return visit to Ft. Macon State Park, and some GREAT seafood eating - if rain interferes, we'll still have a good time! Dave
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Great photos! Our corner suite had ocean views from two sides. Great seafood, too. Oops, great company, too. Didn’t get to the lighthouse due to uncooperative weather.

 

[suenc]

Beaufort (North Carolina), Blackbeard, Queen Anne's Revenge, & NC Maritime Museum

On our first full day, we drove to Harkers Island in anticipation of taking the short ferry ride over to the Cape Lookout Lighthouse - rain started and we did not go - next day, weather was also rainy, so not an option on this short trip. Instead, we went into Beaufort - see map below and relationship to Atlantic Beach-Fort Macon State Park - the underwater archeologic site of Blackbeard's flag ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge, is just over a mile south of Ft. Macon near the Beaufort Inlet - the remains of the ship were discovered in 1996 and undersea research has been an ongoing project w/ an exhibit of the the findings w/i the NC Maritime Museum located in downtown Beaufort.

Beaufort was established in 1709 and is considered (although debated) to be the third oldest town in North Carolina (see quote below), and not to be confused w/ a city of the same name in South Carolina - the NC town is pronounced BOW-FURT. The NC Maritime Museum and the associated Watercraft Center for boat restoration and training are located on Front Street across from each other. The museum has wonderful exhibits about the nautical history of North Carolina, but the highlight is about the ongoing underwater project on the study and recovery of objects related to the Queen Anne's Revenge (see second quote below from link) which was the flag ship of the infamous early 18th century pirate, Blackbeard (a.k.a. Edward Teach). Below are a number of 'inside pics' (could not use a flash so not great quality) of portions of the Queen Anne's Revenge exhibit, where Susan met a new friend (and parrot) - if in the vicinity, this museum is a MUST stop. More on Beaufort in the next post! Dave




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Arrggh, matey! Some dashing sailors there. Wish the guy with the parrot had paid more attention to me!

 

[giradman]

Arrggh, matey! Some dashing sailors there. Wish the guy with the parrot had paid more attention to me!

Well if so, better watch out for the splinters! Hubby

P.S. Thanks for 'chiming into' the thread - just decided we need to get back to New Bern soon -

 

[giradman]

Hurricane Matthew Predicted to Come Through the Beaufort Area!

Boy, see weather map below - I put an arrow pointed at the location of Atlantic Beach-Morehead City-Beaufort, NC - Matthew's center is predicted to be coming right through that area as a Cat 2 hurricane - hope that this storm is downgraded and changes course - there are a LOT of low-lying properties that would be extensively damaged w/ a high storm surge - will be a couple of days.

We are back in Winston-Salem, 260 miles inland from that locale on the NC coast - expect some rain and wind, just hoping for not a lot! Dave
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[giradman]

Wrightsville Beach - Wilmington, NC - Return Trip in early November 2016

A common get-away for us, once or twice a year, typically spring and/or fall - just a 4-hour drive - this time we stayed at the Holiday Inn (pics available early in this thread) - first day was a little chilly and overcast, so spent the afternoon downtown and shopping at the Cotton Exchange (couple pics below) - multiple historic buildings saved and converted into shops and restaurants. In my previous post, Hurricane Matthew came through the city and the downtown area next to the Cape Fear River was flooded - little evidence of damage on our walking of the area; also, Wrightsville Beach was pretty much spared by this storm which made us happy.

After just a day, our highlights have been the two dinners (so far - couple more to come!) - of course, we love to come here to enjoy seafood, so often the focus of the meals. Last night, we ate at Boca Bay Restaurant, always on our list - shared a dozen oysters on the half shelf & had some excellent salads - Susan enjoyed the Maine lobster risotto dish, and I had sushi (a wonderfully diversified place) - we were too stuffed for a dessert.

Tonight, we ate at the Brasserie du Sol and decided (as in the past) to share the Plateaux De Fruits De Mer (description and pic below) - shellfish heaven - the oysters were delicious and nothing failed to please - Susan had a Loire sparkling wine and I a couple of glasses of King Estate Pinot Grigio - again, we were too filled for dessert but in the past usually share the combo one shown below - SO, for those who may be going to the Wilmington area, then I can highly recommend these two restaurants. Two more full days w/ warmer & sunnier weather - more to follow! Dave
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