State

PLACES YOU CAN VISIT: Sugar loaf sand dune at Carolina Beach State Park rises 60 feet from the banks of the Cape Fear River (Photos by Frank O'Brien) The Other Sand Dune For 300 years history swirled around Sugar loaf: now come the vacation vis¬ itors. By FKA\K O’BRIEN Sugar Loaf. North Carolina's "other" sand dune, is alive and well on the banks of the lower Cape Fear River, al¬ beit clearly overshadowed by its famous counterpart. Jockey's Ridge at Nags Head. Nevertheless. Sugar Loaf is legen¬ dary in the history of the lower North Carolina coast, spanning more than 300 years. And it has a well-assured future, since coming under the jurisdiction of the state parks system. Sugar Loaf rises 60 feet in steep and sandy splendor as one of the unique fea¬ tures of Carolina Beach State Park. It is accessible by foot trail, in easy walk¬ ing distance from the park's marina- headquarters. The park is 337 acres of several different natural areas, such as salt marshes, bogs, swamps, rainwater ponds, and sandhills. Along with insec¬ tivorous plants, including the Venus’s Flytrap. Sugar Loaf sand dune is regarded as a special natural feature, Carolina Beach State Park is just north of the Carolina Beach town limits on US Highway 421. and about 18 miles south of Wilmington on US 421. Because of its height, well above ad- THE STATE. MAY 1987 jaccnt marshes and lowlands. Sugar Loaf was an obvious landmark and gathering site from earliest times. A 60-foot sand bluff climbing from the water’s edge has offered many possibil¬ ities over the centuries, and in that role. Sugar Loaf more than obliged all who came that way. Until the mid-!600s. Sugar Loaf was an Indian habitation, then came Euro¬ peans with attempts to settle and colo¬ nize. It was during this period that Wil¬ liam Hilton from Barbados explored and mapped this area, and gave Sugar Loaf its name. He chose the name be¬ cause the high sand dune resembled a conical mass of crystallized sugar. Hilton's efforts to establish a settle¬ ment were abandoned after two years, in 1665. because of continuing Indian hostility and lack of support from his backers in Barbados. Sugar Loaf returned to an Indian wilderness. The Battle Of Sugar Loaf About 50 years later, successful set¬ tlements were established when colonists, with the help of slaves and friendly Indians from South Carolina. broke the threat and power of the Cape Fear Indians in a series of battles over a four-year span. The wars culminated in a final show¬ down between "King" Roger Moore and the Cape Fear Indians in the 1725 "Battle of Sugar Loaf." Sugar Loaf was directly across the Cape Fear River from Moore's property, which included the early structure known today as Or¬ ton Plantation. Sugar Loaf remained a focal point with the setting up of a ferry to Bruns¬ wick Town, near Orton. This became a link in a well-traveled route between Wilmington, upriver from Sugar Loaf, and points in South Carolina. It was known as the King's Road, for "King" Roger Moore. Today, it is US Highway 17. and it runs 20 miles west of Sugar Loaf and the river, but it is still known as the King's Highway. Sugar Loafs next major drama was the Civil War. During the Wir Between the Stales. Sugar Loaf was a strategic defensive point for nearby Fort Fisher and the overall Wilmington complex. It was a site for a mobile battery of field guns, with a force of 1.300 men. Also, its location and high elevation made Sugar Loaf important as a lookout point and navigational aid for Confederate (Continued on page 59) The view from alop Sugar loal sand dune at Caro¬ lina Beach Slate Park covers a broad eipanse ol the Cepe Fear River. Tree line marks summit ol Sugar loal sand dune at Carolina Beach State Park. Sugar loal has been a part ol Lower Cape Fear history lor 300 years 7