Louis Moore Bacon, who now resides in London but was born in Raleigh, has purchased almost the entire 5,000-acre property – including the historic plantation house and its famous gardens – from the Laurence Sprunt family who have owned the Brunswick County landmark since 1884.

The Plantation and Gardens will close indefinitely on May 31st while plans for the future and other renovations are made. Hurry to see this incredible place while this years gardens are still available to you!

Current Orton manager David Sprunt, will retain that position, said the family has kept the land around the plantation’s pond.

He said he’s excited about the plans for the plantation, but it is hard for the property leave his family’s ownership after all of these years.

A press release states that Bacon is directly descended from Roger Moore, who built the original Orton residence in 1725. Bacon’s mother’s family has strong ties to nearby Wilmington.

Many are relieved to hear that Mr. Bacon has a reputation for buying historic properties such as Orton Plantation and keeping them in their natural state. Also the N.C. Coastal Land Trust holds conservation easements covering much of the Orton property. The executive director of the Land Trust states that Bacon is noted as a conservationist and a supporter of numerous environmental organizations.

Forbes magazine notes Bacon, age 53, is a native of North Carolina who manages several hedge funds and now resides in London, and the London Sunday Times notes that that he is the richest hedge fund manager in Britain having a nearly $1.7 billion fortune.

Orton Plantation, which recently opened for the 2010 season, is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the gardens. Extensive renovations were made in the gardens to open up panoramic views to the Cape Fear River, remove competing vegetation, redesign and enhance the flower beds and restore and preserve the colonial rice fields.

Among the predominant species in the garden are live oaks, camellias, azaleas, flowering fruit trees, daphne, hydrangeas, crape myrtles, dogwoods, and colorful spring and summer annuals. Lawns and water gardens lend variety to the lush vegetation.

Plan to come spend a day at Orton Plantation! The gardens are in their glory right now! The historic landscape designed around the 1735 mansion and colonial rice fields overlooking the Cape Fear River and 20 acres of secluded walking trails surrounded by hundreds of acres of rice fields make Orton Plantation Gardens a wonderful place to visit.

One of the oldest plantations on the Lower Cape Fear and the only one with a manor house still standing, Orton has become a privately owned tourist attraction, celebrated for its elaborate gardens. In recent years, the plantation and its grounds have served as locations on a number of motion pictures.

The house and grounds are located at 9149 Orton Road S.E., Brunswick County just off N.C. 133, close to the Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site.

Get directions click here!

Hours are 8am to 5pm March – August and 10am – 5pm September – November (except they close for Thanksgiving Day).

Originally the county’s plan was to be finished with the park by last by October, but construction on the park came to a standstill when the contractor on the project, Weaver Co. Inc., of Conway, S.C., went bankrupt, leaving the park’s fate hanging in the balance.

Liberty Mutual, the bonding company for the project, took over with Boggs Paving Inc., of Myrtle Beach, chosen to finish the job.

Although most of the park’s amenities have already been completed, including eight tennis courts, playground equipment and a 300-seat amphitheater, the park is still lacking infrastructure.

The new contractor will be responsible for completing the 15% of work that remains to be finished, including paving, landscaping of the entire site and tying sewer into the Ocean Isle Beach sewer system. Boggs Paving recently began work at the park.

According to Ocean Isle Beach Mayor Debbie Smith a town staff member recently met with the new contractor about the park’s wastewater connection linking its restroom facilities to the Ocean Isle Beach treatment plant, an important step in the project. Smith said she was happy the project now has a completion date in sight.

I think it is certainly going to be an asset to this end of the county. It’s got wonderful tennis courts and a wonderful playground for children,” Smith said. “Of course, with the amphitheater and event space it should add some activities in our end of the county.”

The county received a $500,000 Parks and Recreation Trust grant for the $2.9 million project.

The Sunset Beach bridge has been more controversial than the Wall Street bailout on local terms. There have been those who feel a new bridge is a must for safety and security reasons and those who want to keep the old swing bridge in place at any cost. A local preservation group has battled for years to keep the old bridge.

After years of court battles progress has won out and a new span bridge is under way at Sunset Beach.

The old bridge is a wooden, one lane, pontoon bridge. Built in 1961, it is part of Sunset Beach’s history and is said to be the last of its kind on the East Coast. Manon Gore, the developer of Sunset Beach, built the bridge and in the old days you had to honk your horn twice outside of his nearby house for him to come open the bridge..

Construction on the new 65 foot high span bridge began in February of 2008. Completion is targeted for sometime in 2010. The arc bridge will ensure that visitors and residents are safe. The bridge will have two 12 foot travel lanes, will be a half mile long and will also have a pedestrian lane for bikes and foot travel.

I recently took an afternoon off and revisited this incredible place – I hadn’t been there in years and forgot what I was missing.

First of all the location alone is amazing – wooden walkways wind amongst ruins of the pre-Revolutionary town which lie side by side with the remains of a Civil War era Confederate fortification originally called Fort St. Philip’s (later renamed Fort Anderson).

All of this is located along a virtually undeveloped area along the Cape Fear River offering some of the most beautiful views of the river seen through ancient live Oak trees dripping with Spanish moss. A great place to spend the day and have a picnic on the grounds.

I don’t know if there is anywhere where more history is packed into such a small area!
The town of Brunswick was settled by merchants coming from Barbados by way of Goose Creek SC in 1726 by Maurice Moore (who’s descendants later built Orton Plantation next to the town).

The port became a bustling shipping area for exporting tar, pitch, and turpentine. These products, derived from the resin of the longleaf pine, were known collectively as naval stores. This “sticky gold” was essential for building and maintaining the great wooden sailing ships of the Royal Navy and the merchant fleet that sailed the oceans between Europe, its American colonies, and the islands of the Caribbean.

In 1748 the town was attacked by Spanish invaders who were eventually driven off by 80 brave men many of which were African slaves.

In 1765 (eight years before the Boston Tea Party!) the residents challenged the Crown’s authority to distribute hated tax stamps halting the collection of the tax along the Cape Fear.

Brunswick was the seat of two Royal Governors until Brunswick’s decline which resulted from several factors, including the growth of Wilmington and the relocation of the royal governor to New Bern in 1770.

Few people remained in Brunswick in the spring of 1776 when British redcoats were put ashore from the Royal Navy ship Cruizer. Some reports indicate that much of the town was burned during this raid. By the end of the Revolutionary War families and merchants had moved to other locations, and the ruins and land became part of Orton Plantation in 1842. After being was razed by British troops in 1776 Brunswick was never rebuilt.

Painting Courtesy of Miller Pope from his book: "Tales of the Silver Coast".

Then, during the Civil War, Ft. Anderson was constructed atop the old village site. Colonial foundations dot the present-day tour trail, which crosses the earthworks of the Confederate fort. This serene riverside setting, colonial and Civil War history, and colorful exhibits will be long remembered by visitors.

In 1861 the Confederate States of America decided to build a large fort at the site as part of the river defense of Wilmington. The Cape Fear was an essential route for supplies moving by rail from Wilmington to Petersburg and Richmond for General Lee’s army.

The Confederate army used manual labor to construct the large sand fortification originally called Fort St. Philip’s. There were two batteries, each with five cannons overlooking the shipping channel and providing protection to blockade runners.

In February 1865, following the fall of Fort Fisher at the mouth of the river, Union forces repositioned to attack Fort Anderson. Federals attacked from the land and river. After three days of fighting, the Confederates evacuated the fort at night. Union gunboats started firing at first light, unaware Federal soldiers were breaching the walls of the fort. The infantry frantically waved sheets and blankets to stop the deadly fire from their own forces. There was a one-day fight north of the site at Town Creek before the Federals occupied Wilmington on George Washington’s birthday, February 22, 1865.

The Site Today

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, archaeologists uncovered foundations from Brunswick’s earliest days.

The most visible structure is the hulk of St. Philip’s Anglican Church with its surviving walls dating back to 1754.

Another interesting foundation is Russellborough, an old sea captain’s house that was used by royal governors Tryon and Dobbs.

The visitor center houses several displays that cover the time periods of both the old town and the fort.

In the lobby is a colorful mural created by Claude Howell and Catherine Hendricksen depicting a scene from a Spanish attack on the town in 1748.

Also the original large color painting of the Confederate soldiers shown above by Miller Pope (founder/owner of The Winds Resort Beach Club!). This painting is from his book Tales of the Silver Coast – A Secret History of NC’s Brunswick County.

All of Miller Pope’s books are available at his website http://MillerPope.com

A cannon on display was recovered from the river in 1986 and is believed to be from the Spanish ship Fortuna, which blew up in the river as the townspeople regained control of the port.

The remains of homes, businesses, and other buildings bear witness to the story of Brunswick. Along with artifacts from the Civil War and the imposing mounds of Fort Anderson, this site offers a unique look at two fascinating periods of American history.

“For there are deeds that should not pass away,
And names that must not wither.”
- plaque in St. Philip’s Church

Brunswick Town? 8884 St. Philip’s Rd. SE?, Winnabow, NC 28479? Phone: (910) 371-6613? Email: brunswick@ncdcr.gov
Hours of Operation: Monday – Saturday 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. Closed Sunday.

Confessions of a Madman

A life lived through the years of the greatest change in human history, a tale of the Camelot period among the canyons of Madison Ave. and the publishing world in New York and Boston through the eyes of an illustrator.

A story that spans eighty years beginning in the Appalachian hills of Tennessee and evolving into the fast-paced world of art and advertising on Madison Avenue. Follow along and experience life in the upper strata of New York City society during the days when the Martini lunch ruled.

“From Madison Avenue to Island Sands” is one of those rare, thoroughly entertaining autobiographies that works because, unlike many autobiographies, it isn’t about a celebrity or a politician, but about a regular guy who has lived life to the fullest and then some.

In some respects, it’s a tale of two islands: Manhattan and a little place off the coast of North Carolina called Ocean Isle.” Lynn Jessup – The Wilmington Star News

Tales of the Silver Coast

A Secret History Of Brunswick County – From the earliest days of European exploration to the golf courses and beach resorts in this fascinating and fast-growing region, Brunswick County has attracted settlers, invaders, and visitors of all descriptions.

“Miller has done an exceptional job keeping the tone light while still being informative. Each story is only two to three pages long, with illustrations liberally spread throughout, making it perfect for children. Young and old will love the story of the Barefoot Felon, where a captain uses a simple trick to save his ship from pirates.”

- Brunswick Alive! Magazine

Miller Pope’s Book Of Pirates

From Captain Kidd to Blackbeard to the pirates of the orient . . . From bloody battles to walking the plank- from blunderbusses to cutlasses, With nearly 150 original illustrations, this volume is sure to please and inform pirate fans of all ages.

• Race for Riches: a history of the origins of piracy
• Greed and Gold: a pirate’s life aboard ship and in battle
• Tools of the Trade: weapons, vessels, and pirate culture
• Rogues and Raiders: profiles of pirates through history
• Other Pirates, Other Times: the past and future of piracy
• A Roster of Infamy: a list of pirates and their vessels

“The illustrations are incredible, from the actual pirates to their ships, battles, maps, tools of the trade and treasures. For every generations’ fascination with pirates and the exotic and exciting life they supposedly led, this book will satisfy that hunger for the actual and imagined part of pirate lore.
Miller Pope is as exceptional a writer as he is an illustrator, writing with the visual in mind, always crafting his words from an illustrators’ perspective and then backing that image up with the very picture the words so masterfully created.”

- Island Living Magazine

Drawing BC-Before Computers

This hot off the press book describes and illustrates the techniques of illustration during the mid-century days before the reign of color television and computers when great short story magazines ruled.

In these pages artists may find inspiration and those who remember the simpler times of the decades following the second World War will find nostalgia for a bygone time.

Younger people who were born into the world of color television and computers may discover in these pages a glimpse into the past.

Drawing techniques of Illustration’s Golden Age. Miller Pope relates the techniques and mediums used by some of the finest illustrators before the rise of computers in the world of publishing.

“Before moving to Ocean Isle Beach, Miller Pope (”Tales of the Silver Coast,” “Miller Pope’s Book of Pirates”) was a top illustrator in New York publishing, working for advertising agencies in the “Mad Men” era and creating artwork for The Saturday Evening Post, Reader’s Digest and other publications, as well as a number of textbooks.

He recalls those days in “Drawing B.C.” as in Before Computers (Island Press, $16.95 paperback). Pope demonstrates techniques that he and other commercial artists used in predigital days to get eye catching effects that conveyed the message. (Helpful hint: “Less is More.”).

Younger artists can learn a trick or two; the rest of us will be transported into a color-filled retro-world.”

- Ben Steelman The Wilmington Star News, Wilmington, NC

Buy them at MillerPope.com

Books by local Author, Illustrator – Miller Pope! Buy them at MillerPope.com

This, the second in a series of historically accurate and lushly illustrated pirate books, relates the incredible lives of some of history’s most infamous pirates.

Each pirate ’s story features a unique illustration of the pirate. Visit MillerPope.com to see more and purchase his books!

Stede Bonnet, “The gentleman pirate”
Stede Bonnet was the most unlikely pirate of them all. He had been an army major before becoming a wealthy sugar plantation owner and he was among the best society on the island of Barbados. For some reason he left all this and bought a ship, hired a crew and embarked on a career of piracy.

In pirate circles it was unheard of to buy a ship instead of just stealing one. He recruited about seventy destitute seamen from the taverns and grogshops of Barbados.

Bonnet was a landlubber with virtually no knowledge of the sea. He explained that he had purchased his ship for pursuing inter-island trade and for several days his ship remained at anchor. But one night, he raised sail without a word to his friends or his wife and slipped out to sea, bound for the Virginia Capes. There he captured a few vessels.

The first of these were only plundered, but the last ship named the Turbes was burned. From then on every Barbadian ship taken by him was burned, as if he wanted leave his mark.

Bonnet captured more prizes off the New England Coast and returned to the south. Meanwhile however, the crew, were slowly becoming hostile because of Bonnet’s inexperience. During this time of increasing hostilities Bonnet anchored his ship, the Revenge, in the Bay of Honduras. There he encountered the Queen Anne’s Revenge under the command of Edward Teach, nicknamed “Blackbeard”. The two pirates quickly became friends and this odd duo, consisting of a veteran and an amateur, decided to join forces.

This was a big mistake for Bonnet because when Teach became aware of Bonnet’s inexperience, he invited Bonnet aboard the Queen Anne’s Revenge, where Bonnet became almost a prisoner.

Teach tried to convince Bonnet that he would be more comfortable in the spacious quarters of the Queen Anne’s Revenge. Teach told him that a man of his education and mannerisms, should not undergo the rigors of commanding a ship like the Revenge. Soon one of Blackbeard’s lieutenants assumed command of the Revenge. Bonnet could do little about the matter. The Revenge’s new master gained the crew’s confidence quickly stifled any threat of mutiny by imposing stern discipline.

Bonnet eventually convinced Blackbeard to allow him to assume command of the Revenge again. The two parted company soon after that.

Bonnet sailed his ship to the town of Bath and turned himself in to the Governor of North Carolina, Charles Eden, as a reformed pirate. Despite this act however Bonnet still had a yen for Piracy and resumed scouring the sea for prey until his capture at the mouth of the Cape Fear River, near a quaint little town called Southport.

A narrow road that parallels the river heading north from the town center crosses a small creek after a short distance.

Beside the creek, almost unnoticed, rests a small marker with a metal plaque bearing the following inscription:

“BONNET’S CREEK . . . Stede Bonnet, the ‘Gentleman Pirate’ used the mouth of this creek as a hide-out for his vessel, the Royal James formerly called Revenge. Here on September 26, 1718, the great Battle of the Sand Bars was fought between the pirates and the men sent to capture them under the command of Col. William Rhett aboard the Henry and Sea Nymph. After a twenty-four hour battle there were nineteen men killed, twenty-three wounded, and Bonnet, with the remains of his pirate crew, surrendered. On November 8,1718, twenty-nine pirates were hanged in Charleston, S.C.’”

A few weeks later, Gentleman Stede Bonnet holding a cluster of flowers in his manacled hands, met the same fate as his crewmembers on the gallows.

If you enjoyed this excerpt click here to read more about Miller Pope and his other books. You can purchase his books right at the website: MillerPope.com

They are running a $99 special in time for the Holidays:

The Garmin Nuvi 205W Wide Screen Navigation System is an affordable 4.3″ touch screen GPS and is preloaded with Garmin’s City Navigator for the lower 48 states, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.
Order from them and they’ll give you free Second Day Air shipping!

Click here to check it out!

3 Days 2 Nights with breakfast each day, champagne, dinner and a night of dancing and fun at Sharky’s at The Winds Resort Beach Club on Ocean Isle Beach NC – $197 New Year’s Package For Two at The Winds Resort Beach Club!

A Fun, Affordable New Year’s At The Beach

This year do something different – come to our island resort for a fun, affordable New Year’s!

To book your New Year’s Package at The Winds call our Reservations Desk at 800.334.3581 or click here to email us.

Package A)

$197 for two people:

• 3 Days 2 Nights Accommodations in an Island View Camillia Guest Room with private bath, cable TV, two beds, either doubles or queens, wet bar with microwave, coffee maker and refrigerator, wireless high-speed Internet, sitting area and an island view deck or balcony.
• Hot Southern breakfast buffet
• Champagne for a private toast (In your room or in our oceanfront jacuzzi spa)
• Dinner For Two at nearby Sharky’s Waterfront Restaurant or Cinelli’s Italian Restaurant (both overlook the intra-coastal waterway). Includes: Two Entrees (any menu item), Four Glasses of House Wine, Salad, Dessert, Non-alcoholic Beverages.
• Use of complimentary bikes.
• Extra Nights Available for just $61.00

Package B)

$226 for two people:

• 3 Days 2 Nights  accommodations in an Oceanfront Jasmine Guest Room with one king bed, a wet bar with microwave and refrigerator, sitting area and an oceanfront deck.
• Hot Southern Breakfast Buffet
• Champagne for a private toast (In your room or in our oceanfront jacuzzi spa)
• Dinner For Two at nearby Sharky’s Waterfront Restaurant or Cinelli’s Italian Restaurant (both overlook the intra-coastal waterway). Includes: Two Entrees (any menu item), Four Glasses of House Wine, Salad, Dessert, Non-alcoholic Beverages.
• Use Of Complimentary Bikes.
• Extra Nights Available for just $74.50

To book your New Year’s Package at The Winds call our Reservations Desk at 800.334.3581 or click here to email us.

These two World War II casualty wrecks lay on a flat sand bottom 36 miles due south of the Little River, South Carolina Sea Buoy in 105 feet of water. The St. Cathan was a British armed trawler assigned to allied convoy duty, and the Hebe was a Dutch freighter loaded with bottled beer and insecticide from South America assigned to the St. Cathan’s convoy. They sank less than a mile apart after colliding one dark night. At the time they were running with lights doused trying to avoid a German U-boat attack. Forty of the St. Cathan’s forty-five crew died that night while Hebe’s crew was saved.

Today the two wrecks offer superb diving. At times there will be moderate to strong current running over both wrecks but the visibility is usually good to very, very good. Spear fisherman and photographers will find an over abundance of potential targets, and the artifact hunters should bring a good sized collecting bag and a lift bag. The Hebe is often referred to by local divers as the “Bottle Wreck” because of the thousands of beer and insecticide bottles found there.

The Ocean Aire Market (IGA) on the Ocean Isle Beach Causeway is cooking full Thanksgiving dinners with all the trimmings.

Be sure to place your order by November 22 at 910-579-1229!

Choices are as follows:

Oven Roasted Turkey – $69.99

• (12 – 14 lbs) Oven Roasted Turkey
• 2 lbs of Homemade Dressing
• 2 lbs of Green Bean Casserole
• 1 lb Pan of Turkey Gravey
• 1 lb Cranberry Sauce
• 1 Dozen Dinner Rolls

Oven Roasted Turkey Breast – $59.99

• (7 lbs average) Oven Roasted Turkey Breast
• 2 lbs of Homemade Dressing
• 2 lbs of Green Bean Casserole
• 1 lb Pan of Turkey Gravey
• 1 lb Cranberry Sauce
• 1 Dozen Dinner Rolls

Oven Baked Spiral Ham – $69.99

• (7 lbs average) Oven Baked Spiral Ham
• 2 lbs Sweet Potato Casserole
• 2 lbs of Green Bean Casserole
• 8 oz Honey Mustard Sauce
• 1 Dozen Dinner Rolls

Deep Fried Southern Style Turkey in Peanut Oil – $76.99

• (12 – 14 lbs) Deep Fried Turkey
• 2 lbs of Homemade Dressing
• 2 lbs of Green Bean Casserole
• 1 lb Pan of Turkey Gravey
• 1 lb Cranberry Sauce
• 1 Dozen Dinner Rolls

Contact The Ocean Aire Market by November 22 to place your order!

The Ocean Aire Market – IGA
107 Causeway Drive, Suite #8
Ocean Isle Beach, NC 28469 (Map)
910-579-1229