Fort Caswell was under construction from 1826 until 1836. The remainder of the fort, seven long cement batteries, along with barracks and officer’s quarters, a hospital/morgue, bakery, horse barn, firehouse & prison, were built around the turn of the century.
This area was an important settlement and attracted everyone frominternationaltravelers to pirates.
Because of the lack of adequate defenses in this area, in 1825 Congress authorized the construction of a fort on Oak Island. The fort was an outstanding engineering accomplishment, one of the strongest in the world. It was a pentagonal structure with a two-story citadel and surrounded by a dry moat and a wet moat. It was named in 1833 for the first Governor of NC, elected by the General Assembly, and Revolutionary hero, Richard Caswell.
During the Civil War, 1861-1865, many soldiers died here from yellow fever, small pox, and other diseases. However, there was never a life lost to enemy fire at Ft. Caswell, even though the fort changed hands four times during the War.
After World War I, the world was thought to be at peace for good and in 1923 the Coast Artillery abandoned Fort Caswell. One reason for its abandonment was its isolation. Until 1928, there was no road to Oak Island. The only means of approach was by water.
During World War II, Fort Caswell served as an army base and submarine lookout post. Once more the fort helped protect the North Carolina coast and the port of Wilmington during a military crisis.
During the Persian Gulf War, again we played a vital part in the defense of our country. We housed 165 military personnel who worked at a nearby ocean terminal loading ships going to the Gulf. After the war, we housed military personnel while they unloaded ships. The same was true during the Haitian war.
Today, the N.C. Baptist Assembly at Fort Caswell is a religious retreat and conference center
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