Are There Still Civil War-era Munitions Under the Road That Splits Fort Fisher?-- Part 1

From the June 8th Wilmington (NC) Star News "My Reporter" column.

Reader Thomas Kemp wanted to know if there were still 65,000 to 70,000 pounds of Civil War-era munitions under the road in a tunnel.

Becky Sawyer, Fort Fisher State Historic Site interpreter says she never heard of that much under US-421, which cuts through several of the mounds. However, she is sure there are still buried munitions at the fort, but it would be impossible to say how much.

Of course, besides the huge Union Naval bombardments at both attacks on Fisher, there were Confederate shells at the fort. Plus, it was used during World War II, so there are likely munitions from that era on the fort grounds. Besides the mounds removed for the construction of US-421, other mounds were removed for an airfield where the visitors center and parking lot sit today.

Mr. Kemp was probably thinking of the huge Confederate ammunition bunker that was east of the road, and currently in the Atlantic Ocean.

Watch Where You Walk. --Old B-Runner