Brunswick Plantation & Golf Resort is one of the best places to retire…Simply…it’s the best in coastal Carolina living. In the best of Southern Tradition, names are handed down through families, both for people and places, as a way to commemorate past events, ancestors, and former places important in people’s lives. Naming gives communities and neighborhoods identity and reflects a lifestyle.
The name Brunswick was meant to honor England’s King George I, who hailed from the German House of Hanover-Brunswick. From these roots we get Brunswick Town, a major pre-Revolutionary War port on North Carolina’s Cape Fear River, and Brunswick County. Brunswick Plantation and Golf Resort continues this tradition.
When it was time to name the communities and streets of Brunswick Plantation, Mason Anderson, President of Caw Caw Land Corporation, asked his wife, Ann, for assistance. She researched interesting plantation names throughout the South and as far down as Louisiana, as well as other interesting places and came up with appropriate designations for our community.
In our Custom Area, North and South Middleton Drive winds its way in a great loop through the Plantation. It is named for Middleton Place northwest of Charleston SC which was built around 1675 by Henry Middleton. Union troops occupied the Plantation in 1865 and burned the main house and northern wing beyond repair.
Dunleith Drive is named for Dunleith Plantation. The original mansion was built in the late 1700’s. The original owners died, leaving the property to their daughter, Mary, 15 years old and already a widow. She married Charles Dalgren who became a Confederate Brig Gen in the Civil War. The original home was struck by lightning and burned in 1855.
Stanton Hall was named for Stanton Hall in Natchez Mississippi. Built in 1858 by Frederick Stanton as his dream home on an existing city block which cost about $1,550. Stanton lived only one month after the house was finished.
Beauvoir Drive is named for the retirement home and Presidential Library of Jefferson Davis. The house and library were badly damaged and other buildings destroyed in Hurricane Katrina.
The Beaufort area was named for Beaufort NC known as “Fish Town” in the early 1700’s when Blackbeard traveled the coast. It is located on the site of the former Coree Indian village. It was established as a seaport town in 1722.
During the American Revolution it was the largest port in North Carolina. Pirates had been roaming the Atlantic coast for years with bases in the Bahamas. Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, was one of the most infamous and he periodically used the Beaufort harbor as a place of rest and resupply. His ship, the Queen Anne’s Revenge, was discovered in 1996, and artifacts from the shipwreck are currently being brought up from the sea floor and will be shown at the NC Maritime Museum in Beaufort.
Charleston Place and Charleston Place West were both named for the city of Charleston, the second largest city in South Carolina. It was originally called Charles Towne for King Charles II and was originally established in 1670. Charleston is known as The Holy City due to the prominence of churches on the low-rise cityscape.
Charleston was a focal point during the American Revolution and suffered several sieges, including America’s greatest defeat in the war. After Lincoln was elected, South Carolina voted to secede from the Union. On Jan. 9 1861, Citadel cadets opened fire on the Union ship “Star of the West” entering Charleston’s harbor. After a 34-hour bombardment, the fort was surrendered, thus starting the Civil War.
One of the areas in Charleston Place is Rosalie Court. In 1716 the French built a fort on the bluffs in Natchez. It was named Rosalie in honor of the Duchess of Ponchartrain. In 1820 Peter Little, a native of Pennsylvania, purchased a portion of that land on which to build his home. He decided to keep the name Rosalie to honor the fort and its settlers.
Charleston Place West has an interesting street. Ravennaside Dr was named for Ravennaside in Natchez Mississippi. Natchez was the birthplace of the Natchez Trace Parkway (450 miles long). The Natchez Trace was a main route between Mississippi and Tennessee for early settlers in the South.
Also in Charleston Place West is Monmouth Drive, named for Monmouth in Natchez Mississippi. John Hankson and his wife named Monmouth for his former home in Monmouth Co NJ. The property was sold in 1825 at public auction for $11,000. It was restored in 1978 and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Edenton area gets its name from Edenton NC. The Edenton Tea Party was one of the earliest organized women’s political actions in United States history. Fifty-one women organized to form an alliance supporting the American cause against “taxation without representation.” They resolved not to drink tea or wear any goods from England. The name Edenton was in honor of Governor Charles Eden.
The Georgetown Square area was named for Georgetown SC, the third oldest city in SC. Some historians claim American history began in 1526 when settled by the Spanish with African slaves. The colony failed. Survivors built a boat and sailed to the Spice Islands in Maritime Southeast Asia. Present Georgetown began in 1721 when residents were granted a petition for a new parish, Prince George, Winyah.
Nottoway Ave in Georgetown Square has several connections in the South. Nottoway is the South’s largest remaining antebellum mansion, and lies between Baton Rouge and New Orleans LA. It was completed in 1859 for the Randolph family who had 11 children. One was Cornelia who wrote in her diary “the White Castle of Louisiana.” It is now a luxury Bed and Breakfast.
Nottoway also was the name of an Indian tribe and a river, both located on the border of Virginia and NC.
Our newest area, The Hamptons, was named for Hampton Plantation in McClellanville SC. Wade Hampton III was known for his achievements in the American Civil War. The Plantation was probably named after Hampton House in Hampton-on-the-Thames, England.
One famous visitor to Hampton Plantation was General Francis Marion, the Revolutionary War hero. Called the “Swamp Fox,” he was famous for his guerrilla war tactics against the British.
The Moultrie area was named for General William Moultrie, the Revolutionary war hero. Fort Moultrie was named for him and was named following the successful defense of Charleston in the Revolutionary War.
Savannah Greens and Savannah Greens West were named for Savannah GA. On Feb 12 1733 Gen James Oglethorpe and his settlers landed and established the city of Savannah. The city was named for the Savannah River. One theory is that the name came from the Shawnee Indians who migrated to the river in the 1680’s. The English name “savenne” means a tropical grassland.
Chatham Court in Savannah Greens derives its name from Chatham Plantation in Stafford Co VA overlooking Fredericksburg. From 1862-1864 it became, in turn, an army headquarters, a communications center, a hospital, a campsite, and a refuge from the cold for Union soldiers.
The property for Smithfield was purchased from the Smith family who made the sale contingent on that section being named for their family. The original homeplace is located on No. 5 School Rd on property that abuts the rear of Smithfield. Smithfield follows the theme, as there is a Smithfield NC.
As you can see, history and tradition are alive and well in this corner of paradise.
This entry was posted in Brunswick Plantation Vision Series and tagged active community, Best Places to Retire, Brunswick lifestyle, Brunswick Plantation, calabash, Coastal Living, condo at the beach, Energy Star, gated community, Golf Resort, Historic events, how to choose a place to retire, north carolina, Southern Living, waterfront homes. Bookmark the permalink.