Civil War Events

During the Civil War there were many forts in the Bald Head Island/Southport/Oak Island area, guarding the entrances to the Cape Fear River.

In Brunswick County there were at least four key forts: Fort Anderson (originally named Fort St. Philips) at Brunswick Town, Fort Johnston in Smithville (now Southport), Fort Caswell at the mouth of the Cape Fear River, and Fort Campbell on present-day Long Beach.

In nearby New Hanover County, Fort Fisher guarded the other entrance to the Cape Fear River, keeping Wilmington as the very last Confederate port open until the bitter end, falling on January 15th, 1865, after a tremendous bombardment by Union Naval troops and attack by more than 20,000 Union army troops.

Below are a number of area events associated with the Civil War in our area:

January 11, 2012 – 6:30 PM
Brunswick Civil War Round Table
Speaker: Ed Bearrs, considered a “National Treasure” by most noted historians. Topic: “President Lincoln and Gen. George B. McClellan: A Troubled Partnership.” Refreshments
The Brunswick Center @ Southport 1513 N. Howe Street, Southport Behind Wingate by Wyndham Hotel
Contact: Wally Rueckel
910/253-7382
Admission/Fees: $10.00 per person
$10 admission fee for guests and that fee can be applied toward a $25 annual membership fee

January 21 – 22, 2012 – 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
147th Anniversary of the 2nd Battle of Fort Fisher
10am-4pm Saturday & 11am-4pm Sunday. This two-day event will highlight the war’s largest amphibious assault with a Navy and Marine living history program that includes small arms and artillery demonstrations, a period torpedo exhibit, as well as special presentations focusing on the Union and Confederate sailors and marines who fought at Fort Fisher in January 1865.
Fort Fisher State Historic Site 1610 Fort Fisher Blvd., South Kure Beach, NC
910/458-5538
Admission/Fees: Free

February 7, 2012 – 6:30 PM
Brunswick Civil War Round Table
Speaker: Will Greene, Executive Director, Pamplin Park. Topic: “April 2nd Breakout at Petersburg and the Surrender at Appomattox”. Refreshments.
Trinity United Methodist Church 209 E.Nash Street, Southport, NC 28461
Contact: Wally Rueckel
910/253-7382
Admission/Fees: Free

March 6, 2012 – 6:30 PM
Brunswick Civil War Round Table
Speaker: Marvin Nicholson, former school administrator and Civil War re-enactor. Topic: “The African-American Experience in the Civil War Era.” Refreshments.
Trinity United Methodist Church 209 E.Nash Street, Southport, NC 28461
Contact: Wally Rueckel
910/253-7382
Admission/Fees: Free

March 8, 2012 – 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM
The Coastal Consumer Showcase
“Highlighting the Best in Local Products and Services.” Area businesses will be on display for area residents and visitors to explore what our business community has to offer.
St. James Community Center 4140-A Southport-Supply Road, St. James
Contact: Southport-Oak Island Area Chamber of Commerce
910/457-6964

April 3, 2012 – 6:30 PM
Brunswick Civil War Round Table
Speaker: William C. “Jack” Davis, prolific writer on the Civil War and director of Virginia Tech’s Civil War Institute. Topic: “War Confederate Defeat Inevitable?” Refreshments.
Trinity United Methodist Church 209 E.Nash Street, Southport, NC 28461
Contact: Wally Rueckel
910/253-7382
Admission/Fees: Free

Brunswick Civil War Round Table
Speaker: Dr. Chris E. Fonvielle, Jr., well known local UNCW history professor and BCWRT Lifetime Charter Member. Topic: “Lt. Cmdr. William B. Cushing: Incomparable Federal Naval Office”. He was instrumental in the capture of Fort Fisher. Refreshments.
Trinity United Methodist Church 209 E.Nash Street, Southport, NC 28461
Contact: Wally Rueckel
910/253-7382
Admission/Fees: Free

June 5, 2012 – 6:30 PM
Brunswick Civil War Round Table
Speaker: Dr. Max R. Williams, BCWRT director and Lifetime Charter Member. Topic: “When Cotton Wasn’t King: Southern Dreams and British Realities.” Refreshments.
Trinity United Methodist Church 209 E.Nash Street, Southport, NC 28461
Contact: Wally Rueckel
910/253-7382
Admission/Fees: Free.

August 11, 2012 – 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Blue & Gray Navies
Carolina Living History Guild members will set up displays that highlight the history of the USS North Carolina and the CSS North Carolina during the American Civil War. Displays will include steam engineering, ironclad ship construction, navigation, small arms of the US and CS navies, and the “arts of the sailor.” Visitors will be able to view reproductions of period small arms and working models of steam engines, as well as many other items. Guild members will discuss with visitors the vast differences between the 1824 ship-of-the-line and the newly constructed Confederate ironclad gunboat, and how these differences highlighted the change in naval and military technology in the 1860s.
Battleship NORTH CAROLINA Highways 17/74/76/421 Intersections Wilmington, NC
910/251-5797

 

Insider’s Guide: NC South Coast

Save $6.00 off! If you want to know what the locals know, the Insider’s Guide is for you.

Written by longtime locals and true insiders who offer personal and practical perspectives that readers trust.

The Insider’s Guide to NC’s Southern Coast & Wilmington takes you to the clean, quiet, family oriented beaches of North Carolina’s Southern Coast and introduces you to the intriguing city of Wilmington, including the historic downtown riverfront.

Regular Cover Price: $15.95

On Sale:

$9.95 Buy it at http://Islands-Art.com

15 Sea Gull Trail

Wonderful waterfront beach home with spectacular views. Ships pass by your livingroom windows. Views of Oak Island and lighthouse.

This 4 bedroom and 4 bath home has hardwood floors, granite counter tops, carpet in bedrooms and ceramic tile floors in baths. Stainless steel appliances in kitchen.

Open floor plan downstairs with a large observation room upstairs. Two screen porches facing the ocean and a large outside shower. Direct beach access.

Two golf carts a four and six passenger (no lease) A BHI Sports membership and a Shoals club membership for sale, separate purchase. Home sold furnished with exclusions.

$1,199,000
Let me show you this beautiful home as well as any other MLS listing at Ocean Isle Beach, Holden Beach, Oak Island, Bald Head Island or the mainland golf areas and Shallotte!

As an Accredited Buyer Representative Martha Pope can furnish information and represent you with regard to any properties in the Multiple Listing Service.

For more information on this or any other property anywhere in the area please contact Martha: martha@pope-realestate.com.

305 South Bald Head Wynd

PRICED TO SELL, LOWEST PRICED VILLA ON RESALE MARKET.

Villa with the best views of the 18th fairway of BHI Golf Course, lagoon and the dune ridge.

Villas are located near the South Beach, Atlantic Ocean, BHI Club for restaurant, golf, tennis, swimming pool and croquet.

Two sun decks for views and relaxing. Heating/cooling system is 2 years old. Furnished with one six passengar golf cart, few exclusions.

BHI Social Club Membership available for separate purchase.

305 South Bald Head Wynd Villa -27 $339,000
Let me show you this beautiful home as well as any other MLS listing at Ocean Isle Beach, Holden Beach, Oak Island, Bald Head Island or the mainland golf areas and Shallotte!

As an Accredited Buyer Representative Martha Pope can furnish information and represent you with regard to any properties in the Multiple Listing Service.

For more information on this or any other property anywhere in the area please contact Martha: martha@pope-realestate.com.

Course Review: Sea Trail’s Byrd

Sea Trail’s Willard Byrd course: an underrated challenge!

The Rees Jones course at Sea Trail is the resort’s most popular course, mainly because golfers want the opportunity to play a tract designed by one of the nation’s most acclaimed architects. Yet, one of its mates, Sea Trail’s Willard Byrd course, is an underrated challenge that is just as popular with many of the people that have played them both.

“The Byrd course since they put the new greens in is great,” said New York resident Tom Capowski, a 5 handicap. “I prefer this actually even over the Jones. It’s very playable for most of the people. I know guys that play here that are 30 handicaps or 15s. It’s playable for everybody. It’s challenging enough. I enjoy it.”

Both the Byrd and Jones courses opened in 1990, and each of them have their own personality and have developed their own following.

“The public all wants to play Rees Jones,” said Tom Plankers, the president of golf at Sea Trail. “The Willard Byrd is more renown for being one of the better Southern courses he’s done. He’s done quite a few in the South, but this is probably one of his better golf courses.”

Sea Trail Resort’s Byrd Course is a prime example of why so many courses on the Grand Strand are replacing bentgrass greens with new ultradwarf Bermudagrasses.

The pine tree-lined Willard Byrd layout that opened in 1990 has been revitalized by the changing of the greens last year from bent to Champion Bermuda.

“The greens are great. They are huge, they don’t have any blemishes and are really true,” said Josh Unger of Myrtle Beach, a student at the Golf Academy of America who took part in a review of the course in late March.

“Any time you can get a green that’s big and relatively flat that is ideal. These greens are big and they have some undulation in them but not too much, and they’ll hold shots and aren’t too hard.”

Joining me and Josh, who carries a 10.4 handicap, in the review foursome were John Hasenstab of Murrells Inlet, a retired educator with a 17 handicap, and Grace Caravello of Conway, a retired Verizon systems analyst with a 24 handicap.

“This course had a tremendous variety of holes,” John said. “There are many very nice holes with scenic aesthetics.”

The course’s yardage of 6,740 doesn’t require a driver off every tee and includes a number of doglegs both right and left. “A variety of clubs can be used off the tee and there’s a high amount of risk-reward,” Josh said.

There is some water on the layout but most of the difficulty stems from bunkers. Both waste and traditional bunkers pinch fairways, and 15 of the 18 greens are protected by multiple bunkers. “The course was very fair with good shots and not overly punitive for bad ones,” John said.

The course’s aesthetics include stone walkways to delineate parking areas at tees and greens, dead trees in some waste bunker areas, a plethora of wildlife including alligators and a variety of birds – there’s an osprey nest on the 18^th fairway near the green – and attractive housing, including Charleston-style homes on some holes.

“The course was in great condition,” Josh said. “The manicuring on this course is really nice. They definitely take time and do the work to make it nice.”

Women have a significant advantage on many holes with a total yardage of 4,621 yards. “The par-3s were easy for women and some of the par-4s were short enough to make it in regulation,” Grace said. “The par-5s were short also.”

Likes

The driving range has target greens and flags with measured yardages, and there is a chipping green with a bunker.

John enjoyed the tee-time separation of 10 minutes, compared to eight minutes at many clubs, and the policy to start every group on the first tee. “What a pleasant experience it is,” John said. “We didn’t push the group in front of us and we weren’t pushed, and that must be attributed to the 10-minute tee times.”

Grace thought the staff was friendly and helpful and enjoyed the rolling terrain in and around many fairways. “Fairways were hilly and fun to play,” she said.

With combined green and cart fees between $40 and $55 year round, “it’s a great value,” John said.

Josh appreciated the tree-lined layout and detailed yardage book. “It’s very detailed and helped a lot having not played the course before,” Josh said.

Dislikes

There are small hole depictions on the scorecard and yardage books are available for $3, but there weren’t hole depictions on tee boxes. “If we didn’t have the yardage book we would have been lost because there were no hole descriptions at the tee boxes like a lot of courses have, and there are some things you can’t see on the tee box,” Grace said.

The sand was good when abundant in bunkers, but it was inconsistent and thin in spots and had sparse grass growing through some areas. “The bunkers were unkept and irregular in condition,” John said.

Josh thought out-of-bounds stakes created by housing were too close to some fairways, and Grace didn’t believe there was enough selection of women’s clothing in the pro shop.

Par-3s

Par-3 distances are very manageable at between 174 and 202 yards from the tips. The 174-yard second hole measures 167 from the white tee and requires a carry over water to a green that is angled to the back right, slopes to the front and left, and is surrounded by four bunkers, including an expansive bunker to its left.

The 190-yard seventh is 167 from the white and has a drive over a waste bunker decorated with a pair of small dead trees. A mildly rolling green is situated between five bunkers.

The 186-yard 12th measures 163 from the white and requires a drive over a water hazard that extends past the left side of a wide green that contains a couple rolling areas. A bunker covers the entire front of the green and there are smaller bunkers back and back left. “It’s a great par-3 over water with wind factoring in,” John said.

Several bunkers are snuggled around the green of the 202-yard 16th hole, which is 155 from the white.

Par-4s

None of the par-4s were overwhelmingly long, measuring between 368 and 412 yards. “There’s a good variety of par-4s,” John said. “Some were easily reachable in two, some were tough.”

The 387-yard first hole doesn’t require a driver and is somewhat benign, though it has water far left. The 412-yard fifth is straightforward with five deep bunkers protecting the fairway and one protecting the front left of the green.

The 396-yard sixth has a fairly narrow landing area caused by bunkers pinching both sides of the fairway, with the left bunker prominent off the tee. The eighth, 10th and 11th holes are either sharp or slight dogleg rights, the 15th is a sharp dogleg left, and the 404-yard slight dogleg-left 14th has a very narrow landing area for a driver, with water coming into the fairway from the left that is blind from the tee and bunkers on the right.

“They have a nice mix of dogleg lefts and dogleg rights,” Josh said. “There’s a lot of risk-reward from the back tees on the hard dogleg par-4s. You can hit to the dogleg with a hybrid or take on the dogleg with a driver.”

Par-5s

Three of the par-5s measure between 515 and 542 yards, while the final par-5 offers birdie and eagle possibilities. Only one par-5 is more than 495 yards from the white tees. “All the par-5s were fair and scoreable,” John said.

The 525-yard third hole measures 468 from the white tee and features a drive over water to a fairway on the left that must be placed between a pair of fairway bunkers at the turn of a sharp dogleg right. The fairway is a narrow corridor through pines and is rolling with mild mounding on both sides. The green has a mild plateau back right and is protected front and left by one bunker and right by another. “It’s a wonderful hole that requires a good drive and solid approach,” John said.

The 542-yard ninth is 517 from the white and turns slightly left with five bunkers to maneuver beginning deep in the tee shot landing area. The 528-yard 13^th is 493 from the white and has bunkers both left and right in the fairway off the tee, and a green-fronting water hazard cutting across the fairway beginning 70 yards from a green that bends around a back left bunker and features a mild ridge through the middle.

The short 469-yard 18th measures 442 from the white and is intimidating in the yardage book with water abound, but the landing area is generous. “Once you get off the tee you’re good to go toward the green,” Josh said.

“All the par-5s were reachable in two good shots, though No. 13 may require a layup short of the water with 80 yards in after that,” Josh said. “They had tight landing areas off the tee with a driver but then the fairways opened up into large bunker-surrounded greens.”

Favorite holes

Josh’s favorite hole was the par-4 17th, a 382-yard hole turning slightly right with an elevated tee, water down the left side and a green well-protected by four bunkers. “A good drive will get you around 130 to 140 yards into the green, and the hole is aesthetically pleasing from the tee,” he said.

John enjoyed the par-4 14th, measuring 380 yards from the white tee, because “it required a center drive and punished you left or right.” He also liked the par-5 13th and third holes. “The third, with a drive across water at an angle into rolling hills to a dogleg right, was a great hole,” John said.

Grace liked the par-3 second hole, which measured 106 yards from the red tee and required a short shot over water to the green.

Least favorite holes

Josh’s least favorite hole was the 407-yard par-4 fourth, a sharp dogleg left turning around a waste bunker and tree line. A tree extending beyond the waste bunker on the left side of the fairway forces players to hit a well-placed tee shot of 240 to 270 yards to have a clear shot at the green, and OB lurks on the right. “You really only have about 30 yards to place your ball in the fairway off the tee and have a shot at the green,” Josh said.

John’s least favorite hole was the par-3 16th. “It was the least aesthetically pleasing hole on the course,” he said.

Grace’s least favorite hole was the par-5 13th, which measured 382 yards from the red tee and required about a 60-yard carry over water to reach the green. “I had to go over the water on the fourth shot and couldn’t make it over on the third shot, and I hate having to lay up like that and lose a shot.”

To view Blondin’s blog, Green Reading, or Q&A Forum, Ask Al, go to TheSunNews.com.

Sea Trail Willard Byrd Signature Course -

Opened in the Fall of 1990, each hole of the Willard Byrd Golf Course at Sea Trail Resort & Golf Links, Sunset Beach, NC is memorable for both beauty and exacting play.

Built around several man-made lakes, each ranging from 14-20 acres, every hole of this par-72 signature course requires a distinctly difference approach. Contact us for additional information or call 800-624-6601 or 910-287-1157. http://www.seatrail.com

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Sea Trail Dan Maples Signature Course - Twisted ancient oaks and tall Carolina pines define each hole on the beautiful par 72 course, still regarded as one of Maples finest. This one-of-a-kind course has newly renovated A1/A4 blended Bent grass greens and boasts five holes that wind along the scenic Calabash Creek, home to nesting ospreys and other native wildlife. The course is also peppered with numerous waste bunkers, one of which extends the full length of a fairway. Contact us for additional information or call 800-624-6601 or 910-287-1157. http://www.seatrail.com

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Sea Trail Rees Jones Signature Course – The Rees Jones Golf Course at Sea Trail Resort & Golf Links, Sunset Beach, NC, opened in the Spring of 1990 and has become a perennial favorite of visitors and locals alike. Players of all skill levels will enjoy an extraordinary golf experience on this straightforward golf course with typical Jones bounding. Wide fairways and large mounds are surrounded by water, with water coming into play on 11 holes of the Par 72 championship course. In addition to water hazards, the many pot and large expanse bunkers make for a delightfully challenging game of golf. Contact us for additional information or call 800-624-6601 or 910-287-1157. http://www.seatrail.com

$30 Golf: Canned Food Drive!

Help those in need with a great rate on golf for yourself at Sea Trail!

Sea Trail is helping those in need during the holiday season for 2011 with its Canned Food Drive, Beginning December 1st 2011 you can get one round of golf on any of Sea Trail’s three signature courses of Distinction for just $30 per person with a donation of three cans of food.

Sea Trail collects these donations and delivers them to the Brunswick Family Assistance program to provide food for those less fortunate in the area. Ca;; 910.287.1122 or visit the Sea Trail Golf Shops for more details and tee times.

 

 

Photographer’s New Book

The beaches of Bald Head Island, NC are featured in new book by nationally renowned local nature photographer and artist, Ken Buckner!

Favorite Beach Photos – By Ken Buckner

Hardcover coffee table edition with 128 high quality 8″x10″ pages with 100 full color photographs.

Stroll sandy shores by the sea or the beaches of a lovely lake and see sunrises, sunsets and wildlife just as nationally renowned local nature photographer and artist, Ken Buckner viewed them through his camera.

This is Ken’s journey and you are invited to join him through these pages. Most of the photos were taken near his home in the South Brunswick Islands of North Carolina.

“I explore beauty with my camera. The photos show the journey” – Ken Buckner

The book includes the occasional “story behind the picture.” Ken wants the reader to feel some of the excitement he experienced capturing these special moments in time.

Buy The Book – $35.00

Click here to buy this book at the Islands-Art.com website!

Islands Art features Giclée Prints by nationally renowned local nature photographer and artist, Ken Buckner, the books of Miller Pope (founder of The Winds Resort and Sea Trail Golf Resort), mystery novelist Tom Rieber and renowned local Romance Novelists Jacqueline DeGroot and Peggy Grich.

The Nine Irony By Tom Rieber

The Nine Irony, the latest in the Nick Thomas Mysteries series by Local Author Tom Rieber is now available online.

Nick Thomas is a little bit of all of us; believable, lovable, tough when need be and sensitive. He is a man who got a second chance at life after hitting bottom and turned his life around.

And life was good, that is until one fateful day the walls of his life came crashing down and he finds himself framed and wanted for the murder of his estranged ex-wife.

Nick has no choice but to go underground and try and find the real killer before the police find him. The Nine Irony is also a romantic story about a beautiful and trusting love between Nick and his soul-mate Chris who helps him through this fast paced ordeal.
Pick up your autographed copy and join Tom’s loyal fans. You won’t be disappointed!

Buy It Here! $14.95

2012 Free Summer Golf!

The best golf value at the coast is at The Winds Resort Beach Club!

With rates that include a full hot Southern Breakfast Buffet each day there is no better golf value around!

2012 FREE SUMMER GOLF – 6/01/2012 to 8/31/2012:

We’re talking free green fees for all Winds’ guests on a selection of top area courses FREE. All you pay in, addition to your regular lodging rates, is carts and tax.

2011 courses included: Azalea Sands, Brierwood, Carolina Shores, Valley at Eastport, Sea Trail Byrd, Sea Trail Maples, Farmstead and Meadowlands.

After 12:00: Rivers Edge

Sign up on our Home Page to receive all the latest golf news and specials updates!

To book this golf package please call the The Winds Resort Beach Club Toll Free: 800-334-3581 or Email:reservations@thewinds.com

“Its All About Golf At The Winds!”

The Winds Resort Beach Club offers golfers a choice of oceanfront suites overlooking palm trees, subtropical gardens and our breathtaking powder-sand island beach or, for groups, our spacious 4, 5 and 6 bedroom Resort Cottages.

All packages include a Hot Southern Breakfast Buffet and use of all of The Winds Amenities: Three Pools (one indoor), Garden Bar Restaurant and poolside oceanfront Tiki-Bar.

The Winds’ deserves its reputation for being “a golfer’s paradise”, boasting nearly 20 of the “Grand Strand’s” best courses within 8 miles, and close to 100 courses within 30 minutes drive. Golfers love our FREE Summer Golf Program!

The Tower! Just Too Cool!

Ever wanted to stay the night in a lighthouse/tower off of the NC Coast? Well you can! A software engineer from Oklahoma, Richard Neal, purchased the Frying Pan Shoals Light Tower, located just off of Bald Head Island, NC in 2010 and has taken on the immense project of restoring the tower. His intent is to offer overnight stays to charter fishing expeditions and divers who frequent Frying Pan Shoals. Neal is taking donations and is using the help of volunteers to make the restorations.

The tower also offers a safe haven for boaters and a helipad for use in medical emergencies. “Top-end” users could fly in for a week or weekend and enjoy a private fishing vacation according to Neal.

Neal also hopes to have a cell phone tower erected on the platform. Neal, 51, is a licensed pilot who had flown over the structure but had not yet set foot on it when he made the winning bid.

The tower is a modified 80-foot steel oil drilling platform and was used by the Coast Guard from 1966 until about eight years ago as an aid to navigation. The Coast Guard turned the nautical landmark over to the GSA to be sold when the introduction of GPS and buoys rendered the tower obsolete.

A federal General Services Administration spokesman said Neal was the only bidder for the modified 80-foot steel oil drilling platform when it was auctioned off in 2010.

The tower has two floors and 5,000 square feet of living space including five bedrooms, a kitchen, office, storage area, recreation area and toilet facilities.

Prior to beginning life on the tower Mr. Neal admitted to fishing only once in his life but had gained a love of the ocean from many flights taken along the Eastern Seaboard in his small private plane.

Neal currently has the tower accessible and hopes to be “fully functional” by 2012. We are not certain what conditions are at this time but they are taking reservations! Go here to make a reservation inquiry: http://www.fptower.com/inquiry.html

 

Now the story gets more interesting…Neal has written a book, or rather a software program born on the tower has written an ebook available for Kindle download at Amazon, “Hiding In Anonymity (HIA)”all proceeds are donated to the restoration efforts. Rather than trying to explain I offer this video for your consideration.. or in the words of The Twilight Zone “Submitted for Your Approval”…

 

Check out their website and facebook page to get a better idea of what’s going on!

http://www.fptower.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Frying-Pan-Shoals-Light-Station/121119241261861

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