If you've ever walked along Carolina Beach, you've been within a few miles of one of North Carolina's oldest ghost towns.

Built before the founding of the United States, the Colonial community of Brunswick Town was destroyed during the Revolutionary War.

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Today, according to Jim McKee, the site manager for the state historic site, most of Brunswick Town is buried underground. However, some of the colonial ruins are still standing today – including stone footprints and foundations of several homes and shops, and the enormous brick skeleton of St. Phillip's Anglican Church.

In the 1800s, the ruined town became the site of a Civil War fort. Today, the remains of the 1700s town and 1800s fort can be explored by visitors – who can now take a walk through a colonial ghost town.

The prominent ruins of a Colonial church, called St. Philips Anglican Church, are still standing in Brunswick Town, NC.
The prominent ruins of a Colonial church, called St. Philips Anglican Church, are still standing in Brunswick Town, NC. (© WRAL)

Long before the Boston Tea Party, there was rebellion in NC

Situated on the coast, Brunswick Town was once a bustling and prominent port on the Cape Fear River.

Established in 1726 by Maurice Moore, who was the son of a former governor for South Carolina, the port town thrived by selling tar, pitch and turpentine. North Carolina had a 'goldmine' of longleaf pine, which was vital in maintaining ships for the Royal Navy of England.

The prominent ruins of a Colonial church, called St. Philips Anglican Church, are still standing in Brunswick Town, NC.
The prominent ruins of a Colonial church, called St. Philips Anglican Church, are still standing in Brunswick Town, NC. (© WRAL)

Brunswick was also home to two successive royal governors, Arthur Dobbs and William Tryon, making it a political center for the royal colony. However, in 1765, colonists in Brunswick challenged the King's tax stamps. Nearly a decade before the renowned Boston Tea Party, small sparks of the Revolution were beginning right here on the NC coast.

However, the town's valuable port and acts of rebellion may be part of the reason it was ultimately destroyed.

The prominent ruins of a Colonial church, called St. Philips Anglican Church, are still standing in Brunswick Town, NC.
The prominent ruins of a Colonial church, called St. Philips Anglican Church, are still standing in Brunswick Town, NC. (© WRAL)

Haunting beauty: What happened to Brunswick Town?

Centuries of damage and fallout from multiple wars can be seen in the idyllic landscape where Brunswick Town once stood.

Stone foundations of colonial homes reveal a glimpse into how the town once looked. Old brick wells peer out from behind ancient trees, draped in Spanish moss that flutters in the wind like ghosts.

Even the church wasn't safe – its brick walls bear scars from a cannon ball's blast.

Old brick wells dot the landscape of the remnants of the ghost town of Brunswick Town, NC.
Old brick wells dot the landscape of the remnants of the ghost town of Brunswick Town, NC. (© WRAL)

One major blow to Brunswick's prominence was the relocation of the royal governor to New Bern in 1770. Governor Tryon had lived in Russelborough – a mansion which is in crumbling ruins today – but ultimately moved his center of government to Tryon's Palace, which was also destroyed at one point, but was reconstructed.

The growth of the nearby Wilmington also drew people away from the fading town.

But the final blow was when British soldiers spread rumors of their forthcoming attack. The redcoats made sure word spread of their plan to burn and raze Brunswick.

In 1776, Britain made good on their threat – destroying most of what remained of the town, making sure no one would return.

There are graves both outside and inside the walls of St. Philips Anglican Church in Brunswick Town, NC.
There are graves both outside and inside the walls of St. Philips Anglican Church in Brunswick Town, NC. (© WRAL)

The old ruins of St. Phillip's Anglican Church

The church has survived centuries – standing through the Civil War's cannons, countless hurricanes and even a direct hit from a tornado in recent years.

The walls are 3-feet thick, with grassy carpet and blue skies as the ceiling.

Multiple, unmarked graves are hidden beneath the unmarred grass – including the royal governor Arthur Dobbs. Outside the brick walls, several other graves mark where prominent local families now rest. One grave even has a Latin curse engraved onto it.

There are graves both outside and inside the walls of St. Philips Anglican Church in Brunswick Town, NC.
There are graves both outside and inside the walls of St. Philips Anglican Church in Brunswick Town, NC. (© WRAL)

Despite its destruction and abandonment in the 1700s, the church still functions as a wedding venue, and people still walk the 'streets' of Brunswick Town.

It's easy to see why people would have chosen to settle on the land there – the breeze off the Cape Fear, the ancient trees and Spanish moss, the gently rolling landscape of perfectly green grass. In its heyday, the colony of Brunswick Town would have been beautiful.

Among the ruins of Brunswick Town are stone foundations of old homes and shops.
Among the ruins of Brunswick Town are stone foundations of old homes and shops. (© WRAL)

It's not often a 'ghost town' gets so many visitors, but through the work of dedicated historians and preservationists, the ruins have been saved. Historians continue slowly digging up more and more foundations, piecing together the original layout of the town using old maps and context clues.

"It's like a living jigsaw puzzle," said McKee, who has been unraveling the stories and mysteries for years as the site manager.

Want to visit and explore Brunswick Town for yourself? It's free, and open to the public!