Brunswick Town was here first! Founded in 1726 by Maurice Moore, with help from his brothers-in-law, John Porter and Edward Moseley. Ironically, Governor George Burrington, who helped Moore establish settlement of the Brunswick area in 1724/5, led a virtual coop against his own colony in 1731-3, establishing "Newton" which later became Wilmington. Burrington had returned to North Carolina after the royal buyout in 1729 to defy the "Family" plans that created Brunswick Town, the town he once helped to start.
The "blank patent" controversy that began in 1726 and lasted until Burrington's return made the "Family" extraordinarily powerful and threatened royal control of the colony. As the Duke of Newcastle saw it, Brunswick Town had to go! And, it did just that...
Brunswick remains barren as does the rest of Brunswick County. It's hard to believe that Wilmington is only a few miles to the north on the opposite banks of the Cape Fear River. The story of how this took place, the social abandonment of Brunswick Town is the subject of my current work. Look again at the last picture of the river and try to imagine busy loading docks here...
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