The gaiety of colonial social life will give way to the clamor for war at Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site Feb. 19-21. The site will recall the 1765 passage of the Stamp Act by the British Parliament and the Stamp Act Resistance, the first successful armed rebellion against British authority in America. The act was the final straw in a string of injustices imposed on colonists by British rule.
An evening of food, fun and dance Friday, Feb. 19, 6 p.m. will be followed Feb. 20 -21 by daylong debate, artillery demonstrations and exhibit of period documents throughout the weekend.
The Feb. 19 "Dancing in Defiance" program will offer a glimpse of social life in the once-thriving port city. Visitors can learn the graceful steps of the minuet with the group Masonboro Parlor. One-of-a-kind nighttime lantern tours will complete the evening and be capped with cannon fire. Advance tickets are $5 for a fun evening of hors d'oeurves and drinks and are $10 at the door.
The unrest of the winter of 1766 will be captured Feb. 20-21, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., as colonists debate how the Stamp Act would affect their life. Historic interpreters will demonstrate period trades and consider the act's impact. Visitors can learn about the blacksmith's trade, see a working kiln as was used to build naval stores or talk to a period sailor. Musket and artillery demonstrations will continue during the day.
Original documents related to the Stamp Act Rebellion will be on loan for a rare visit from the State Archives that weekend, including articles from 1765 in the "North Carolina Gazette" and 1766 in the "London Chronicle" and a document signed by all the North Carolina signers of the Declaration of Independence.
A special evening interactive tour Feb. 20 will reflect the events of the Stamp Act Resistance. Tours will depart at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday events are free, but donations are appreciated. Ward Black Law is sponsor of the weekend events.
The goal of Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site is to preserve and interpret the history of Brunswick Town, the Cape Fear region's first permanent settlement, and Fort Anderson, the Civil War fortification built at the site. It is located at 8884 St. Phillip's Road SE, Winnabow and part of the Division of State Historic Sites of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.