THE LIBRARY OF THE

UNIVERSITY OF

NORTH CAROLINA

AT CHAPEL HILL

THE COLLECTION OF
NORTH CAROLINIANA

PRESENTED BY

National Park Service

C970.33
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FOR USE ONLY IN
THE NORTH CAROLINA COLLECTION

Form No. A-368, Rev. 8/95

Moores Creek

National Battlefield

Administrative History

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Moores Creek National Battlefield
An Administrative History

June 1999

Michael A. Capps
Steven A. Davis

Cultural Resources Stewardship

Southeast Regional Office

National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

Atlanta, Georgia

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Foreword

We are pleased to make available this administrative history, part of our ongoing effort to provide
a comprehensive account of the development of each National Park Service unit in the Southeast
Region. The original draft of this report was researched and written in 1 994 by Michael Capps,
then a historian in the Southeast Regional Office. The draft was revised and updated in 1998 by
Steven Davis, historian with Cultural Resources Stewardship, Southeast Regional Office. Project
supervision was provided by John Barrett, chief of planning and compliance for Cultural Resources
Stewardship. Many other individuals and institutions contributed to the completion of this work.
We would particularly like to thank Moores Creek National Battlefield Superintendent Ann Childress,
former Superintendents John Stockert and Robert Davidson, Administrative Officer Hattie Squires,
National Park Service Bureau Historian Barry Mackintosh, and Professor Lary Dilsaver of the
University of South Alabama for their assistance. We hope that this administrative history will
prove valuable to park managers and others in understanding the past development of Moores
Creek National Battlefield and in planning future activities.

Kirk A. Cordell

Chief, Cultural Resources Stewardship

Southeast Regional Office

June 1999

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Chapter One

The Battle of Moores Creek Bridge 3

European Settlement of North Carolina 3

The American Revolution Comes to North Carolina 3

The First British Campaign to Secure the Southern Colonies 4

The Battle of Moores Creek Bridge 5

The Aftermath and Significance of the Battle 6

The Legend of Mary Slocumb's Ride 6

Chapter Two

Preservation and Development of the Moores Creek Battleground Prior to

National Park Service Control 9

Post-Battle Period, 1776-1897 9

The Moores Creek Monumental Association, 1897-1926 9

The Establishment of Moores Creek National Military Park 12

War Department Administration, 1926-1933 13

Chapter Three

Planning and Development at Moores Creek 17

Early Park Development, 1933-1956 17

Mission 66 at Moores Creek, 1956-1969 23

Development under Master and Development Concept Plans,

1969-1998 26

Chapter Four

Interpretation and Visitor Services 37

Early Interpretive Efforts 37

The Impact of Mission 66 on Interpretation 38

New Interpretive Directions After Mission 66 39

Interpretive Planning 39

The American Revolution Bicentennial 40

Living Flistory 40

Environmental Education 40

New Interpretive Programs and Facilities 42

viii Moores Creek National Battlefield: An Administrative History

Chapter Five

Resources Management and Protection at Moores Creek 45

Cultural Resources Management 45

Natural Resources Management 49

Law Enforcement 50

Conclusion 55

Appendix One

A Chronology for Moores Creek NMP/NB 57

Appendix Two

Moores Creek NMP/NB Superintendents 67

Appendix Three

Moores Creek NMP/NB Annual Visitation Statistics 69

Appendix Four

Acts and Resolutions of the North Carolina General Assembly 71

Appendix Five

Federal Legislation 73

Bibliography 77

Index 81

List of Figures

Figure 1. A map of the Moores Creek campaign, February 1776 4

Figure 2. Bill Ballard's drawing of the decisive moment during the Battle

of Moores Creek Bridge 5

Figure 3. A gathering of the MCMA in front of the Heroic Women

Monument, circa 1910 10

Figure 4. A map of the Moores Creek battlefield in 1925 11

Figure 5. The War Department Monument, 1938 14

Figure 6. The reconstructed bridge, 1938 14

Figure 7. The entrance to Moores Creek National Military Park, 1938 18

Figure 8. The temporary office, large pavilion, and covered well, 1936 19

Figure 9. The superintendent's residence during the 1945 flood 22

Figure 10. A 1972 map of Moores Creek showing the Mission 66 layout 23

Figure 11. The Mission 66 visitor center at Moores Creek 24

Figure 12. A map from the 1972 DCP showing the proposed changes

to the park's layout 27

Figure 13. A map showing boundary changes at Moores Creek between

1897 and 1997 29

Figure 14. The completed bridge reconstruction, 1992 30

Figure 15. The temporary museum at Moores Creek, circa 1950 38

Figure 16. Military living history reenactors at Moores Creek, 1998 41

Figure 17. An archeological investigation at Moores Creek during the 1970s 47

x Moores Creek National Battlefield: An Administrative History

Figure 18. Circa 1935 view of the Heroic Women Monument 49

Figure 19. Visitation trends at Moores Creek, 1936-1998 70

Figure Credits

Cover: Moores Creek National Battlefield park files; Figure 1: Charles E. Hatch, Jr., The Battle of
Moores Creek Bridge (Washington: National Park Service, 1969); Figure 2: Russell A. Gibbs, A
History of Moores Creek National Military Park (National Park Service, 1965); Figure 3: Gibbs, A
History of Moores Creek National Military Park; Figure 4: Steven Davis and David Hasty for the
National Park Service; Figure 5: park files; Figure 6: Gibbs, A History of Moores Creek National
Military Park; Figure 7: park files; Figure 8: park files; Figure 9: Gibbs, A History of Moores Creek
National Military Park; Figure 10: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Develop-
ment Concept Plan, Moores Creek National Military Park (Washington: National Park Service, 1972);
Figure 11: Gibbs, A History of Moores Creek National Military Park; Figure 12: National Park Ser-
vice, Development Concept Plan; Figure 13: Steven Davis and David Hasty for the National Park
Service; Figure 14: park files; Figure 15: park files; Figure 16: park files; Figure 17: park files;
Figure 18: park files; and Figure 19: Steven Davis for the National Park Service.

INTRODUCTION

On the morning of February 27, 1 776, Patriot militia at Moores Creek Bridge defeated a Loyalist
army marching to rendezvous with a British force on the North Carolina coast. This early Patriot
victory during the American Revolution helped delay a full-scale British invasion of the southern
colonies for several years. Commemorative efforts at the site of this batde began in 1856 with the
drive to erect a monument. Forty years later, the property was preserved as a historical site by the
state through the Moores Creek Monumental Association, a private organization. The federal
government took over the site as a national park operated by the War Department in 1926; the
National Park Service began managing the batdefield in 1933. For over a century, Moores Creek
National Battlefield has evolved as a historical site preserving and interpreting the 1776 battie.
Major themes in the battiefield's management history include the upgrading of facilities as visitation
increased, the gradual transition of the site from a commemorative park to a historical landscape,
and the change in emphasis from recreational to educational use.

Today, the National Park Service continues to manage Moores Creek National Battlefield as a
historical site, encompassing 87.75 acres in rural Pender County, North Carolina. An average of
sixty-two thousand people visit the battlefield each year to learn about the Batde of Moores Creek
Bridge and life in colonial North Carolina. In order to preserve and interpret that history, the
National Park Service maintains a visitor center and museum, two interpretive trails, a reconstructed
bridge, traces of a historic causeway and earthworks, six monuments, and nine archeological features.
Efforts are underway to restore the batdefield landscape to its 1776 appearance.

This administrative history traces the development and management of Moores Creek National
Batdefield from the time of the 1776 batde to the present, especially the years of National Park
Service administration. Chapter One provides background on the Batde of Moores Creek Bridge
and its significance. Chapter Two details the creation and management of the historical site at the
batdeground prior to the 1933 transfer of the property to the National Park Service. Chapter
Three chronicles the planning and physical development of Moores Creek National Battlefield
between 1933 and the present. Chapter Four covers visitor services, especially the park's
interpretation of the site to the public. Chapter Five looks at the park's efforts to preserve and
protect its resources and includes sections on cultural resources, natural resources, and law
enforcement. The five appendices provide a chronology for Moores Creek National Batdefield, a
list of superintendents, annual visitation statistics, a list of relevant state legislation, and copies of
relevant federal legislation. Lastiy, a bibliography and an index are included.

CHAPTER ONE

THE BATTLE OF MOORES CREEK BRIDGE

European Settlement of North Carolina

After numerous failed attempts by Europeans to colonize North Carolina in the first half of the
seventeenth century, English settlers moving south from Virginia finally established a firm foothold
during the 1650s. Setdement of the Lower Cape Fear region began with Brunswick in 1727 and
Wilmington in 1740. Originally part of one colony with South Carolina, North Carolina became a
separate royal colony in 1729. By 1775, its population was estimated to be 265,000 whites and
80,000 blacks, mostly slaves. During this period, Scotch Irish, German, Scottish Highlander, Welsh,
and English settlers began moving from the coastal areas to the interior of the colony. 1

The American Revolution Comes to North Carolina

As the economic and political controversy between King George III of Great Britain and the
thirteen British colonies in North American gave way to open rebellion, North Carolina became a
colony of divided loyalties. The royal assembly, which was popularly elected, opposed Royal
Governor Josiah Martin. Yet many people could not bring themselves to actually fight against the
mother country. North Carolinians were generally split among three groups — those who remained
loyal to King George and Great Britain, those who supported rebellion, and those who stayed out
of the controversy altogether. King George's supporters were known as Loyalists or Tories and
included many Scottish Highlanders. Called Patriots, Whigs, or Rebels, supporters of independence
from Great Britain were increasingly prepared to act by the mid-1 770s. 2

Tensions between Martin and the royal assembly boiled over in 1774 when the governor refused
to call the assembly into session. In response, mass meetings were held and a provincial assembly
was established independent of the governor. During its 1774 and 1775 sessions, this provincial
assembly elected delegates to the two Continental Congresses and generally supported the growing
sentiments of rebellion. By June 1775, Martin had dismissed the royal assembly, unsuccessfully
sought British troops, and abandoned North Carolina's colonial capital of New Bern. After a brief
stay at Fort Johnson on the Cape Fear River, he went into exile on a British naval vessel off the
coast. 3

Moores Creek National Battlefield: An Administrative History

The First British Campaign to Secure the Southern Colonies

Though in exile off the coast of North Carolina, Martin lobbied British authorities for support in
regaining control of the colony. His lobbying paid off. After initial battles at Lexington, Concord,
and Bunker Hill, British commanders were preparing for a major offensive in the northern colonies.
However, they believed that a quick campaign in the Carolinas prior to such an offensive could
rally Loyalists and subdue the rebellion in the southern colonies. The campaign plan called for
British troops from New York under Sir Henry Clinton to rendezvous off the North Carolina coast
with additional forces under Lord Charles Cornwallis sailing from Cork, Ireland, under the protection
of Sir Peter Parker's fleet. In the meantime, a Loyalist army from the interior of the colony would
march to meet the British forces off the coast by late February 1776. The combined force would
then regain control of North Carolina before heading to the primary target of Charleston, South
Carolina. 4

Martin's planned Loyalist militia mobilized as a force of sixteen hundred Scottish Highlanders
at the settlement of Cross Creek in the interior of North Carolina. Commanded by Brigadier General
Donald MacDonald and Lieutenant Colonel Donald McLeod, the Loyalist militia began the march
to the coast on February 18, 1776, with only five hundred muskets. The Loyalists planned to
advance along the southwest side of the Cape Fear River to the coast, link up with the British
troops arriving by sea, and retake the colony. In the meantime, the Patriots had established several
militia groups, while the Continental Congress had authorized two regiments of the Continental
Line. Colonel Richard Caswell of the militia and Colonel James Moore of the First North Carolina
Continentals planned to intercept the Loyalists before they reached the coast. On February 25, a
force of 1 50 Wilmington militiamen under Colonel Alexander Lillington arrived at the bridge where

Figure 1. A map of the Moores Creek campaign, February 1776

Chapter One: The Battle of Moores Creek Bridge

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Figure 2. Bill Ballard's drawing of the decisive moment during the Battle of Moores Creek Bridge

the Negro Head Point Road crossed Widow Moore's Creek, a creek named after an early settler in
the area and subsequently known as Moores Creek. Beating the Loyalists to the bridge, Lillington
established earthworks on the east side of the creek. Caswell arrived at Moores Creek Bridge on
the following day with an additional eight hundred militiamen and established earthworks on the
west side of the creek. After learning of the Patriot force at Moores Creek Bridge, the Loyalists
prepared for batde. 5

The Battle of Moores Creek Bridge

The Loyalists began a six-mile march to Moores Creek Bridge at one o'clock on the morning of
February 27. Just before dawn, they discovered abandoned earthworks on the west side of the
creek — Caswell had moved his militiamen to Lillington's earthworks on the east side. In addition,
the Patriots had removed planks from the bridge and greased the stringers. McLeod decided to
send Captain John Campbell's Scottish Highlanders on a broadsword charge across the remains of
the bridge. To the sounds of bagpipes, drums, and the cry "King George and broad swords," the
Highlanders reached the other side of the creek. Concealed behind Lillington's earthworks with
two cannon, known as "Old Mother Covington and her daughter," the Patriots opened fire on the
Highlanders with deadly consequences. The charge quickly fell apart as Loyalists began retreating
in panic, some drowning in Moores Creek. Around thirty Loyalists were killed and forty were
wounded during the brief engagement. Far more damaging to Great Britain's southern plan was
the capture of 850 Loyalists in the days following the battle. The lopsided Patriot victory came
with only two militiamen wounded, including the mortally wounded John Grady. 6

Moores Creek National Battlefield: An Administrative History

The Aftermath and Significance of the Battle

Although the Loyalist militia was effectively routed at Moores Creek Bridge, the British naval and
land forces commanded by Clinton, Parker, and Cornwallis rendezvoused off the North Carolina
coast between March and May 1776. Leaving the colony to the Patriots, the British fleet attempted
to capture Charleston but withdrew to the colony of New York after being turned back by Patriot
militia on Sullivan's Island at the entrance to the city's harbor. The British failure to secure the
Carolinas in 1776 left the southern colonies under Patriot control for several years. During this
time, peace in the region was interrupted by the 1776-1777 Cherokee War, the 1778 British capture
of Savannah in Georgia, and the unsuccessful 1 779 attempt by Patriot and French forces to retake
Savannah. However, it was not until 1 780 that Great Britain would mount a full-scale campaign to
subdue the southern colonies. Beginning with the successful siege of Charleston, this campaign
ultimately led to the 1781 British surrender at Yorktown, following major battles at Camden,
Kings Mountain, Cowpens, Guilford Courthouse, and Eutaw Springs. 7

Though the Battle of Moores Creek Bridge was a relatively minor engagement, it influenced
the course of the American Revolution in significant ways. The Patriot victories at Moores Creek
Bridge and Sullivan's Island ended British hopes of easily quelling the rebellion in the southern
colonies. In North Carolina, the battle strengthened the Patriot position by reducing organized
Loyalist opposition. Perhaps most important, this early victory provided a needed boost to Patriot
morale. The battle was to the southern colonies what Lexington had been for the northern colonies.
Emboldened by the victory at Moores Creek Bridge, North Carolina's provincial assembly approved
the Halifax Resolve, which instructed the colony's delegates to the Continental Congress to vote
for independence from Great Britain. 8

The Legend of Mary Slocumb's Ride

Strongly associated with the Battle of Moores Creek Bridge is the legend of Mary Slocumb's ride.
According to this story, Mary dreamed that Ezekiel, her Patriot husband, had been wounded in a
battle. After awaking, she rode a horse for sixty miles at night to arrive as the Battle of Moores
Creek Bridge was ending. Mary discovered that Ezekiel was safe and nursed wounded Patriots
before returning to her home the following night. The legend was apparently first recorded by
Elizabeth Ellet in her 1 848 Women of the American Revolution and her 1 850 Domestic History of the
American Revolution. John H. Wheeler included the tale in his 1851 Historical S ketches of North Carolina
from 1584 to 1851. Although Mary and Ezekiel Slocumb were actual persons, the specific events of
the legend have since been discredited. 9

Notes

1 Russell A. Gibbs, A History of Moores Creek National Military Park (National Park Service, 1 965) , 5.

2 Charles E. Hatch, Jr., The Battle of Moores Creek Bridge (Washington: National Park Service, 1 969), 1 -1 1 .

Chapter One: The Battle of Moores Creek Bridge 7

3 Ibid.

4 John Buchanan, The Road to Guilford Courthouse: The American Revolution in the Carolinas (New York: John Wiley and Sons,
Inc., 1997), 3-4; Hatch, 11-15.

3 Hatch, 1 5-37; Elizabeth F. McKoy, Early New Hanover County Records (Wilmington, North Carolina: Elizabeth F. McKoy,
1973), 50-54.

6 Hatch, 37-47; Buchanan, 4-5.

7 Buchanan, 3-383.

8 Hatch, 47-50, 60-61.

9 S. Michael Hubbell, Mary Slocumh's Ride to the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge (National Park Service, 1962), 1-28.

CHAPTER TWO

PRESERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE MOORES
CREEK BATTLEGROUND PRIOR TO NATIONAL PARK
SERVICE CONTROL

Post-Battle Period, 1776-1897

Despite the significance of the Battle of Moores Creek Bridge, the battleground was virtually
forgotten after the Revolutionary War. In 1791, the land was granted by patent to John Jones, the
first private owner of the site. The battleground's importance remained unrecognized until the
Fayetteville Observer printed an article deploring the site's neglect in 1 856. Inspired by this article, a
group of citizens from several New Hanover County communities met at Long Creek on February
9, 1856, and planned a picnic for the eightieth anniversary of the batde. On February 27, fifteen
hundred people attended the celebration at the battleground. 1

On January 10, 1857, another group met in Wilmington and appointed committees from New
Hanover, Duplin, Lenoir, Wayne, Cumberland, Bladen, Columbus, and Brunswick Counties to
solicit funds for a monument to Grady and the other Patriots who fought at the Batde of Moores
Creek Bridge. The Patriot Monument, or Grady Monument, was initiated with the laying of a
cornerstone during the second anniversary celebration on February 27. Interest in these
commemorative efforts declined in subsequent years; the next celebration was not held until 1876
during the Revolutionary War centennial. 2

The Moores Creek Monumental Association, 1897-1926

Although commemorative efforts at the Moores Creek battleground had begun in the 1850s, four
decades passed before the site became a public park. In 1897, the State of North Carolina acquired
two tracts of land that totaled ten acres and included the traces of Lillington's earthworks on the
east side of Moores Creek. Since the state was not prepared to administer the battieground, the
Moores Creek Monumental Association (MCMA) was chartered in March 1899 as a private
organization of Pender County residents funded in part by state appropriations. 3 Sponsored by
Gibson James, a local representative in the North Carolina General Assembly, the act to create the

Moores Creek National Battlefield: An Administrative History

Figure 3. A gathering of the MCMA in front of the Heroic Women Monument, circa 1910

MCMA authorized the organization to improve the battleground, protect the site, and "do such
other things as tend to inspire among our people state and national pride and a higher appreciation
of patriotic manhood." 4

The efforts of the state and the MCMA were part of a larger atmosphere of patriotism throughout
the nation in the late nineteenth century. The centennial of the Revolutionary War during the
1870s and 1880s fueled this sentiment. In addition to numerous private efforts to mark this event
through celebrations and the erection of memorials, the U.S. Congress commissioned a study of
Revolutionary War battlefields and provided funds for eight battle monuments. In the South,
patriotism was heightened by the Lost Cause, the commemoration by white southerners of the
Confederate effort during the Civil War. 5

Within the context of patriotic commemoration, the MCMA was inspired by the efforts of the
Guilford Battle Ground Company in the state's piedmont region. This private company was chartered
in 1887 to acquire and preserve part of the Guilford Courthouse battleground as a public park.
Rather than attempt a restoration of the battleground as a historical site, the Guilford Battle Ground
Company created a commemorative park for recreational use by the residents of nearby Greensboro.
This park eventually included numerous monuments, ornamental plantings, an artificial lake, a
restaurant, and other visitor facilities. The company's development and use of the Guilford
Courthouse battleground were virtually duplicated by the MCMA on a smaller scale in eastern
North Carolina. 6

Chapter Two: Preservation and Development of the Moores Creek Battleground

At its first meeting on July 4, 1899, the MCMA elected officers and a board of directors,
including James F. Moore as president. More importantly, the association set the tone for its
development and use of the Moores Creek batdeground. The MCMA resolved to hold a celebration
at the site the following month and authorized the initial development of the park as a
commemorative and recreational area. The inaugural celebration attracted five thousand people to
the battleground, and subsequent celebrations of the battle's anniversary became the primary use
of the park during its management by the MCMA. The site was developed accordingly with
recreational facilities for the celebrations and picnics. After a residence was built at the battleground
in 1907, the association hired a caretaker to maintain and protect the site. 7

Funding for the MCMA's activities came primarily from annual state appropriations and
concession fees at the annual celebrations. Between 1900 and 1913, North Carolina senators and
congressmen introduced a total of seventeen bills in the U.S. Congress authorizing federal
appropriations for work at the batdeground. However, none of these efforts were successful. The
association did not raise funds for batdeground improvements or activities beyond the state
appropriations and concession fees. Due to limited funds available, the association did not hold
the annual celebrations during some years. 8

Figure 4. A map of the Moores Creek battlefield in 1925. The key is as follows: earthwork remains, A; the
historic road causeway, B; the Patriot Monument, C; the Heroic Women Monument, D; the Loyalist
Monument, E; the Stage Road Monument, F; the Moore Monument, G; the large pavilion, H; the small
pavilion, I; the office, J; and the keeper's residence, K.

1 2 Moores Creek National Battlefield: An Administrative History

The physical development of the Moores Creek battleground was guided by the MCMA's vision
of the site as a commemorative park for annual celebrations and other recreational uses. The ten-
acre tract was expanded in 1 907 with the purchase of twenty acres. While preserving traces of the
historic road causeway and earthworks at the site, the MCMA superimposed a formal park landscape
that included straight roads, lawns, ornamental plantings, and monuments with iron fencing. The
MCMA began erecting recreational facilities in 1 899 with the construction of a large pavilion for
use during the celebrations. However, the main period of development occurred between 1907
and 1908 with the construction of a second pavilion, two concession stands, two artesian wells, a
keeper's residence, a jail, a stable, and fencing around the park. The original pavilion burned in
1919, giving way to construction of a floored pavilion in 1922 along with two latrines and two
well gazebos. Besides these facilities, the MCMA's development of the site included additional
monuments such as the 1907 Heroic Women of the Lower Cape Fear Monument in memory of
Mary Slocumb, the 1909 Loyalist Monument, the 1911 Stage Road Monument, and the 1913
Moore Monument in memory of the association's first president. In 1909, two Civil War cannon
with carriages were donated by the U.S. Congress to the association for use at the battleground. 9

The MCMA, renamed the Moores Creek Battleground Association (MCBA) in 1915, managed
the battleground as a commemorative and recreational site for nearly three decades. By the 1 920s,
the association was pursuing federal designation of the battleground as a national military park. 10

The Establishment of Moores Creek National Military Park

At the MCBA's August 1923 meeting, U.S. Congressman Charles L. Abernethy agreed to spearhead
the effort to designate the Moores Creek battleground as a national military park. In May 1924, he
introduced a bill authorizing its establishment, but the bill saw no activity during the session. On
the battle's anniversary in 1925, the North Carolina General Assembly passed two resolutions
concerning the battleground — one calling for the creation of a national military park and the other
authorizing the donation of the site to the federal government for that purpose. With support from
the state, Abernethy again introduced the bill as House Resolution (HR) 3796 in December 1925,
while Senator Lee Slater Overman introduced companion legislation in the Senate. Supporters of
the bill received endorsements from several sources. The Army War College issued a report detailing
the Battle of Moores Creek Bridge; the reference section of the Library of Congress prepared a
similar document. A resolution in support of a national military park at Moores Creek was passed
by the North Carolina State Conference of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and
endorsed by the National Society of the DAR at a Washington meeting in April 1926. 11

HR 3796 received a public hearing before the House Military Affairs Committee on April 20
and 21, 1926. Speakers included Abernethy and a delegation of North Carolina DAR members.
Abernethy discussed the resolutions of the North Carolina General Assembly, the Army War College
report, and the resolution of the National Society of the DAR in arguing for the creation of a
national military park. DAR members testified before the committee as to the significance of the
Battle of Moores Creek Bridge. They described the battle as the South 's Lexington and compared
Mary Slocumb 's ride to that of Paul Revere. In addition to the battleground's historical significance,
arguments on behalf of the legislation reflected some of the prevailing concerns over the nation's
growing immigrant population. One DAR member stated "J feel that in this day, with the coming
of so much flotsam and jetsam from foreign countries, it is of the very highest importance to
preserve as national monuments places of such historical importance as Moores Creek battle field." 12
On May 6, the committee reported to the House with a recommendation that the bill be approved. 13

Chapter Two: Preservation and Development of the Moores Creek Battleground 1 3

With the favorable committee report, the House passed HR 3796 on May 12, 1926. The following
day, the bill was referred to the Senate Library Committee and received a recommendation for
approval. Overman directed the bill through this committee rather than the Senate Military Affairs
Committee due to concern that the latter body would be less supportive. After passage by the
Senate on May 20, HR 3796 was signed into law by President Calvin Coolidge on June 2. 14 The
State of North Carolina deeded the thirty- acre battleground to the United States on July 8, and the
War Department officially accepted responsibility for operating Moores Creek National Military
Park (NMP) on August 23. 15

Had Congress not passed the Moores Creek legislation in 1 926, the national military park may
have never been established. The number of bills for new national military parks skyrocketed
during the 1 920s due to patriotic fervor following the nation's victory in World War I, a booming
economy, and increased automobile travel. Congress was overwhelmed by the number of proposals
and the potential costs of developing and maintaining additional parks. Nine days after Coolidge
signed the Moores Creek legislation into law, Congress passed a bill commissioning the War
Department to study the significance of the nation's battlegrounds and recommend appropriate
strategies for commemoration. Conducted from 1926 to 1932 with periodic reports to Congress,
the study classified the battlegrounds into three categories. Class I battlefields were deemed worthy
of national military park status; Class IIA battlefields required extensive interpretive marker schemes;
and Class IIB battlefields required a single tablet, marker, or monument on a tract of minimal size.
Although the War Department classified Moores Creek as a Class IIB battlefield, a park at the
battleground site had already been authorized by Congress. 16

Moores Creek became the ninth federal battlefield park created by Congress. The legislation
passed during a fiscally conservative time when Congress felt overwhelmed by numerous proposals
for national military parks, including ones commemorating battles arguably more significant than
Moores Creek. Congress approved the legislation for Moores Creek while rejecting other proposals
for several reasons. First, the state and the MCMA had already developed the battleground as a
park. Second, the battleground was a small site that required minimal maintenance costs. Third,
the state agreed to donate the property to the federal government. Fourth, Congress passed the
legislation prior to the adoption of a systematic approach to creating national military parks. In the
end, the relatively small scale of the Moores Creek proposal seemed more reasonable to Congress
than other proposals for larger parks with greater costs. 17

War Department Administration, 1926-1933

After assuming control of Moores Creek NMP, the War Department appointed George J. Moore,
the second president of the MCBA, as superintendent. In 1 928, he received approval for a caretaker
position and hired his son, Charles P. Moore. Essentially, the staff's duties were to maintain the
orderly appearance of the grounds and assist in the coordination of occasional celebrations by the
association. These gatherings continued to be the only significant use of the park for several years
after its establishment. 18

Like the MCBA, the War Department managed Moores Creek as a commemorative park for
recreational use. No attempt was made to recreate the battle-period landscape, as staff routinely
mowed the grounds and annually burned the swamp. Areas around the monuments and along the
roads were sodded and planted with formal flowers and shrubbery. New facilities included a barn
and a stable to house the park's horse and mower. 19

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Moores Creek National Battlefield: An Administrative History

Figures 5 and 6. The War Department Monument and the reconstructed bridge, 1938

Beyond formal landscaping, the War Department's development activities at the park consisted
mainly of erecting several commemorative and interpretive structures. Perhaps the most interesting
of these additions were the graves of Mar}' and Ezeldel Slocumb at the base of the Heroic Women
Monument. In 1927, Abernefhy and the DAR's Stamp Defiance Chapter in Wilmington suggested
that the remains of the Slocumbs be relocated from Mount Olive, North Carolina, to further
commemorate Mary Slocumb 's ride. After delays due to a 1928 flood, reinterment took place in
September 1929. In addition, the War Department undertook the first significant effort to interpret
the actual events of the battle — a significant change from the MCBA's commemorative focus.
Inscribed with a text prepared by the Army War College, the Battie of Moores Creek Bridge
Monument was erected in 1931. During the same year, the battle-period bridge was reconstructed
at the historic creek crossing, although the design was based solely on conjecture rather than
authenticating research. 20

The final development action by the War Department at Moores Creek was the installation of
entrance gates in 1932. 21 On August 10, 1933, the War Department's adniinistration of the park
ended as President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Executive Orders 6166 and 6228 transferred federal
battlefields to the National Park Service (NPS) within the Department of the Interior. 22

Notes

1 Gibbs, 13-14;ClydeB. King, Moores Creek Battlefield (National Park Service, 1939), 1-2.

2 King, 2-3; "The Battle Ground," Wilmington Messenger, August 1899, Park Files, Moores Creek National Battlefield, Currie,
North Carolina.

3 King, 3; Gibbs, 42.

4 Gibbs, 42.

Chapter Two: Preservation and Development of the Moores Creek Battleground 1 5

5 Ronald F. Lee, The Origin and Evolution of the National Military Park Idea (Washington: National Park Service, 1973), 7-8;
Gaines M. Foster, Ghosts of the Confederacy: Defeat, the Lost Cause, and the Emergence of the New South (New York: Oxford
University Press, 1987), 3-8.

6 Thomas E. Baker, Redeemed from Oblivion: An Administrative History of Guilford Courthouse National Military Park. (National
Park Service, 1995), 3-9.

7 Moores Creek Monumental Association Minutes, July 4, 1 899, Park Files; Minutes, April 8, 1 899; King, 3-6; Gibbs, 1 6-23.

8 King, 3-6; Minutes, July 26, 1900; Edmund B. Rogers, compiler, History of Legislation Relating to the National Park Service
Through the 82d Congress: Moores Creek (Washington: National Park Service, 1958), Part 1, 1-5.

9 Gibbs, 17-20; King, 3-6; Minutes, July 17, 1899;July 29, 1899; April 8, 1908; July 4, 1922; Rogers, Part 1, 4;J.W. Flynn, Plan
of Moores Creek Battle Field, Drawing 324-650, Map Collection, Southeast Regional Office, National Park Service, Atlanta.

10 King, 6; Minutes, August 9, 1923.

11 Minutes, August 9, 1923; Rogers, Part I, 5-6; House Military Affairs Committee, Hearings before the Committee on Military
Affairs, House of Representatives, Sixty-ninth Congress, First Session, on HR. 3796: National Military Park at Battle Field of Moores
Creek,NC. (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1926), 1-10; Gibbs, 21-22.

12 House Military Affairs Committee, 1-10.

13 Rogers, Part I, 6.

14 Ibid.; Gibbs, 22.

15 U.S. Congress, House, Supplemental Estimates forWarDepartment,!^ Congress, 1 st Session, H.R. Document 137 (1928), 2.

16 Lee, Origin and Evolution, 38-51; Ronald F. Lee, Family Tree of the National Park System: A Chart with Accompanying Text
Designed to Illustrate the Growth of the National Park System, 1872-1972 (Philadelphia: Eastern National Park and Monument
Association, 1972), 27-30; U.S. Congress, Senate, Study of Battle Fields in the United States for Commemorative Purposes, 70 th
Congress, 2 nd Session, Senate Document Number 1 87, (1 928), 1 -4, reprinted in Rogers.

17 Lee, Family Tree, 27-30; Lee, The Origin and Evolution, 46-50.

18 Gibbs, 25.

19 Ibid., 23.

20 King, 5; Gibbs, 22-25.

21 Historical Papers and Photographs of Moores Creek, Vol. 1, 1856-1933, Park Files. The park maintains fourteen volumes of
bound materials dating from 1856 to 1977 and arranged in chronological order.

22 Rogers, Part II, 2.

CHAPTER THREE

PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT AT MOORES CREEK

Early Park Development, 1933-1956

At first, the transfer of Moores Creek NMP to the NPS brought about little change. George Moore
continued as superintendent until his retirement in 1935, while Charles Moore continued as
caretaker. Due to low attendance in 1933, the MCBA discontinued the celebrations and became
inactive for a decade. The NPS was pleased to see the celebrations end since they had no association
with the historical significance of the park and brought large crowds that damaged park resources. 1

Due to limited funding, initial NPS work at Moores Creek NMP involved minor improvements
to the grounds and drainage system. Between August 1933 and July 1935, park staff hauled silt
from the low grounds adjacent to the creek and distributed it over the area enclosed by the
earthworks. The ground was harrowed and disked to prepare a seed bed; grass was then planted in
the area using lime and fertilizer to facilitate growth. Ground that had been sterile was consequently
covered with vegetation. In addition, the park installed a drain for one ditch. A gas-powered generator
was installed in 1934 to run the water pump and generate electric power. 2

Following Moore's retirement, the regional office appointed Clyde B. King 3 superintendent and
directed him to report to Coordinating Superintendent B. Floyd Flickinger of Colonial National
Historical Park in Virginia. Flickinger was to oversee Moores Creek NMP as part of a southern
Revolutionary War group that included Guilford Courthouse NMP, Kings Mountain NMP, and
Cowpens National Battlefield Site. In April 1936, Flickinger made his first inspection tour of
Moores Creek and recommended immediate upgrades in the park's day-to-day administration,
including paperwork and record-keeping procedures. 4

Between 1936 and 1938, King initiated planning for the park's development. His vision called
for a complete reorientation of the park's layout to emphasize the historical significance of the site
over its commemorative and recreational functions. To this end, the core battleground area was to
be restored by removing intrusions such as the MCMA's buildings, roadways, formal plantings, and
fencing around the monuments. The historic appearance of this area was to be achieved by fully
reconstructing the earthworks, the historic road causeway, and a more accurate bridge. The landscape
was to be restored to its historic appearance with curvilinear trails following natural contours. New
recreational and support facilities were to be located on the periphery of the battleground. The

Moor es Creek National Battlefield: An Administrative History

v'z&y lam

• ■ •

, ■

Figure 7. The entrance to Moores Creek National Military Park, 1938

superintendent's residence across Highway 602 from the park entrance was to be replaced by a
picnic area with a parking area, an information station, restrooms, and concession stands. An area
northeast of the Heroic Women Monument was to be the support area with a superintendent's
residence, a laborer's residence, a garage and storage shed, an administrative office and museum,
and utility structures. In order to accommodate the new facilities and provide fire breaks, at least
thirty acres were to be acquired for park boundary extensions. King's general development plans
were accepted by Flickinger, the director of Region I, and the director of the NPS. 5

Like many grand ideas, King's plan lacked funding. One source that he attempted to tap was
the work programs of the New Deal. The Civilian Conservation Corps, Work Projects
Administration, Public Works Administration (PWA), and other programs undertook numerous
projects for local, state, and federal parks during the Great Depression. 6 Several times during the
1930s, NPS officials unsuccessfully sought PWA funds for the development of Moores Creek. The
main problem was the lack of technical staff at the park to prepare the plans necessary to gain
PWA assistance. Despite King's requests, his superiors were unable to provide needed technical
support. After an unsuccessful attempt for a six-year PWA project in 1938, NPS officials decided
to proceed with development plans without outside funding. 7

In the continued absence of funding for major development activities between 1936 and 1938,
King undertook modest efforts to restore the battleground landscape, improve the drainage system,
and adapt the MCMA's buildings for temporary use. Mowing of certain areas was discontinued,
and certain varieties of native trees and shrubs were planted. A number of the MCMA's drainage
ditches were eliminated; others were tiled to prevent further erosion. In some cases, new ditches
were dug to take advantage of the topography and natural drainage patterns. This work resulted in

Chapter Three: Planning and Development at Moor es Creek

a more effective system with fewer ditches. Lacking funds for new construction, the park adapted
the existing MCMA buildings for new uses. One of the concession stands became a temporary
office; another building was used to house the park's two electric generators. 8

In 1938, the regional office began paying more attention to Moores Creek, resulting in the
park's first formal master plan. Archeologist Thor Borresen visited the park in February to gather
information for the master plan. He excavated cross sections of the earthworks and determined
the original height and breadth. Profile drawings of the proposed reconstructed earthworks were
completed in May. 9 In March, the park was visited by four staff members from the regional office,
including Regional Historian Roy Edgar Appleman. He noted that the park "is undoubtedly one of
the areas under the jurisdiction of the Park Service which needs attention." While emphasizing the
need for formal planning, Appleman recommended development steps similar to King's plan,
including acquiring land west of the creek, building a nature trail along the creek with a footbridge,
placing interpretive markers on the battleground, and improving highway signs directing motorists
to the park. 10

With completion of a master plan in 1938, development at Moores Creek began in earnest.
Intrusions within the historic core of the battleground were removed, including a concessions
stand, the large pavilion, ornamental plantings, and roads. In addition, the Battle of Moores Creek
Bridge Monument and the Stage Road Monument were relocated to less conspicuous locations.
Remaining MCMA buildings were adapted for new uses. The small pavilion was enclosed and
remodeled for use as a temporary museum, and the barn was relocated as a fuel house. The stable
was remodeled for use as a picnic shelter with the surrounding grounds serving as a picnic area.

Figure 8. The temporary office, large pavilion, and covered well, 1936

20 Moores Creek National Battlefield: An Administrative History

New facilities in this area included outdoor ovens, seats, and tables built with lumber salvaged
from the large pavilion. This work marked the gradual transition of the batdeground from a
commemorative and recreational park to a historical site with some degree of integrity. The park
sought to encourage its educational use by smaller groups, especially school children. 11

Besides the above improvements, King pushed for partial restoration of the earthworks, which
had suffered damage from weathering and earlier development activities. He proposed repair of
the earthworks at points where roads had been cut through by the MCMA. The master plan had
proposed full restoration to battle-period conditions, but the park could not afford the resultant
increase in maintenance costs. King considered repair of the road cuts a feasible alternative to full
reconstruction. Regional officials agreed but wanted an archeologist to be present during the work. 12

Believing that he had full permission from regional officials, King began repair of the disturbed
sections of the earthworks in December 1939 without an archeologist present. Although successful
in reestablishing a complete line of earthworks, he was criticized for proceeding without an
archeologist. Regional officials maintained that the work actually constituted reconstruction rather
than repair. Interestingly, Borresen later concluded that no damage had been done to the
earthworks. 13

Besides the earthworks restoration project, King drew criticism for his decision to enclose the
small pavilion for use as a museum. The regional director questioned King's authority since such
plans required clearance from the regional supervisor for historic sites and the branch for plans and
design. King responded that he had acted on the understanding that building alterations for
maintenance purposes were within the authority of the park superintendent. He maintained that
adaptation of the pavilion did not constitute a new project and that his intention was only to
temporarily use the building. King assured the regional director that any plans for a permanent
structure would be conducted through proper channels. 14

Although King transferred to the Natchez Trace Parkway in January 1942, development at
Moores Creek continued to focus on ways of upgrading the park and attracting more visitors.
King's successor, Oswald E. Camp, further developed the picnic area by installing drinking fountains
enclosed within hollow cypress stumps to blend with the natural environment. Camp urged county
and state officials to improve the approach roads to the remote park for better visitor access. After
Camp enlisted the aid of the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce and the North Carolina State
Department of Archives and History, Highway 602 was widened during November 1942 in
preparation for paving. However, the project was delayed by the nation's mobilization effort during
World War II. 15

Visitation at Moores Creek NMP increased during the war when soldiers stationed at nearby
Camp Davis and workers from the Wilmington shipyards began visiting the park during off-duty
hours. On several occasions, the park was made available to soldiers for day-long outings. The first
of these occasions attracted a crowd of 650 people in June 1943. Two months later, the 225 th
Searchlight Battalion visited the park; 550 soldiers and their wives attended. In addition to
recreational outings, the park accommodated the U.S. Army during maneuvers at Burgaw. The
park provided water for the troops as well as dry grass for mattresses. Such activities continued
until Camp Davis was closed in October 1944. 16

Meanwhile, regional and park staffs devised new development plans for the park. One area of
contention was Camp's insistence on a museum. Although the park had no artifacts for display, he

Chapter Three: Planning and Development at Moores Creek 21

considered a museum to be essential for interpretive purposes. Coordinating Superintendent Jean
C. Harrington and the regional director disagreed. In their opinion, a museum was unnecessary
since the battleground itself was sufficient to tell the story. Indeed, Harrington argued that the
park did not even need to be staffed throughout the year. The regional director thought a modest
contact shelter could function as the focal point for visitors with space for a historical display,
storage of pamphlets, comfort facilities, and a public shelter. Camp disagreed and continued to
push for the museum. 17

Camp also sought to acquire additional land. Since the park lacked authority from Congress to
accept more acreage, U.S. Congressman Graham A. Barden of North Carolina introduced legislation
in 1942 calling for the park's enlargement. Endorsed by the secretary of the interior, the bill
authorized acceptance of donated property. However, the legislation stalled in Congress and did
not pass during the session. In October 1943, Barden introduced almost identical legislation, HR
3384, which again authorized acceptance of donated property. 18 Delayed by World War II, Congress
finally approved HR 3384 on September 27, 1944. At a conference in Wilmington the following
year, the state agreed to fund the land acquisition. Between 1947 and 1948, the North Carolina
General Assembly appropriated the necessary funds and purchased over twelve acres for donation
to the park. Transfer of the land took place during the 175 th anniversary observance of the battle
in 1951. 19

A 1944 list of proposed construction projects at Moores Creek NMP included trails, roads,
parking areas, utility facilities, and a superintendent's residence. However, these projects would
have to wait until the Mission 66 development program due to lack of funding. 20 By 1945, the War
Department's 1931 reconstructed bridge was in danger of collapse. Although reconstruction of
the battle-period bridge was a priority, NPS officials decided against it since little was known of its
design and any reconstruction would be based on conjecture. The park removed the bridge's timbers
and left the concrete abutments in place. A second reconstruction would have to wait until more
research could be conducted. 21

Despite drainage system improvements since 1933, the park continued to experience flooding
in its low areas. A September 1945 flood was unusually severe with six feet of water flowing
through the park's office. Besides periodic flooding, the park suffered damage from hurricanes that
hit the coastal plain of North Carolina during the 1940s and 1950s. Winds during an August 1944
hurricane removed the Moore Monument's obelisk from its base. Between 1954 and 1960,
Hurricanes Hazel, Connie, Diane, Helena, and Donna flooded low areas and destroyed dozens of
trees at the park. 22 Weather problems continue to plague the park. In 1 996, Hurricanes Bertha and
Fran caused flooding, downed trees, and closed the park for more than forty days. Further flooding
in 1998 closed off access to sections of the park for more than a week. 23

With World War II over, the state began paving Highway 602 in 1946. In November 1950, the
highway was dedicated as the Moores Creek Battleground Highway. During the following year, the
highway bridge across Moores Creek was replaced. The road was redesignated as Highway 210 in
January 1952. 24

By 1943, a revived MCBA renewed its annual celebrations. In addition, the association began
sponsoring annual Easter services at the park. Within a few years, the MCBA was lobbying for
improved facilities to accommodate these activities. At a meeting called by North Carolina State
Senator J. V. Whitfield, the association asked the NPS to construct a meeting room and amphitheater.
Harrington responded that the NPS would consider incorporating a meeting room into a future

Moores Creek National Battlefield: An Administrative History

Figure 9. The superintendent's residence during the 1945 flood

administration building but that the amphitheater idea would need more study. 25 A major obstacle
to fulfilling the MCBA's request was the lack of NPS funding. Consequently, the association
approached Barden with draft legislation for a federal appropriation to construct an auditorium at
the park. In January 1950, Barden introduced the bill into the U.S. House of Representatives where
it was refused passage. The MCBA continued to press its case for the next fifteen years. 26

Since its establishment, Moores Creek NMP had enjoyed strong local support. In 1954, this
support was galvanized by a park closure threat. In January of that year, the Raleigh News <&
Observer published an article about Secretary of the Interior Douglas McKay's report on the potential
divestiture of NPS areas believed to be of questionable national significance. Moores Creek was
identified as one of the areas to be examined for possible removal from the national park system.
After the Wilmington Star-News published a similar article, a storm of public protest led to a mass
meeting on the issue at the Pender County Courthouse. In addition, the NPS and the Department
of the Interior were flooded with letters urging retention of the park. For its part, the MCBA
organized a committee to meet with NPS Director Conrad L. Wirth. The meeting proved unnecessary
when the NPS reaffirmed Moores Creek's significance to the national park system, thereby assuring
its continued existence as a national park. 27

Chapter Three: Planning and Development at Moores Creek

Mission 66 at Moores Creek, 1956-1969

Due to limited funding during World War II, the NPS undertook few park improvement efforts.
After the war, visitation to national parks exploded due to economic prosperity, increased leisure
time, and greater automobile use. Visitation at Moores Creek, for example, increased from 8,000 in
1949 to 26,000 in 1956. At parks across the nation, outdated facilities were ill-suited to meet the
needs of increasing numbers of visitors. Consequently, NPS Director Wirth convinced the
Eisenhower Ad^riinistration and Congress to support a ten-year building program, which was coined
Mission 66. Initiated in the mid-1950s at a cost in excess of one billion dollars, Mission 66 sought
to substantially upgrade park facilities nationwide in time for the fiftieth anniversary of the NPS in
1966. Like many small parks, Moores Creek was transformed by Mission 66. 28

In March 1958, the NPS began Mission 66 improvements at Moores Creek with the letting of
contracts for the removal of existing buildings and groundbreaking ceremonies for a major building
program. By January 1959, the J.W Hunter Construction Company of Wilmington had completed
a visitor center with a museum, an equipment storage building, and two employee residences.
Later that year, Greenbriar Farms of Norfolk, Virginia, completed a contract for erection of a
flagpole and landscaping for the visitor center and residential areas. Other Mission 66 work included
the construction of an entrance road, a parking area, additional trails, and a sixty-foot water storage
tank. 29

EXISTING PLAN

MONUMENT

NATIONAL MILITARY PARK

ROAD

FOOT PATH

Figure 10. A 1972 map of Moores Creek showing the Mission 66 layout

Moores Creek National Battlefield: An Administrative History

Figure 1 1 . The Mission 66 visitor center at Moores Creek

With the completion of major Mission 66 projects, Moores Creek had finally acquired the
essential facilities to operate independent of Colonial National Historical Park. In July, the regional
office instructed the park superintendent to assume responsibility for all adrninistrative functions
and report direcdy to the regional director. Appointed in February 1959, James M. Ford was the
first superintendent to manage the park under this new arrangement. 30

As the Mission 66 program at the park neared completion in 1964, the MCBA renewed efforts
to have a meeting hall built for special gatherings. The association wanted a building and
amphitheater on the slope between the visitor center and the earthworks; however, NPS officials
objected that this plan would be an intrusion on the battleground. Instead, the regional director
proposed a shelter with a speaking platform and restrooms near the picnic area located across
Highway 210 from the earthworks and the historic bridge site. 31

In January 1965, the chief architect of the NPS met with U.S. Congressman David N. Henderson
and Whitfield to discuss the MCBA's proposed meeting hall. The existing facilities in the picnic
area consisted of an open shelter, pit privies, and no definite parking area, drives, or walks. Since
the area was almost entirely situated within the floodplain, the proposed structure would be located
on higher ground at the site of the 1907 superintendent's house, which had been demolished in
1959 as part of Mission 66 activities. Designed as a forty-foot-by-ninety-foot building constructed
of materials compatible with the natural environment, the proposed structure included meeting
space, audiovisual capabilities, and restrooms. However, only $47,300 had been programmed for
all remaining Mission 66 development activities, including utilities, landscape improvements, a

Chapter Three: Planning and Development at Moores Creek 25

new entrance road, parking, and walks. Since the estimated cost for the meeting building alone was
$37,000, the politicians were forced to seek additional money. 32

Through the lobbying of the MCBA, additional funds were allocated for a facility that would
serve as a picnic shelter, meeting hall, and comfort station, including a parking area, an entrance
road, utilities, and improved grounds. The park awarded the contract to Dixie General Contractors
of Wallace, North Carolina. In August 1965, the contractor cleared the site and began work. Upon
its completion the following year, the facility was dedicated by the park as Patriots Hall.

The issue of expansion proved less fruitful. The acquisition of 12.23 acres in 1951 had allowed
for the construction of the Mission 66 entrance road and parking area, but the park still lacked
sufficient land for full development of the planned facilities. As both state senator and president
of the MCBA, Whitfield began urging the NPS to acquire land on the west side of the creek, which
had been the site of Caswell's camp the night before the battle. Whitfield believed acquisition
would enable the park to reconstruct the battle-period bridge; however, the land west of the creek
had not been identified in the park's acquisition program. The NPS considered the creek a logical
natural boundary and had concerns about potential protection problems in a detached area, which
the land west of the creek represented. In addition, reconstruction of the bridge was not a park
priority since little was known about the battle-period bridge. Nevertheless, Whitfield and the
MCBA continued to pursue state funding for land acquisition. 33

Meanwhile, other Mission 66 projects were completed. A well was dug in the vicinity of the
elevated tank, and its natural flow entered a six-hundred-gallon underground tank. The water was
then pumped to the elevated tank and treated with sulfuric acid to prevent precipitates. Dixie
General Contractors completed construction of a brick-veneered wall and gate at the park entrance.
In addition, this company worked with the state highway department to improve the drainage
system adjacent to Highway 210 at the park entrance. A post and split rail fence was installed on
both sides of the highway through the park. 34

Flooding had long been a serious problem at the park. Since Moores Creek was always prone to
overflow its banks, previous drainage measures were never completely successful in protecting the
park. Though drainage ditches reduced the area's dampness and high water table, flooding continued.
In 1965, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposed clearing the creek and digging a bypass
channel to improve the drainage of floodwaters. Park Superintendent Russell A. Gibbs had
reservations about the plan because of the possibility that the existing creek bed, which included
the historic bridge site, would fill in or become a backwater swamp. In addition, the bypass would
cut through land on the west side of the creek — the site of Caswell's camp. At a December meeting
with the Corps of Engineers, the MCBA joined the NPS in expressing its concerns. In the end, the
proposed channel was never built. 35

By the late 1960s, Mssion 66 development activities at Moores Creek NMP had been completed
and the emphasis shifted to mamtaining the new facilities. Painting and cleaning schedules were
instituted for the visitor center, Patriots Hall, and the employee residences. Grounds work consisted
of routine activities such as tree trimming and periodic repair of the drainage ditches. With
completion of the Mission 66 program, limited funding and staffing levels once again curtailed
park initiatives. 36

26 Moores Creek National Battlefield: An Administrative History

Development under Master and Development Concept Plans, 1969-1998

In 1969, park and regional staffs prepared the Moores Creek NMP Master Plan. Among the plan's
priorities were the acquisition of additional land, the relocation of Highway 210 from the center
of the park, and the restoration of the landscape to its battle-period appearance. These and other
goals were outlined in more detail in the Moores Creek NMP Development Concept Plan (DCP)
several years later. 37

In 1970, a team from the regional office highlighted problems caused by the shortage of funds
and staffing at the park. The report recommended that more money be allocated to the park and
that the permanent staff of four be increased to six. It also suggested that consideration be given
to clustering Moores Creek with Cape Hatteras National Seashore or Cape Lookout National
Seashore. Overall, the report concluded that there was an attitude of indifference toward the park
by regional officials who considered Moores Creek "... as an end of the line, low priority park,
largely because of its small size, isolated location, little known story, and low visitation." 38

Even with the limitations faced by park staff, the planning process continued with the
completion of the Moores Creek DCP in 1972. Prepared by landscape architect Geoffrey Swan,
this plan outlined the park's future physical development in accordance with the 1969 park master
plan. The most important proposal in the DCP was acquisition of lands adjacent to the park,
including twenty-one acres to the east, twelve acres to the west, and two and one half acres to the
north. Possession of these lands would allow for the relocation of Highway 210, the preservation
of the west bank of Moores Creek, and the creation of buffer zones around the park's historic and
developed areas. The relocation of Highway 210 was a significant component since the highway
was a major visual intrusion on the historic scene and a safety hazard. Once the highway's roadbed
was removed, the park's layout could be redesigned. In addition, the DCP called for the creek to be
restored to its battle-period course. The existing entrance road would be replaced by a new road
leading directly to the visitor center with spurs to the residential area and Patriots Hall. The drive
between the visitor center and the earthworks would be removed along with its two parking areas.
Additional parking areas were planned for both the visitor center and Patriots Hall. New interpretive
trails would be developed through the earthworks and past the monuments, three of which would
be relocated. A nature trail loop was to be constructed south of the visitor center. In order to
improve interpretation, the historic bridge would once again be reconstructed; a separate footbridge
would provide access to the west side of the creek; and new interpretive markers would be placed
along the trails, including some audio units. Three zones — historic, transitional, and developed —
would be designated for the purpose of vegetation management. 39

The development proposals in the DCP received a boost when the NPS included Moores
Creek in its American Revolution Bicentennial development program. From July 1 973 to June
1976, this program sought to upgrade facilities in time for the nation's bicentennial at the twenty-
three national parks with thematic ties to the American Revolution. For parks like Moores Creek,
the approaching Bicentennial provided cause for significant improvements. 40

In September 1974, the park initiated its plan under the American Revolution Bicentennial
development program. The Simon Construction Company of Wilmington began removal of the
drive between the visitor center and the battleground parking areas and relocation of the Loyalist
and Patriot Monuments. By March 1975, the asphalt drive and parking areas throughout the historic
zone had been removed, and a new soil-cement trail had been constructed from the visitor center
through the historic area. A loop nature trail was created in the wooded area southeast of the

Chapter Three: Planning and Development at Moores Creek

" PROPOSED PLAN

**.* INTERPRETIVE MARKER
O AUDIO ACTIVATOR

OBLITERATE ROAD
IZ EXISTING ROAD
■V PROPOSED RDAD
^=1 NATURE TRAIL
C> E> INTERPRETIVE TRAIL
► » CASWELL S CAMP TRAIL

■ EXISTING MONUMENT

D RELOCATED MONUMENT

EXISTING NATIONAL MILITARY PARK
_ PROPOSED NATIONAL MILITARY PARK

Figure 12. A map from the 1972 DCP showing the proposed changes to the park's layout

visitor center. The parking lots at the visitor center and Patriots Hall were enlarged, and asphalt
walks were added. In addition, the visitor center was renovated. By the Bicentennial in 1976,
several major DCP proposals were completed. 41

During the Bicentennial, greater attention was given to maintaining the park grounds. Curbs,
sidewalks, and roads were edged; shrubs were trimmed and shaped; dead material was removed
from the trees; and all use areas were cleaned of leaves and other debris. Shrubs were even removed
to facilitate crowd movement, stored at a nursery, and later replanted. 42

In 1978, Superintendent John Stockert attempted to solve a problem that had long been a
concern at Moores Creek. Over a number of years, the historic road causeway leading to the bridge
site had suffered from steady erosion. Stockert requested the U.S. Department of Agriculture's
district conservationist to investigate the problem and suggest solutions to mitigate the erosion.
The investigation determined that the erosion was a natural process and could not be stopped, but
the district conservationist offered alternatives to stabilize the slopes. In November 1980, a contract
for causeway stabilization with rip-rap and stone was completed by T.D Eure Construction of
Morehead City, North Carolina. Since this action only slowed the rate of erosion, the park continued
to haul in sediment after each episode of flooding. 43 With conditions again deteriorating, the park
received additional funding to stabilize the causeway in 1995. The Corps of Engineers designed
and contracted for rip-rap replacement and revegetation. This work was completed by November
1997. The El Nino rains of December 1997 and early 1998 put the causeway under water for
almost two months, frequently with swift-moving water. The stabilization efforts have proven

28 Moores Creek National Battlefield: An Administrative History

successful, and the park is currently working with the Corps of Engineers to stabilize the area of
the reconstructed bridge abutments. A draft plan should be completed by the end of calendar year
1998. 44

By 1980, the park was prepared to officially change its name as recommended in the master
plan. Park officials believed that designating the site as a national battlefield was appropriate since
the park had traditionally been known as the "Moores Creek battleground." In addition, park staff
believed that "national battlefield" was a clearer designation for the park than "national military
park," which might suggest a military facility. The idea was endorsed by the MCBA and the local
community. Accordingly, on September 8, 1980, the official park name was changed by federal
legislation from Moores Creek National Military Park to Moores Creek National Battlefield (NB). 45

The early 1980s saw the culmination of land acquisition efforts as proposed by both the park
master plan and the DCP. Although the North Carolina General Assembly had appropriated funds
for land purchases, the proposed acquisition required federal legislation to authorize boundary
extensions. This authority was provided in Public Law 93-4771, which was signed by President
Richard Nixon on October 26, 1974. Within three years, the park had acquired all of the desired
land except for property on the west side of the creek. In 1978, Stockert reported that nearly all of
the buildings on the new lands had been removed. However, condemnation proceedings on the
land west of the creek continued until 1982. A court trial in Wilmington in mid-March of that year
awarded $125,000 to the owner, Dr. Charles F. Simpson. The federal government had offered
$59,000; Simpson sought $213,000. With this last tract, Moores Creek NB totaled 86.52 acres in
size. Adjacent landowner H.D. Hates donated 1.23 acres along the western boundary in 1997,
bringing the total acreage to 87.75. 415

During the early and mid-1980s, a number of improvements were made to the water and septic
systems at the park. This work included the replacement of the two septic tanks in the residential
area, the removal of the Mission 66 underground water tank, the replacement of water lines installed
during Mission 66 activities, and the installation of new water lines between the visitor center and
the earthworks to irrigate the area and to supply water for a new drinking fountain. Lastly, the park
received permission from the state to stop treating water with sulfuric acid — a treatment that the
park had been required to do since 1967. 47 In 1994, the water system was further upgraded with the
construction of a new water treatment building in the residential area. Built by Moores Creek and
Cape Hatteras National Seashore staff members, this structure replaced a smaller one. 48

In 1 986, the long-awaited relocation of Highway 210 finally began, allowing for major alterations
to the physical layout of the park. The North Carolina Department of Transportation awarded a
contract to remove the existing highway and build a new bypass through a newly acquired tract of
park land east of the visitor center. With the highway relocated, the park constructed a new entrance
road, realigned the road system within the park, and relocated the picnic area parking lot to a site
behind Patriots Hall. 49

During the 1990s, reconstruction of the historic bridge across Moores Creek was completed
after two decades of debate. Although the NPS had decided against reconstruction in 1 945 due to
insufficient information on the battle-period bridge's design, the park had never abandoned the
idea. Subsequent planning documents, including the 1969 master plan and the 1972 DCP, continued
to recommend the bridge's reconstruction. However, NPS officials at the Denver Service Center
and the Southeast Regional Office opposed any further attempt to reconstruct the historic bridge
during the 1 970s. They argued that reconstruction was generally inconsistent with NPS management

Chapter Three: Planning and Development at Moores Creek

Figure 1 3. A map showing boundary changes at Moores Creek between 1 897 and 1 997. The key is as follows: the
original 30.0 acres transferred to the NPS in 1933, A; the 12.23 acres acquired in 1951, B; the 35.82 acres acquired in
1 974 under the DCP, C; the 1 1 .77 acres acquired after condemnation proceedings in 1 982, D; and the 1 .23 acres
donated in 1997, E.

policies and that an authentic reconstruction could not be assured. 50 Denver Service Center Historian
John Albright recommended against "the folly of using even more time and effort in looking for
the exact structure of the bridge." 51

Besides this opposition, reconstruction of the bridge was further delayed since the land on the
west bank of Moores Creek was not within the park's boundary at the time that the DCP was
formulated. With acquisition of the land west of the creek in 1982, the park renewed its research
efforts. In 1986, the park received a grant from the Eastern National Park and Monument Association
to conduct a study in conjunction with the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Officer.
The study provided design guidelines for reconstruction based on a "minimum of conjecture."
With the study's findings, Superintendent Fred Boyles began pushing for the reconstruction against
the opposition of other NPS officials. He met with regional officials in 1 987 and prepared a position
paper the following year. Boyles argued that a reconstructed bridge was necessary for the
interpretation of the battle since other interpretive techniques were inadequate. In addition, he
pointed out that the 1 974 park expansion legislation was in part justified by the need to reconstruct
the bridge. Boyles's case prevailed and the park received the director's permission for reconstruction
in June 1988. 52

Development of the bridge reconstruction plan by the Southeast Region's Historic Architecture
Division was slow but steady. In July 1 990, a Corps of Engineers soil analysis of the creek bed
resulted in a modification of the bridge's structural supports from concrete mud sills to concrete

Moores Creek National Battlefield: An Administrative History

and timber pilings, a design which sought to reduce disturbances to the historic creek bed. Plans
were made for U.S. Army troops at Fort Bragg to reconstruct the bridge as a volunteer project, but
the initiation of Operation Desert Shield prior to the Persian Gulf War postponed the project
indefinitely. 53

To get the project moving forward again, the Pender County Commissioners made a donation
to the MCBA towards the cost of reconstructing the bridge. Superintendent Dusty Shultz approved
the project's feasibility as other donations came in from the local community. Eddie Corbett of
Wilmington provided cypress trees for the pilings and the center sleeper of the bridge. The MCBA
paid for additional lumber and for the trees to be hand-hewn into timbers. In October and November
1992, following the removal of concrete abutments from the 1931 bridge, the new bridge was
constructed by a preservation crew from Cape Hatteras National Seashore. After nearly fifty years,
a replica of the historic bridge once again spanned Moores Creek. With completion of the bridge,
the major development proposals of the 1969 master plan and the 1972 DCP had been implemented. 54

In 1 994, NPS agency restructuring brought about several new planning initiatives which affected
Moores Creek NB. The park was placed within the Fort Sumter Group, under the adrninistration of
Superintendent John Tucker. Tucker revisited the 1972 DCP and determined that ample direction
remained for upgrading existing facilities. In 1996, the History Trail was reconfigured to comply
with the Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines. The earthcrete was removed; the trail was
relocated off the historic road; and a new paved surface was laid. The Tarheel Trail was completely
relocated to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and to place the trail on higher
ground, directing it past the most visible tar kiln remnant in the park. 55 Like all federal agencies, the

Figure 14. The completed bridge reconstruction, 1992

Chapter Three: Planning and Development at Moores Creek 3 1

NPS undertook a strategic planning process in 1997 to begin meeting the requirements of the
Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA). Due to the field level implementation of
GPRA in the NPS, Moores Creek NB prepared park-specific, five-year goals with mission statements
for various areas of park operations and specific actions to achieve stated outcomes. 56

In 1997, construction began on new restroom facilities in the area just north of the visitor
center, including a new lift station and drain field. This doubled the restroom capacity and allowed
for potential expansion of the museum area into the footprints of the old restrooms. The plans
were provided by the Southeast Support Office, and construction was conducted by staff from
Moores Creek, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, and Fort Sumter National Monument. The lift
station and drain field work was contracted. The new restrooms officially opened in February
1998. 57

A number of administrative changes occurred during the late 1990s. By 1996, Fort Sumter
National Monument Chief Ranger Ann Childress was serving as Moores Creek's first-line supervisor,
visiting the site every month. Administrative Officer Hattie Squires served as team leader for day-
to-day operations from June 1995 through September 1996. Chief of Interpretation Linda Brown
served in this position between October 1996 and December 1997. An operating budget increase
was granted to the park in the 1 998 fiscal year, allowing for an on-site superintendency which was
assumed by Childress in January 1998. However, the park remained part of the Fort Sumter Group.
Cooperative efforts were also renewed with MCBA as the organization neared its centennial.
Association member Ken Newbold chaired a meeting of the MCBA board to establish both short-
and long-term goals for the organization. In addition, the association gained 501(c)(3) status under
the federal tax code as a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization. The group decided to revive the
annual picnics to attract new members, and the first one was held in June 1998. 58

Notes

'Gibbs, 25-26.

2 Final Report on Federal Projects 454 and 456, October 8, 1936, Historical Papers, Vol. 1 .

3 King served as acting superintendent from October 1 6, 1 936, to December 1 , 1 936, when he was appointed to the position
permanently.

4 Gibbs, 26; Superintendent's Monthly Report, April 1 936, Park Files; hereinafter cited as Monthly Report.

3 Coordinating Superintendent to Director, September 3, 1936, Historical Papers, Vol. 1; Superintendent to Coordinating
Superintendent, January 6, 1 937, Historical Papers, Vol. 2; Coordinating Superintendent to Director, March 2, 1 937, Historical
Papers, Vol. 2; Superintendent to Director, November 22, 1937, Historical Papers, Vol. 2; Regional Director to Coordinating
Superintendent, December 1 6, 1937, National Archives, Mid-Adantic Region, Philadelphia, Record Group 79, Records of
the National Park Service, Central Classified Files, 1 936- 1 952, Box 1 03, hereinafter cited as MAR Coordinating Superintendent
to Regional Director, December 27, 1 937, Historical Papers, Vol. 2; Eastern Division, Branch of Plans, Moores Creek National
Military Park General Planting Plan, Drawing 324-1051, Map Collection.

32 Moores Creek National Battlefield: An Administrative History

6 Phoebe Cutler, The Public Landscape of the New Deal (New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press, 1 985), 5-7, 88.

7 Coordinating Superintendent to Director, September 3, 1936, Historical Papers, Vol. 1; Coordinating Superintendent to
Director, March 2, 1 937, Historical Papers, Vol. 2; Oliver G. Taylor to Coordinating Superintendent, March 3,1937, MAR, Box
1 03; Acting Director to Graham A. Barden, August 29, 1 938, Historical Papers, Vol. 2; Monthly Report, April 1 939.

8 Annual Reports, 1936-1938; Monthly Reports, April-December 1936, January, February, April, June, September-December
1937, January-May 1938; Acting Superintendent to Director, January 6, 1936, Historical Papers, Vol. 1; Superintendent to
Coordinating Superintendent, December 22, 1937, Historical Papers, Vol. 2.

9 Monthly Report, February 1938; Moores Creek National Military Park Proposed Restoration-Fortified Camp, Drawing 324- 1 0001 ,
Map Collection.

10 Roy E. Appleman, Report on Inspection and Recommendations, Moores Creek National Military Park, April 19, 1938, 1-4,
Historical Papers, Vol. 2.

11 Annual Reports, 1938, 1 939; Monthly Reports, May-December 1938; King, 7-8.

12 Monthly Reports, June -July 1937; Annual Report, 1938; Superintendent to Coordinating Superintendent, August 31, 1939,
MAR, Box 104; Regional Director to Coordinating Superintendent, September 13, 1939, MAR, Box 104; Coordinating
Superintendent to Superintendent, December 1 2, 1 939, MAR, Box 1 04.

13 Superintendent to Coordinating Superintendent, January 17, 1940, MAR, Box 104; A.R Kelly, Chief, Archeological Sites
Division, to Coordinating Superintendent, February 8, 1 940, MAR, Box 1 04; Thor Borresen, Report on Inspection of Earthwork
Restoration and Repair, March 20, 1940, MAR, Box 104.

14 Acting Regional Director to Coordinating Superintendent, December 12, 1938, Historical Papers, Vol. 2; Superintendent to
Coordinating Superintendent, January 14, 1939, Historical Papers, Vol. 2.

15 Superintendent to Coordinating Superintendent, June 27, 1 939, MAR, Box 1 03; Superintendent to District Commissioner,
May 1 6, 1 941 , MAR, Box 1 03; Monthly Reports, February, May, November 1 942; Superintendent to Coordinating Superintendent,
September 20, 1 943, MAR, Box 1 03.

16 Monthly Reports, May 1 941 ; June-November 1 943; April, July, September 1 944; Annual Report, 1 943.

17 Superintendent to Regional Director, November 7, 1 942, MAR, Box 1 03; Acting Coordinating Superintendent to Regional
Director, November 17,1 942, MAR, Box 1 03; Acting Regional Director to Superintendent, February 17,1 943, Historical Papers,
Vol. 3; Superintendent to Regional Director, February 23, 1943, Historical Papers, Vol. 3; Coordinating Superintendent to
Superintendent, April 27, 1945, MAR, Box 103.

18 Annual Report, 1942; Secretary of the Interior to Chairman, Committee on Public Lands, May 21, 1942, MAR, Box 104;
Superintendent to Director, October 1 , 1 942, Historical Papers, Vol. 3; Regional Director to Director, August 1 2, 1 943, MAR, Box
103; Monthly Reports, January, September-October, 1943; February-March 1944.

19 Superintendent to Coordinating Superintendent, October 5, 1 944, Historical Papers, Vol. 4; Press Release, October 1 0, 1 944,
Historical Papers, Vol. 4; Monthly Report, February 1945; Annual Reports, 1947-1948, 1952; Pender Chronicle, November 6, 1951,
Historical Papers, Vol. 5.

Chapter Three: Planning and Development at Moores Creek 33

20 Coordinating Superintendent to Regional Director, September 27, 1 943, Historical 'Papers, Vol. 3; Priority Project Construction
List, January 1, 1944, Historical Papers, Vol. 4.

21 Regional Landscape Architect to Coordinating Superintendent, June 30, 1944, MAR, Box 103; Regional Director to Director,
June 30, 1944, MAR, Box 103; Regional Director to Coordinating Superintendent, July 5, 1944, Historical Papers, Vol. 4;
Superintendent to Coordinating Superintendent, May 30, 1 945, MAR, Box 1 03; Coordinating Superintendent to Superintendent,
June 7, 1945, MAR, Box 103.

22 Gibbs, 32-33.

23 Ann Childress, Superintendent, Moores Creek National Battlefield, to Steve Davis, Historian, Southeast Regional Office,
July 22, 1 998, Moores Creek National Battlefield Research Files, Cultural Resources Stewardship Division, Southeast Regional
Office, National Park Service, Atlanta.

24 Superintendent to Coordinating Superintendent, March 29, 1946, Historical Papers, Vol. 4; Annual Reports, 1 946, 1 948, 1 951 ;
Monthly Reports, January-February, October 1 950; Gibbs, 29-31 .

25 Gibbs, 28; Annual Report, 1 943; Coordinating Superintendent to Regional Director, September 30, 1 947, Historical Papers,
Vol. 4.

26 Pender Chronicle, October 1 3, 1 949, Historical Papers, Vol. 5; Pender Cbronicle^anaarj 11,1 950, Historical Papers, Vol. 5; Monthly
Report, February 1 950.

27 Gibbs, 34-37; Monthly Reports, January- February, 1 954; "Hearing Set on North Carolina Park," Raleigh News & Observer,
January 6, 1954, Historical Papers, Vol. 6; Coordinating Superintendent to Superintendent, January 20, 1954, Historical Papers,
Vol. 6.

28 Gibbs, 31; Barry Mackintosh, The National Parks: Shaping the System (Washington: National Park Service, 1991), 62.

29 Monthly Reports, March, November 1 958; Wilmingon Star-News, March 9, 1 958, Historical Papers, Vol. 7; Narrative Completion
Reports, January- February 1 959, Historical Papers, Vol. 8; Coordinating Superintendent to J.W Hunter Construction Company,
March 10, 1959, Historical Papers, Vol. 8.

30 Gibbs, 26; Monthly Report, February 1 959; Regional Director to Director, February 2, 1 959, Historical Papers, Vol. 8.

31 Regional Director to Chief, Eastern Office of Design and Construction, June 2, 1964, Historical Papers, Vol. 9.

32 Assistant Director, Design and Construction, to Chief, Eastern Office of Design and Constructionjanuary 8, 1965, Historical
Papers,Vol.9.

33 Master Plan Outline, June 1952, Historical Papers, Vol. 5; Superintendent to Coordinating Superintendent, December 2, 1 956,
Historical Papers, Vol. 6; Regional Director to Director, January 23, 1 959, Historical Papers, Vol. 8; Regional Historian to Mr. Jeffers,
December 8, 1 960, Historical Papers, Vol. 8; Regional Director to Director, May 1 9, 1 964, Historical Papers, Vol. 9; Annual Report,
1966; Monthly Report, July 1967.

34 Annual Report, 1966; Completion Report, August 1966, Historical Papers, Vol. 10.

35 Highlight Briefing Statement, 1965, Historical Papers, Vol. 9.

34 Moores Creek National Battlefield: An Administrative History

36 Operation Evaluation Report, 1 970, Historical Papers, Vol. 1 1 .

37 U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Master Plan, Moores Creek National Military Park (Washington:
National Park Service, 1969), 1-22.

38 Operation Evaluation Report, 1970, Historical Papers, Vol. 1 1 .

39 U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Development Concept Plan, Moores Creek National Military Park
(Washington: National Park Service, 1972), 1-15.

40 Merrill J. Mattes, landmarks of Liberty: A Report on the American Revolution Bicentennial Development Program of the National
ParkService (Washington: National Park Service, 1989), 1-13, 111-112.

41 Annual Reports, 1974, 1975; Completion Report, Grounds Improvement, March 1975, Historical Papers, Vol. 13; Mattes,
111-112.

42 Annual Report, 1976.

43 District Conservationist, Department of Agriculture, to Superintendent, November 16, 1978, Historical Papers, Vol. 13;
Annual Reports, 1980, 1997.

44 Childress, July 22, 1998; Annual Report, 1997.

43 Superintendent to Regional Director, June 1 , 1 978, Park Files; Acting Regional Director to Chief, Office of Legislation, May
1 6, 1 979, Park Files; Annual Report, 1 980.

46 Monthly Report, July 1969; Operation Evaluation Report, September 1970, Historical Papers, Vol. 11; Superintendent to
Regional Director, June 9, 1 971 , Historical Papers, Vol 11; Annual Reports, 1 973, 1 974, 1 977, 1 978, 1 982; Childress, July 22, 1 998.

47 Annual Reports, 1981, 1983; John W Stockert to Mike Capps, November 28, 1994, Moores Creek National Battlefield
Research Files.

48 Assessment of Actions Having an Effect on Cultural Resources, MOCR 94-01, Section 106 Files, Cultural Resources
Stewardship Division, Southeast Regional Office, National Park Service, Atlanta.

49 Annual Report, 1987.

50 John Albright, Historian, Historic Preservation, Denver Service Center, to Manager, Historic Preservation Team, Denver
Service Center, November 5, 1 973; Assistant Director, Park Historic Preservation, to Manager, Historic Preservation Team,
Denver Service Center, February 22, 1 974; Regional Director, Southeast Region, to Manager, Denver Service Center, December
1 8, 1 976, Moores Creek National Battlefield Research Files.

31 John Albright, Historian, Historic Preservation, Denver Service Center, to Manager, Historic Preservation Team, Denver
Service Center, November 5, 1 973, Moores Creek National Battlefield Research Files.

32 Annual Report, 1986; Superintendent to Regional Historian, Southeast Region, November 23, 1987; Fred Boyles, Position

Chapter Three: Planning and Development at Moores Creek 35

Paper: The Reconstruction of the Historic Moores Creek Bridge, March 1, 1988; Director to Regional Director, Southeast Region, June
17, 1988, Moores Creek National Battlefield Research Files.

53 Annual Report, 1990.

54 Moores Creek National Battlefield, Report on the Reconstruction of the Historic Moores Creek Bridge (National Park Service, 1993),
2-8.

55 Childress, July 22, 1998; Annual Report, 1997.

56 Moores Creek National Battlefield, Government Performance and Results Act (National Park Service, 1997), 1-1 1; hereinafter
referred to as GPRA.

57 Ibid.

58 Childress, July 22, 1998; Annual Report, 1997.

CHAPTER FOUR

INTERPRETATION AND VISITOR SERVICES

Early Interpretive Efforts

Prior to NPS control of Moores Creek in 1933, the battleground had no interpretive program. The
MCMA used the site primarily for annual celebrations. Beyond the erection of the Battie of Moores
Creek Bridge Monument and the reconstruction of the bridge, the War Department made no attempt
to interpret the historical significance of the park. Even during the first three years of NPS
administration, little was done to enlighten visitors about the events of the battie.

In 1936, interpretation became a priority when Moores Creek received its first historian ranger
position. Consequently, the park began collecting general Revolutionary War materials and contacting
local schools about visiting the battleground. Public indifference led the park to start an extensive
education program. Superintendent King took charge of the program and gave 167 lectures to
nearly sixteen thousand grade school and high school students and teachers. In addition, he gave a
fifteen-minute talk about the park on radio station WPTF in Raleigh; mimeographed information
circulars were prepared for public distribution. 1 In an effort to improve interpretation at the park,
staff prepared text for six interpretive markers and developed educational exhibits for a proposed
museum. The central exhibit was to be a map of North Carolina in 1 776. Other exhibits would
highlight the story of the Moores Creek campaign, the Revolutionary War in the South, natural
features in the park, and other national park areas. These ideas were drawn together in a museum
plan and submitted to the regional office in May 1939. 2

That same year, King enclosed an MCMA dance pavilion for use as a temporary museum to
provide visitors with information on events surrounding the battie. Exhibits produced both at
Moores Creek and at Colonial National Historical Park focused on the battle's background, the
preliminaries, the battle campaign, Patriot artifacts, Loyalist artifacts, the southern campaign, the
battlefield, natural history, and other national parks in 'the region. 3

Besides the temporary museum, Moores Creek staff made other improvements to the park's
interpretive program before World War II. In 1939, two narrative markers, four site markers, and
four signs were placed around the battleground to mark significant points of interest and to direct
visitors to the primary historic features. In June 1940, the park published its first information
folder. In 1 941 , the two Civil War cannon were exchanged with Petersburg NB for a 1 760 half-

Moores Creek National Battlefield: An Administrative History

Figure 1 5. The temporary museum at Moores Creek, circa 1 950

pound swivel gun and a 1748 two-pound cast iron cannon. These cannon marked the park's first
exhibit of authentic Revolutionary War artifacts. Throughout the 1 940s, the park's efforts to interpret
the battleground were handicapped by the lack of permanent exhibits and appropriate facilities. A
1949 museum prospectus specifically identified the need for permanent exhibit and storage space
for artifacts. 4

The Impact of Mission 66 on Interpretation

As part of Moores Creek NMP's planning for Mission 66 development, a prospectus was prepared
for a proposed visitor center and museum in 1953. It maintained that a visitor center was crucial
for full implementation of the interpretive program at the park. Containing pictures, maps, and
objects, the visitor center would serve as an orientation for the battleground. Visitors would then
proceed to a self-guided trail leading through the earthworks to the Patriot Monument, past the
two cannon to the Negro Head Point Road causeway, and to the Battle of Moores Creek Bridge
Monument where an audio station would be located. The trail would then proceed along the historic
road causeway past the earthworks. A wayside exhibit would be located along this portion of the
trail. 5

The vision of a new visitor center and corresponding interpretive program was delayed until
the arrival of Mission 66 funding in 1958. Meanwhile, park staff continued to improve the existing
interpretive program. In March 1 954, a new wayside exhibit was installed, and a self-guided trail
was laid out the following month. However, shortage of staff and lack of proper facilities continued

Chapter Four: Interpretation and Visitor Services 39

to hamper interpretive efforts. Interpretation was especially difficult at the entrance since it was
only one hundred feet from the center of Highway 21 0. 6

Completion of the visitor center and museum in 1958 finally allowed installation of permanent
exhibits. By 1961, there were displays about North Carolina's setdement, the pre-Revolutionary
War history of the area, and the Batde of Moores Creek Bridge and its aftermath. The displays
featured period artifacts of various ethnic groups in colonial North Carolina, including the Scottish
Highlanders. An experimental electric campaign map was set up; a diorama was planned for
installation in 1 962. During this same time, several area residents urged the park to display a chair
associated with Mary Slocumb in the visitor center museum. Superintendent Ford opposed the
display in an effort to distance the park from the legend of Slocumb 's ride. To support Ford's
position, Park Historian S. Michael Hubbell conducted historical research that essentially discredited
the Slocumb story. In addition to displays, the Eastern National Park and Monument Association
soon established a sales area in the visitor center, beginning its involvement in what would become
a number of park endeavors in the ensuing decades. The museum was supplemented by new
wayside exhibits on the battleground and an audio station at the bridge site. The interpretive
program was now far more comprehensive that at any previous time. 7

Additions to the interpretive program continued to be made throughout the remainder of the
1960s. In 1966, the park initiated year-round use of its audio program, which had been relocated
to the visitor center for four months of the year. The MCBA assisted by printing one-page handouts.
Roving personal interpretation was sometimes offered, but limited staffing usually hampered this
service. In fact, visitor center hours, picnic area availability, and the number of talks offered were
reduced due to staff limitations in 1967. 8

New Interpretive Directions After Mission 66
Interpretive Planning

The 1969 Moores Creek NMP Master Plan outlined the themes and direction of the park's
interpretive program. The themes were defined as the clash of loyalties and cultural backgrounds
that created factions ready for batde, the military campaign and troop movements that led to and
included the battle, and the results of the battle. The causes and results of the battle were to be
presented in the visitor center, while the battle itself was to be interpreted on the battieground. 9

In addition to the guidelines of the master plan, Regional Interpretive Specialist Donald Robinson
made recommendations following his visit to the park in 1 970. He suggested that the park prepare
a historical handbook, clear the area along the creek between the two cannon and the bridge,
replace the audio station at the cannon position, and seek additional permanent staff positions. 10

A long-range interpretive planning session took place in August 1997 with John Beck from the
Southeast Support Office serving as meeting facilitator and plan author. The resulting plan called
for adaptive reuse of the old restrooms to enlarge the visitor center museum, new exhibits, a new
audiovisual presentation, and most significandy, planking on the reconstructed bridge crossing
Moores Creek. Since it has long been accepted that the exact bridge design will probably never be
known, it was determined that the bridge is most effectively interpreted with a wayside exhibit,
while the battle story is interpreted best when visitors can retrace the Loyalist march across the
bridge. 11

40 Moores Creek National Battlefield: An Administrative History

The American Revolution Bicentennial

In 1 972, plans to renovate the visitor center took shape in preparation for the American Revolution
Bicentennial. Completed in 1 974, the remodeled visitor center featured a new thirteen-panel display,
an audiovisual slide program, a diorama, and a collection of restored period weapons. The new
exhibits emphasized the background of the colonial era, events leading up to the battle, the batde
and its aftermath, and period weapons and equipment. Other preparations included various projects
in cooperation with the North Carolina and Pender County Bicentennial Committees, the MCBA,
the Pender County Historical Society, and the Pender County Centennial Committee. One project
was a slide program developed by park staff and presented off-site to civic and church groups. This
program highlighted NPS Bicentennial activities with special emphasis on parks set aside as
Bicentennial showcases. 12

Living History

One way in which the NPS broadened its interpretive focus after Mission 66 was through living
history. Although critics charge that living history sanitizes the past, especially at battlefields,
supporters view it as a valuable technique to increase visitor interest and make history more tangible.
Living history interpretation in the NPS began with weapon firing demonstrations at Chickamauga
and Chattanooga NMP and Antietam NB in 1961. The first military living history demonstrations
by interpreters in period costume occurred at Fort Davis NHS in 1965. With the strong backing of
NPS Director George B. Hartzog, Jr., living history programs became a standard part of interpretation
at national battlefields and other historical parks during the late 1960s and early 1970s. By 1974,
over one hundred national parks had initiated living history programs, including Moores Creek. 13
Moores Creek's first living history program began in 1 972 and included an interpreter dressed
in a Patriot uniform at a simulated camp on summer weekends. At other times during the year,
weapon demonstrations were conducted. Although rather basic, the living history program was
successful in generating visitor interest. In 1973, the program was expanded with the addition of a
Scottish Highlander component. Interpreters dressed in period costume walked the battleground
playing bagpipes and demonstrating battle-period weapons. Patriot interpreters demonstrated the
use of the Brown Bess musket. The program also added the North Carolina Minuteman, a costumed
interpreter that visited schools in New Hanover, Brunswick, Pender, Duplin, and Onslow Counties.
At the park, costumed interpreters staged military camp scenes and demonstrations. Interpreters
received training at a "military arts camp of instruction" that was first held in 1974. During the
1980s and 1990s, the park continued its summer living history programs and expanded its outreach
programs to local schools and community groups. 14

Environmental Education

During the 1960s, NPS interpretive policies were also directed towards environmental education.
Environmental issues received significant national attention with the passage of several landmark
bills, including the 1969 National Environmental Policy Act. Under the leadership of Director
Hartzog, NPS policy leaders showed increasing interest in developing study areas at parks to educate
the public on the environment. Between 1968 and 1975, the NPS created an office of environmental
education at the Washington headquarters, developed environmental study areas at eighty parks,
and initiated environmental programs for schools. 10

Chapter Four: Interpretation and Visitor Services

Figure 1 6. Military living history reenactors at Moores Creek, 1 998

By 1'972, environmental education became a priority at Moores Creek. That year park staff
contacted the Pender County school system and other organizations about the possibility of a
cooperative venture. In addition, the park prepared a handbook and guide for teachers who wished
to take advantage of the environmental study area and trail that were developed in the park.
Representatives from the NPS, the Pender Academy, and the Soil Conservation Service formed a
steering committee to develop a workshop designed for teachers. The stated purpose was to develop
environmental awareness among students through outdoor classrooms. 16 In addition, the park began
showing a variety of films on the environment, national parks, natural resources, and related subjects
in Patriots Hall on Thursday and Saturday evenings. Reserved exclusively for local residents, this
program proved to be quite popular. 17 However, momentum slowed as the approaching Bicentennial
shifted attention away from environmental education to historical interpretation in time for the
1976 celebration.

In an effort to combine historical and environmental interpretation, Park Historian Terry Maze
prepared a conceptual plan for the Tarheel Trail in 1981. King had first proposed a nature trail in
1939, but the idea was slow to develop until construction of a trail finally took place in 1975.
Originally called the Colonial Nature Trail, it consisted of a hard surface of soil cement just over
one quarter of a mile looping through the wooded area at the southeast corner of the park. Maze
renewed King's idea to use this trail to tell the story of the naval stores industry and its significant
role in the history of the region. The wayside exhibit plan was completed in 1979, and three years
later, a contract was awarded to Miles Higgins of Wilmington to produce eighteen line drawings

42 Moores Creek National Battlefield: An Administrative History

for use on the thirteen trail waysides. Installed in 1982, the exhibits were designed by Permaloy
Systems of Salt Lake City, Utah. 18

By the early 1980s, the environmental education focus within the NPS had lost momentum.
The notion of historical parks educating the public on environmental issues rather than focusing
on history was always controversial within the agency. By the early 1980s, NPS Director Russell E.
Dickenson was steering the service's interpretive programs away from environmental education,
especially at the historical parks. 19

New Interpretive Programs and Facilities

While the environmental education emphasis faded, Moores Creek continued outreach efforts for
school children. Between 1 978 and 1 980, the park developed a well-planned program with eighteenth-
century games that acquainted students with the hardships of colonial life. By taking advantage of
authority to fund the transportation of school children, the park was able to arrange field trips for
750 students in 1 980. During the same year, the park prepared a children's brochure and distributed
forty-eight hundred copies to local teachers to assist them with preparing for park visits. 20

Other additions were made to the interpretive program during the 1980s. In 1982, two manikins,
one dressed as a Patriot and the other a Loyalist, were put on display in the visitor center museum.
The following year, two interpretive signs were installed along the History Trail. One sign was
placed next to the Stage Road Monument; the other sign interpreted the partially reconstructed
earthworks. In 1986, the interpretive budget suffered a large cut, but the staff still managed to
double the number of programs offered. Financed through a cooperative venture with eleven
organizations, the staff was able to produce a historical handbook as a sales item that year. 21

In 1989, the west side of Moores Creek was opened to visitors after construction of a 315-foot
boardwalk and eighty- foot bridge. Both projects were recommended in the 1969 master plan and
the 1972 DCR Completed in eleven days, the boardwalk was a volunteer project of Fort Bragg's
37 th Engineer Brigade, which donated all the labor. Utilizing fee enhancement funds, the park
added two wayside exhibits with information about the area's natural history. 22

With help from the MCBA, off-site rack cards were printed and distributed to welcome centers
and tourist attractions within a 1 50-mile radius of the park. In 1 992, a television and video cassette
player with closed caption capabilities were purchased to show video programs in the visitor center.
Two years later, the park began showing its new video, The Battle of Moores Creek. This program
proved to be an excellent orientation to the park and its historical significance. 23

In 1 996, park staff authored two new interpretive brochures, one about naval stores and the
other concerning the Halifax Resolves. A new teacher's guide was developed with some assistance
from Pender County schools. Replacement of the History Trail wayside exhibits began in 1998
with Paul Singer Design of New York City as the contractor. The plan included eleven new exhibits.
A design study was also undertaken in that same year to evaluate structural and architectural
changes needed to adaptively reuse the old restroom area as part of the visitor center museum. An
architect from the Denver Service Center and an exhibit planner from the Harpers Ferry Center
produced a design and production cost estimate. 24

Chapter Four: Interpretation and Visitor Services 43

Notes

1 Historian's Annual Report, 1936; Annual Reports, 1936, 1937; Monthly Reports, April, July- August 1936.

2 Annual Report, 1937; Monthly Reports, March 1 937, May 1 939; Superintendent to Coordinating Superintendent, November
29, 1938, Historical Papers, Vol. 2.

3 Superintendent to Director, November 29, 1 939, MAR, Box 1 04.

4 Annual Reports, 1940-1941; Monthly Reports, March, May-June 1940; Superintendent to Coordinating Superintendent,
May 7, 1 940, MAR, Box 1 04; Coordinating Superintendent to Superintendent, May 1 0, 1 940, MAR, Box 1 04; Superintendent
to Director, December 9, 1 940, MAR, Box 1 04; Museum Prospectus, 1 949, Historical Papers, Vol. 5.

5 Prospectus for Visitor Center, 1953, Historical Papers, Vol. 6.

6 Monthly Reports, March- April 1954; Annual Reports, Information and Interpretive Services, 1957-1958.

7 Annual Report, Information and Interpretive Services, 1 961 ; Regional Chief of Interpretation to Superintendent, February
15, 1961, Historical Papers, Vol. 8; S. Michael Hubbell, Mary Slocumb's Ride to the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge (National Park
Service, 1962), 1-32; Superintendent to Regional Director, November 28, 1961, attached to Hubbell, Mary Slocumb's Ride;
Eastern National Park and Monument Association Report, 1 971 , Park Files.

8 Annual Reports, Information and Interpretive Services, 1966-1968; "Curtailment of Visitor Services at Moores Creek,"
Pender Chronicle, November 6, 1968, Historical Papers, Vol. 10.

" Master Plan, 10.

10 Interpretive Specialist to Regional Director, June 1 , 1 970, Historical Papers, Vol. 1 1 .

11 Childress, July 22, 1998; Annual Report, 1997.

12 Annual Reports, 1974, 1976; "Moores Creek Museum Reopens," Pender Post, March 27, 1974, Historical Papers, Vol. 12.

13 Barry Mackintosh, Interpretation in the National Park Service: A Historical Perspective (Washington: National Park Service,
1986), 54-67.

14 Annual Reports, 1972-1975, 1990-1993; "4 th Dimensional History Program at National Park," Pender Chronicle, August 9,
1972, Historical Papers, Vol. 1 1 .

15 Mackintosh, Interpretation, 67-72.

16 Environmental Specialist to Chief, Operations Evaluation, June 16, 1971, Historical Papers,Yol. 1 1 ; Annual Report, 1972;
Press Releases, August 1972, Historical Papers, Vol. 11.

17 Annual Reports, 1974, 1975.

44 Moores Creek National Battlefield: An Administrative History

18 Annual Reports, 1 978, 1981; Superintendent to Chief, Interpretation, Southeast Region, November 3, 1 978, Park Files;
Tarheel Trail Completion Report, May 24, 1 982, Park Files.

19 Mackintosh, Interpretation, 67-72.

20 Annual Report, 1980.

21 Annual Reports, 1982-1983, 1986.

22 Annual Report, 1 989; Tarheel Trail Completion Report, May 24, 1 982, Park Files.

23 Annual Reports, 1990-1993.

24 Childress, July 22, 1 998; Annual Report, 1 997.

CHAPTER FIVE

RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION AT
MOORES CREEK

Cultural Resources Management

Through the years, the diverse cultural resources of Moores Creek have undergone various levels
of documentation, preservation, and restoration. The park's physical size belies its abundance of
cultural resources. Historic structures and features at the park include the partially reconstructed
Negro Head Point Road causeway and earthworks, the six monuments erected between 1 857 and
1931, the headstones at the graves of Mary and Ezekiel Slocumb, and two property boundary
markers placed by the MCMA. In addition, the park contains nine known archeological features,
including the battlefield, the savannah, the historic bridge site, the Negro Head Point Road site,
the site of the earthworks, four tar kiln sites of unknown date, and the remains of a twentieth-
century structure. 1 The most complex resource is the landscape, which has evolved from the swampy
1776 battle setting to a commemorative park setting. Each of these cultural resources continues to
present new challenges to park managers. 2

Like all NPS units, Moores Creek was listed on the National Register of Historic Places with
enactment of the National Historic Preservation Act on October 15, 1966. 3 However, no formal
National Register documentation was completed for over a decade. Prepared by Superintendent
Raymond L. Ives between 1975 and 1976, official National Register documentation for the park
was approved by the keeper of the register in November 1977. Ives's documentation identified the
earthworks, the historic road causeway, and the six monuments as contributing elements to the
park's significance. 4 In February 1987, the NPS approved a boundary increase written by
Superintendent Boyles the previous year. This action extended the boundary identified in the
National Register documentation to include lands acquired by the park between 1974 and 1982. 5
Another amendment to the National Register listing was approved in June 1996. In an attempt to
clearly delineate significant park resources, this amendment, prepared by the Southeast Support
Office, cited the two MCMA boundary markers as contributing elements to the park. The amendment
designated the earthworks as noncontributing since they constitute neither the original earthworks
nor a full reconstruction. However, because the ground beneath the earthworks may contain

46 Moores Creek National Battlefield: An Administrative History

significant archeological data, the amendment cited the location of the earthworks as contributing
for archeological potential. In essence, the amendment argued for the integrity of the site as a
commemorative landscape rather than as an actual Revolutionary War battlefield landscape. 6

In addition to listing on the National Register, the park's historic structures were documented
through the List of Classified Structures (LCS) program, an NPS survey and inventory that
documents National Register-eligible resources in the parks. The LCS for Moores Creek was originally
conducted in 1975 by Southeast Regional Office staff and included the earthworks, the Negro
Head Point Road causeway, and the six monuments. An updating of the LCS by Southeast Regional
Office staff in 1 995 added the Slocumb headstones and the MCMA boundary markers. 7

Although not initially considered cultural resources, the monuments erected at the battleground
were eventually given that recognition. Consequently, their preservation was acknowledged as a
legitimate management responsibility, and this prompted the park to arrange for a background
study of the monuments in 1989. Conducted by an intern from the University of North Carolina at
Wilmington, this study provided comprehensive information on each monument, including original
appearances and locations, and historical information on adjoining fences and plantings. 8 In 1993,
historical architects from the Southeast Regional Office were invited to inspect the monuments
and recommend proper maintenance actions. As a result of this effort, the monuments were
subsequently cleaned using appropriate methods and procedures were devised for quarterly
inspections and yearly cleanings. 9 In 1995, based on the monuments background study, the park
restored the Patriot Monument to its original appearance by reinstalling the ornamental iron fencing
and decorative plantings. In some ways, the park's management philosophy with regard to the
monuments had come full circle. After being erected as part of a commemorative landscape, the
monuments came to be seen as intrusions when the park removed the surrounding fencing and
plantings during the 1 930s and 1 940s. By the 1 990s, the park began viewing the monuments and
their surroundings as significant in their own right and as important components of the
commemorative history of the battleground. 10

Archeology at the park has occurred sporadically through the years. Initial work was conducted
by NPS Archeologist Thor Borresen during King's attempt to restore the earthworks in the 1 930s.
Borresen was largely successful in determining the original dimensions of the earthworks, thereby
providing valuable information for any earthworks reconstruction attempts. In August 1958, a
metal detector survey of the entire park was conducted by John W Griffin. Since only a few
eighteenth-century artifacts were found, Griffin recommended dredging Moores Creek in an effort
to find additional artifacts. However, the park never acted on his suggestion. In 1 973, John W.
Walker of the Southeast Archeological Center (SEAC) performed a pedestrian survey of the area
where Highway 210 was to be relocated. Two years later, he opened the cornerstone of the Patriot
Monument. In 1 974, Timothy Thompson of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
investigated the earthworks, but found no eighteenth-century artifacts. During the same year, an
archeological team from the same agency planned an underwater survey of the creek at the historic
bridge site, but the survey was canceled due to equipment problems. 11

During the 1980s, archeological investigations at Moores Creek were undertaken to provide
information on the historic bridge in preparation for the bridge's reconstruction. A survey of the
creek using magnetometric remote sensing to locate bridge remains was performed in 1983 by a
team led by David M. Brewer of SEAC. The survey was unsuccessful in discovering any remains
from the 1776 bridge, although remains from the 1931 bridge were found. In 1984, further

Chapter Five: Resources Management and Protection at Moores Creek

Figure 1 7. An archeological investigation at Moores Creek
during the 1970s

archeological surveys, performed by Greg Komara, Travis Gray, and Alan Cooper, investigated
the west bank of Moores Creek, a tar kiln site on newly acquired property, and the part of the
historic causeway where Highway 210 was to be relocated. However, results of the survey were
inconclusive. Three years later, the park again tried unsuccessfully to find remains of the historic
bridge with Tom Hargrove's archeological survey 12

During the summer of 1994, a team of SEAC archeologists led by John Cornelison and Brewer
undertook the first archeological survey that included all NPS property at the park. The primary
goal was to discover new information on the 1776 battle scene — a goal that the archeologists
achieved with several important findings. In addition to revealing the height of the battle-period
earthworks, the investigation confirmed that eighty percent of the partially reconstructed earthworks
matched the location of the original earthworks. Remains of a campfire built on the eve of the
battle were located near the earthworks. The team dug a trench through the historic road causeway
in order to trace its evolution over time. Besides new information on the battle scene and landscape
changes, the survey located a number of artifacts, including a musket ball, a metal box, and nails. 13

Cultural landscape management at the park has often been directed at the accomplishment of
more than one goal. Many of the planting efforts under natural resources management have been
undertaken to restore the batde-period appearance of the site's cultural landscape. The earliest
example of such efforts was when the NPS began removing the MCMA's exotic plantings around

48 Moores Creek National Battlefield: An Administrative History

the monuments and along the park roads during the 1 930s. Native trees and shrubs were planted in
their place. In 1 972, the fields of fire between the two cannon and the bridge site were cleared of
brush and other screening vegetation in the belief that this would have been done in preparation
for the battle. These efforts were undertaken without a comprehensive plan for cultural landscape
restoration and management. 14

In 1985, the park contracted for the first comprehensive study to compare and contrast the
historic plant community patterns with the park's current natural features. The study recommended
establishing the original creek channel configuration to restore wetland communities, continuing
maintenance of the savannah area around the earthworks, allowing the revegetation of the pine
ridge behind the earthworks, and planting long leaf pines throughout the open meadow east of the
park entrance. 15 The park took several steps to implement the recommendations of the study,
beginning with the planting of hundreds of long leaf pines in 1985, 1991, 1993, and 1996. In
accordance with the recommendation to maintain the savannah, the park began an annual prescribed
burn program in 1988. As part of this program, the savannah was burned in an attempt to reduce
blackberry and tree growth. Although this effort was largely successful, it was unable to restore the
historic wetlands setting due to decades of drainage activities at the park. In addition, the two
wooded acres around the Tarheel Trail were burned annually to reduce fuels and ticks. 16

In 1994, Moores Creek undertook a Cultural Landscape Inventory (CLI), a relatively new NPS
management emphasis that emerged during the 1990s with a focus on park historic landscapes.
The three-stage CLI process included an inventory of current conditions and recommendations for
alterations to restore landscapes to their historic appearance. Darrel Morrison, a landscape architect
from the University of Georgia, conducted the field work and compiled a draft CLI for the first
level of the program. In 1997, this draft was revised and finalized by staff from the Southeast
Support Office. The CLI briefly outlined the historic vegetation patterns and divided the park into
five zones, including swamp woodlands, transitional wetlands, savannah, upland pine woodlands,
and open meadows and maintained facility areas. Morrison recommended the restoration of the
savannah since drainage efforts had decreased its natural and historic wetness. In coordination
with the NPS Water Resources Division, the park began a hydrologic study of the savannah by
installing monitoring wells during the summer of 1 996. The purpose of this study was to determine
the feasibility of restoring the wetness of the savannah area. In addition, the park received funding
in 1 997 for a cultural landscape report to address cultural landscape management recommendations
in more detail. 17

In 1 994, the park prepared a resources management plan to provide a unified, cohesive approach
to the management of it's varied cultural resources. The plan identified fundamental needs of the
program and recommended projects necessary to achieve and maintain the park's ultimate
preservation objectives. Among the plan's priorities were the continued preservation of the
earthworks, the preparation of a historic landscape management plan, the development of a
preservation maintenance plan for the monuments, and the completion of an archeological survey
and base map for the entire park acreage. 18 As part of the 1997 GPRA strategic planning process,
the park envisioned eventually restoring six disturbed acres, including the former Highway 210
roadbed and the Tarheel Trail. 19

Chapter Five: Resources Management and Protection at Moores Creek

Figure 1 8. Much of the cultural and natural resources management at Moores Creek has dealt with restoring the park to its
battle-period appearance by removing the commemorative landscape installed by the MCMA as seen in this circa 1935 view
of the Heroic Women Monument.

Natural Resources Management

Although Moores Creek NMP was established in 1 926 for its historical significance, the management
of the park's natural resources has long been an important concern of the NPS. Early park staff
documented the flora and fauna of the site along with gathering information on the park's historical
significance. In 1936, nine varieties of oak trees, two of cypress, two of hickory, two of pine, and
three of gum were identified. During the same year, the venus flytrap was first reported as being
present in the park. Although this plant was not native to the park, it was known to grow in the
area. Other plants identified were the Carolina maple, holly, persimmon, wild olive, sassafras,
sycamore, willow, white ash, dogwood, huckleberry, spider lily, pitcher plant, butterwort, and swamp
orchid. 20

Early attempts to protect the park's flora from insect infestation usually consisted of spraying.
Lead arsenate was used to combat walnut caterpillars that infested oak and hickory trees. For trees
with webworms, affected branches were cut and burned. In addition, fire was sometimes employed
to combat destructive insects. 21 In the 1 930s, wildlife in the park consisted of squirrels, wild turkeys,
quail, and an occasional bear. By 1 938, fifty bird species had been identified. Prohibitions against
hunting within park boundaries allowed the battleground to become a bird sanctuary. 22

In addition to naturally occurring plants, park staff undertook a reforestation effort in 1 937,
resulting in the planting often juniper, eight red cedar, ten dogwood, ten long leaf pine, six Christmas
holly, six yellow poplar, and fifteen flowering ash trees. Although there was no plan or design for
this planting, care was taken to place each variety in its natural environment. The regional associate

50 Moores Creek National Battlefield: An Administrative History

wildlife technician suggested further planting of trees and shrubs to encourage birds and animals
to move into the park. To further promote reforestation, park staff decided to reduce mowing of
the batdeground, except around buildings, monuments, road shoulders, the picnic area, and the
earthworks. 23 Due to the park's forested nature, fire protection played an important part in the
natural resources management program during the 1930s. A fire lane was cut and maintained along
the park's perimeter to protect against outside fires. Fires that happened to jump the lane or the
creek were quickly suppressed. 24

Numerous studies have been conducted through the years to document the number and types
of flora and fauna in the park. Between 1937 and 1938, a wildlife study and a bird checklist were
completed. In 1940, a similar checklist was prepared for flowering plants. The following year, the
park superintendent reported that 275 species of flora other than trees and over fifty varieties of
trees had been identified. Documentation efforts continued sporadically until 1982 when Dr. David
Sieren, a professor in the botany department of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington,
completed the first comprehensive floristic study of the park's vascular plants. Dr. Sieren identified
108 families, 297 genera, and 539 species. 25

Until more recently, attempts to restore the park's natural environment to some resemblance
of its historic appearance lacked a coherent approach. In some cases, new plantings were designed
to accomplish a management objective rather than to restore the historic scene. In 1957 for example,
one hundred southern pine seedlings were planted to mark the park boundary in the vicinity of the
old picnic grounds. In 1972, the regional resources management specialist recommended the use
of low growing native thorny plants to control traffic that drifted off of established trails. Areas
without grass were routinely seeded to improve their appearance or to facilitate erosion control. As
previously mentioned, management of the park's natural resources in the context of cultural
landscape considerations became a major planning objective during the 1980s and 1990s. 26

In 1997, the NPS Water Resources Division finished a water quality analysis for the creek, and
the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission completed a study revealing that no threatened
or endangered mussels inhabited Moores Creek. Later that year, the park set a five-year strategic
planning goal to increase the natural resources inventor)' by five percent with the addition of an
aquatic wildlife survey. 27

Law Enforcement

Due primarily to Moores Creek's rural setting, law enforcement activity has never been a major
issue at the park. Most incidents during the first four decades of NPS management concerned
drunk drivers, speeding violators, minor vandalism, and hunting violations. Most incidents were
handled with verbal warnings until an incident reporting system was established in 1 972. 28 By the
1970s, increased visitation mandated upgrades to the park's law enforcement program. In 1974,
equipment was purchased to bring the park up to minimum standards. Two years later, the park
hired its first full-time law enforcement ranger. In September 1976, the law enforcement ranger
assisted members of the U.S. Customs Service, local narcotics officers, and personnel from two
county sheriff's departments with a marijuana arrest in the park. 29

Despite an occasional incident, law enforcement was a minor concern at Moores Creek during
the 1970s. Enforcement consisted mainly of patrolling abandoned buildings on newly acquired
property and occasionally uncovering marijuana plants for eradication. Consequendy, the law

Chapter Five: Resources Management and Protection at Moores Creek 5 1

enforcement position was reclassified as a park technician position in 1 979. Without a commissioned
ranger on staff, employees who lived on site were responsible for building security and grounds
patrol. In addition, an alarm system was installed in the visitor center in 1981. 30

During the 1 980s, incidents of vandalism began to increase at the park. As a result, the park
installed additional signs prohibiting illegal activities. In July 1984, concurrent jurisdiction with
state and local law enforcement authorities became effective. Since that date, the Pender County
Sheriff's Department has assisted in the protection of park resources. 31

Further improvements in law enforcement and safety measures occurred during the 1990s. In
1991, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the park and the Atkinson Volunteer
Fire Department for structural fire fighting support within the park and wildfire suppression both
within the park and on adjacent lands. In addition, a chain-link fence was erected along portions of
the western boundary in 1996 to prevent casual entry from the old Highway 210 remnant outside
the park. 32

Notes

1 GPRA, 5.

2 Moores Creek National Battlefield, Statement for -Management (National Park Service, 1994), 1-22.

3 National Register of Historic Places TELNET database [http://www.nr.nps.gov/nrishome.htm], October 1997.

4 Raymond L. Ives, Moores Creek National Military Park, National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form
for Federal Properties, National Register Files, Cultural Resources Stewardship Division, Southeast Regional Office, National
Park Service, Adanta; National Register of Historic Places TELNET database [http://www.nr.nps.gov/nrishome.htrn],
October 1997.

5 Fred Boyles, Moores Creek National Battlefield, National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form for Federal
Properties, National Register Files; National Register of Historic Places TELNET database [http://www.nr.nps.gov/
nrishome.htm], October 1997.

6 Robert W. Blythe, Moores Creek National Battlefield, National Register of Historic Places Amendment, National Register
Files; National Register of Historic Places TELNET database [http://www.nr.nps.gov/nrishome.htm], October 1 997.

7 List of Classified Structures Files, Cultural Resources Stewardship Division, Southeast Regional Office, National Park
Service, Atlanta.

8 Annual Report, 1989; Jamie Blankenship, Background Study of Fences and Monuments at Moores Creek NB (National Park
Service, 1989), 1-13.

9 Southeast Regional Office, National Park Service, Completion Report, Moores Creek National Battlefield, Cleaning and Preservation
of SixMonuments (Atlanta: National Park Service, 1993), 1-10.

52 Moores Creek National Battlefield: An Administrative History

10 Assessment of Actions Having an Effect on Cultural Resources, MOCR 91-01, Section 106 Files, Cultural Resources
Stewardship Division, Southeast Regional Office, National Park Service, Atlanta; Darrel Morrison and Lucy Lawliss, Cultural
Landscape Inventory, Moores Creek National Battlefield (National Park Service, 1 997), 1 5, Cultural Landscape Inventory
Files, Cultural Resources Stewardship Division, Southeast Regional Office, National Park Service, Adanta.

' ' Thor Borresen, Report on Inspection of Earthwork Restoration and Repair, 1 940; Annual Reports, 1938, 1 974.

12 David M. Brewer, Report on an Underwater Archeological Survey and Testing of Moores Creek National Battlefield (Tallahassee,
Florida: Southeast Archeological Center, 1983), 1-13; Annual Reports, 1984, 1987.

13 Patrick Thomas, "Archaeologists make key finds at Moores Creek," Pender Post,)\Ay 20, 1994, 1.

14 Monthly Report, September 1942; Annual Report, 1972.

13 Gerald R. McCrain and Barbara H. Church, An Analysis of Past and Present Plant Community Patterns in Moores Creek National
Battlefield (Resource Management Company, 1985), 42-47.

16 Annual Reports, 1 985, 1 989, 1 99 1 , 1 993.

17 Morrison, 1-25; Chief, Cultural Resources, Southeast Support Office, to Superintendent, March 21, 1997, Cultural Landscape
Inventory Files; Superintendent to Chief, Cultural Resources, Southeast Support Office, June 12, 1 997, Cultural Landscape
Inventory Files.

18 Statement for Management, 1-22.

19 GPRA, 3-5.

20 Monthly Reports, April-May, October-November 1936; Superintendent to Coordinating Superintendent, February 8,
1945, MAR, Box 103.

21 Superintendent to Director, October 29, 1 937, Historical Papers, Vol. 2; Monthly Reports, June, August-September 1 937.

22 Annual Reports, 1938, 1942; Monthly Report, September 1941.

23 Annual Report, 1937; OB. Taylor, Associate Wildlife Technician, to Coordinating Superintendent, August 19, 1937,
MAR, Box 103; Monthly Report, November 1937; Coordinating Superintendent to Regional Director, May 23, 1944, MAR,
Box 104.

24 Monthly Reports, May, October 1 937; June 1 938; February 1951.

25 Annual Reports, 1939-1941, 1980, 1982.

26 Monthly Report, December 1957; Annual Reports, 1965, 1974-1975; Resource Management Specialist to Regional Director,
June 5, 1972, Historical Papers,Vo\. 11.

27 Water Resources Division, Baseline Water Quality Data Inventory and Analysis, Moores Creek National Battlefield (Washington:
National Park Service, 1997), v-vii; GPRA, 6.

Chapter Five: Resources Management and Protection at Moores Creek 53

28 Monthly Reports, May, November 1937; February, July, November 1951; November 1953; April 1956; December 1957;
September 1968; February 1969; Annual Report, 1972.

29 Annual Reports, 1973-1976.

30 Annual Reports, 1978-1979, 1981-1982.

31 Annual Report, 1984; Childress, July 22, 1998.

32 Annual Report, 1991; Childress, July 22, 1998.

CONCLUSION

At the bridge across Moores Creek on February 27, 1 776, Patriot militia defeated a Loyalist army
marching to rendezvous with a British fleet on the coast of North Carolina. This early Patriot
victory in the southern colonies helped delay a full-scale British invasion of the region for several
years. Recognizing the significance of the battleground, the local community initiated the
commemorative history of the site in 1856 with an anniversary celebration and a monument drive.
In 1897, the State of North Carolina purchased the site and created the Moores Creek Monumental
Association as a private organization to develop and maintain the battleground as a public park.
Federal involvement began in 1 926 with the creation of the Moores Creek National Military Park.
After a brief time of management by the War Department, the NPS took over the battlefield in
1933.

During its sixty-five years of management at Moores Creek NB, the NPS has dramatically
transformed the park while confronting a number of complex challenges. Management issues of
the past — expansion, facility upgrades, resource protection, landscape restoration, reconstruction
policy, limited funding and staffing, and competition for diminishing agency resources — will
undoubtedly resurface in the future. With the emergence of new challenges, such as the growing
diversification of the American public, development and land use pressures, and changes in park
operating funds, managers at Moores Creek NB may look increasingly to decisions of the past in
order to formulate creative solutions for the future. It is hoped that the research presented in this
report, and the context in which it has been presented, will help guide the management of Moores
Creek NB for many years to come.

Appendix One

A Chronology for Moores Creek NMP/NB

1776 On February 27, a force of eleven hundred Patriots defeated a force of sixteen

hundred Highlander Loyalists in the Batde of Moores Creek Bridge.

1791 The land encompassing the Moores Creek batdeground was granted by patent to

John Jones, the first private owner of the site.

1856 The Fayetteville Observer printed an article deploring the Moores Creek battieground's
neglect. Inspired by the article, a group of local citizens resolved to hold an
anniversary observance at the batdeground on February 27.

1857 On January 10, committees were appointed for New Hanover, Duplin, Lenoir,
Wayne, Cumberland, Bladen, Columbus, and Brunswick Counties to solicit funds
for a monument to the Patriots who fought in the batde. By the time of the second
anniversary celebration on February 27, enough money had been raised to lay the
Patriot Monument's cornerstone.

1897 The North Carolina General Assembly authorized the purchase of no more than

twenty acres to be set aside as a public park in commemoration of the batde.

1899 The General Assembly incorporated the MCMA on March 7 to administer the park

at the batdeground.

At its first meeting on July 4, the MCMA made plans for a picnic and celebration on
August 1 7 and elected James F. Moore as its first president. A board of directors
was empowered to clear the grounds and build a pavilion.

1904 Use of the historic Negro Head Point Road and Moores Creek Bridge was
discontinued when the road was straightened and a new bridge was built upstream.

1905 The General Assembly approved an appropriation to keep the grounds cleared and
erect a lodge to protect visitors from the weather.

1907 The General Assembly granted the MCMA the power to preserve order and protect

persons and property. The General Assembly also appropriated funds to preserve,
improve, protect, and enlarge the batdeground.

58 Moores Creek National Battlefield: An Administrative History

The Heroic Women of the Lower Cape Fear Monument, or Slocumb Monument,
was erected.

1909 The Loyalist Monument was erected.

1911 The Stage Road Monument was erected.

1913 A monument was erected to the memory of the association's first president, James

F. Moore, who had died in 1912.

1925 The General Assembly authorized the donation of the battleground to the federal
government for use as a national military park.

1926 On June 2, President Calvin Coolidge signed into law a bill establishing Moores
Creek NMP. The deed to the property was conveyed to the United States on July 8;
the War Department officially accepted responsibility for operating the park on
August 23. George J. Moore, the second president of the MCMA, was appointed
the first federal superintendent.

1928 Charles P. Moore was hired as caretaker for an annual salary and lodging.

1929 At the urging of the DAR, the bodies of Maty and Ezekiel Slocumb were moved
from Mount Olive, North Carolina, to a new grave site at the base of the Heroic
Women Monument. The reburial took place on September 20.

1931 The Battle of Moores Creek Bridge Monument was erected with a text prepared by
the Historical Section of the Army War College. In addition, a reconstructed bridge
was built at the historic creek crossing.

1932 The War Department installed new entrance gates.

1933 Moores Creek NMP was transferred from the War Department to the NPS within
the Department of the Interior.

1935 Superintendent Moore retired. Charles P. Moore continued as caretaker and the
park's only staff member.

1936 On December 1, Clyde B. King was appointed park superintendent.

Appendix One: A Chronology for Moores Creek NMP/NB 59

1937 The park undertook its first extensive education program. King personally took
charge of the program and gave 167 lectures to 15,825 grade school and high school
students and teachers.

A wildlife study was conducted.

1938 King completed the park's first master plan. He conducted a survey to identify
those lands adjacent to the park that were desirable for inclusion; thirty-five acres
were specified as being the minimum necessary for full development of the park.

The park staff began compiling a bird checklist; fifty varieties of birds were identified.

1939 On December 13, King began repair of disturbed sections of the earthworks. He
removed soil which had accumulated in the ditch and placed it in depressions in
the earthworks caused by a park road.

The park submitted a museum plan to the regional office in May. It featured exhibits
about the Moores Creek campaign, the Revolutionary War in the South, the natural
features of the park, and other national park areas.

King enclosed the old dance pavilion and used the structure as a temporary museum.
In May, the first exhibit, a map of the battie campaign, was placed on display.

1940 In June, the park prepared and printed its first information folder.

On October 28, the park began receiving electric power from the Tide Water Power
Company of Wilmington.

The park staff prepared a checklist for flowering plants in the park.

1941 The superintendent reported that 275 species of flora other than trees and over
fifty varieties of trees had been identified.

1942 King transferred to the Natchez Trace Parkway. He was replaced by Oswald E.
Camp, who came from Kings Mountain NMP.

1943 On June 19, the park was made available to soldiers from nearby Camp Davis for a
day-long outing; 650 people attended. In August, the 225 th Searchlight Battalion
visited the park; 550 people attended.

The MCBA sponsored the first Easter service at the park in April.

60 Moores Creek National Battlefield: An Administrative History

On September 27, Congress passed legislation that authorized the acceptance of
donated property to enlarge the park.

1945 The NPS removed the reconstructed bridge built by the War Department in 1931
because it was in danger of collapse.

The State of North Carolina agreed to buy land to enlarge the park.

In September, flooding forced Camp to move out of the superintendent's residence.

1946 The state began paving Highway 602.

1947 The General Assembly appropriated the funds necessary for land acquisition.

1948 The state purchased over twelve acres of land for donation to the park.

1949 Harry D. Goodson succeeded Camp as superintendent.

1950 On November 1 , the paving of Highway 602 was completed, and it was dedicated
as the Moores Creek Batdeground Highway on November 9.

1951 The transfer of the twelve acres from the State of North Carolina to the NPS took
place during the 1 75th anniversary observance of the Battle of Moores Creek Bridge.

1952 Highway 602 was renamed Highway 210 in January.

1954 News that Moores Creek NMP was under consideration for possible removal from

the national park system brought strong protests. Because of this opposition, the
proposal was not pursued further by the NPS.

In April, the self-guiding tour trail was laid out.

1956 George C. Blake was appointed superintendent following Goodson's death.
Telephone service was extended to the park.

1957 One thousand southern pine seedlings were planted to mark the park boundary in
the vicinity of the old picnic grounds.

Appendix One: A Chronology for Moores Creek NMP/NB 61

1958 The Mission 66 program at Moores Creek NMP was inaugurated on March 9 when
groundbreaking ceremonies were held for the building program at the park.

In August, archeologist John W. Griffin used a metal detector within the earthworks
and on the causeway in an attempt to locate artifacts for use in museum exhibits.
Six bags of objects were recovered from the earthworks, including two iron fragments,
a small brass or bronze buckle, and a lead fragment. Griffin recommended that the
earthworks be excavated and that the creek be dredged.

1959 By January, the visitor center, an equipment storage building, and two employee
residences had been completed as part of the Mission 66 building program at the
park.

James M. Ford became superintendent in February after Blake transferred to Hot
Springs National Park.

On July 1 , Moores Creek NMP became an independent unit; the park superintendent
no longer reported to the coordinating superintendent at Colonial National Fhstorical
Park.

1961 The first permanent exhibits were installed in the new visitor center. The displays
featured artifacts representing the ethnic groups in North Carolina in 1776 and
hand weapons of the period. The museum displays were supplemented by new
wayside exhibits on the battleground and an audio station at the historic bridge
site.

1962 The diorama was installed in the visitor center on August 7.
1964 Russell A. Gibbs succeeded Ford as superintendent.

1966 Patriots Hall was completed on March 30; it was dedicated on October 23.

1967 Visitor center hours and the number of interpretive programs offered were limited
due to a lack of staff. The picnic area was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

1969 The Moores Creek NMP Master Plan was approved in January.

John R. DeWeese succeeded Gibbs as superintendent.

1972 The DCP for the park was completed. It proposed the relocation of Highway 210

from the center of the park, a new entrance road, and a substantial reorientation of
the park's layout.

62 Moores Creek National Battlefield: An Administrative History

The park began its first living history program. An interpreter, with replica uniform
and equipment, was stationed in a simulated camp that was set up on summer
weekends. The park also initiated an environmental education program and worked
with the Pender Count)' school system and other interested organizations.

A law enforcement incident reporting system was put into place for the first time.

Raymond Ives succeeded DeWeese as superintendent.

1973 The living history program was expanded with the addition of the Loyalist
Highlanders. Interpreters, dressed in period costume, walked the grounds playing
bagpipes and demonstrating Scottish arms.

1974 The Loyalist and Patriot Monuments were relocated as part of the implementation
of the DCP, which called for a new interpretive trail.

On October 26, President Richard Nixon signed Public Law 93-4771, which
authorized boundary changes. This made possible the acquisition of twelve acres
west of the creek and twenty-one acres east of the visitor center for the relocation
of Highway 210.

The visitor center was renovated with a thirteen-panel display and an audiovisual
slide program added.

The first "military arts camp of instruction" was held to train the park's living
history interpreters.

The NPS contracted with Timothy Thompson, of the North Carolina Department
of Cultural Resources, to conduct extensive excavations of the earthworks.

1975 The Colonial Nature Trail was constructed. It was 0.28 miles long, hardsurfaced
with soil cement, and looped through the wooded area in the southeast corner of
the park.

1976 The law enforcement position was staffed through the entire year for the first time.
On September 24, the ranger assisted members of the U.S. Customs Sendee, local
narcotics officers, and two county sheriff departments with a marijuana arrest in
the park.

Appendix One: A Chronology for Moores Creek NMP/NB 63

1978 The U.S. Department of Agriculture's district conservationist investigated the causes

of erosion of the causeway leading to the historic bridge site and made
recommendations for correction. Most of the alternatives were expensive and carried
some risk that additional damage would be done during implementation. The park
ultimately decided to use rip-rap and additional ground cover to try to slow the
erosion.

John W Stockert succeeded Ives as superintendent.

1980 T.D. Eure Construction Company completed a contract for causeway stabilization
on November 21 .

The official name of the park was changed from Moores Creek National Military
Park to Moores Creek National Battlefield on September 8.

1981 Park Historian Terry Maze prepared a conceptual plan for the Tarheel Trail based
on King's idea that the trail should be used to tell the story of the naval stores
industry in the region.

An alarm system was installed in the visitor center.

A total of 307 feet of the History Trail was raised by an average of one foot and
soil cementing was done by Carolina Contractors of Wilmington. The section raised
began at the base of the Heroic Women Monument and continued across the
savannah ditch to the Moore Monument.

1982 In condemnation proceedings between March 1 5 and 1 8, a court set the amount of
money due to the owner of the land west of the creek.

Interpretive exhibits were installed along the Tarheel Trail.

Dr. David Sieren of the Botany Department of the University of North Carolina at
Wilmington completed the first comprehensive floristic study of the vascular plants
at Moores Creek NB. Dr. Sieren identified 108 families, 297 genera, and 539 species.

1983 SEAC conducted an underwater archeological survey and testing of the creekbed
in order to locate and identify remains of the historic bridge. Remains of the 1931
reconstructed bridge were found, but no traces of the historic bridge were located.

64 Moores Creek National Battlefield: An Administrative History

1984 On July 27, concurrent jurisdiction with state and local law enforcement agencies
became effective. On August 24, Patriots Hall was burglarized. This was only one
of an increasing number of law enforcement incidents.

1985 The park staff planned and developed a program to restore the historic landscape
by planting long leaf pines; one thousand seedlings were planted in accordance
with a historic grounds study.

Fred Boyles succeeded Stockert as superintendent; Stockert transferred to Fort
Donelson NB.

1986 The North Carolina Department of Transportation awarded a contract for the
relocation of Highway 210 to a newly acquired tract of land east of the visitor
center.

The park received funding from the Eastern National Park and Monument
Association to conduct a study of the historic bridge in conjunction with the North
Carolina State Historic Preservation Officer. This study resulted in information
that was later translated into plans for a reconstructed bridge based on a "minimum
of conjecture."

The park's interpretive staff produced a historical handbook as a sales item.

1987 Archeological consultant Tom Hargrove was hired to search, once again, for evidence
of the historic bridge; he found no evidence.

1988 The park began a prescribed burn program in an effort to maintain the savannah.
As part of the program, the savannah was burned annually in an attempt to reduce
blackberry and tree growth.

1989 A 315-foot boardwalk and eighty- foot bridge were constructed to provide access
to the west side of the creek.

A volunteer intern from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington completed
a research report on the monuments at Moores Creek NB. This study documented
the history of each monument and any alterations.

1990 Dusty Shultz succeeded Boyles as superintendent; Boyles transferred to
Andersonville and Jimmy Carter National Historic Sites.

Appendix One: A Chronology for Moores Creek NMP/NB 65

1992 A preservation crew from Cape Hatteras National Seashore began work on the
reconstructed bridge on October 26 and completed it on November 2.

A television and VCR were purchased so that video programs could be shown in
the visitor center.

1993 The park began showing the new video, The Battle of Moores Creek.

In October, Bob Davidson succeeded Shultz as superintendent; Shultz transferred
to Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial.

1994 The park's resource management plan was approved.

In June and July, SEAC archeologists conducted an archeological survey of all park
properly and made several important findings.

In August, a new water treatment building was constructed.

Davidson retired as superintendent on December 10. Moores Creek was
subsequently placed under the administration of Fort Sumter National Monument
Superintendent John Tucker.

1995 The ornamental iron fencing around the Patriot Monument was reconstructed.
The picnic shelter was removed and replaced by a new one.

1997 The NPS Water Resources Division completed a water quality analysis for the park
and released the findings in July. In addition, the North Carolina Division of Natural
Resources determined that no threatened or endangered mussels were in Moores
Creek.

The park finalized its strategic plan for the Government Performance and Results
Act of 1993.

1998 Construction of a new restroom just east of the visitor center was completed.
Work was carried out by staff members from the park, Fort Sumter National
Monument, and the Southeast Region.

A long-range interpretive plan was finalized.

66 Moores Creek National Battlefield: An Administrative History

Programs for large groups, especially school and military groups, were moved to
Patriots Hall.

Ann Childress became superintendent in January, reporting to Fort Sumter
Superintendent John Tucker.

Appendix Two

Moores Creek NMP/NB Superintendents

George J. Moore

February 6, 1928 to August 10, 1933

Moores Creek NMP was transferred from the War Department to the NPS on August 10, 1933.

George J. Moore

October 1, 1933 to October 15, 1935

Clyde B. King, acting

October 21, 1935 to December 1, 1936

On March 15, 1936, Moores Creek NMP became part of a southern Revolutionary War group managed by
Colonial National Historical Park. Moores Creek NMP's superintendent reported to a coordinating superintendent
under this arrangement. On July 1 , 1959, Moores Creek NMP was removed from this group and became an
independent park again. Coordinating superintendents during this time included B. Floyd Flickinger and Jean C
Harrington.

Clyde B. King
Oswald E. Camp
Harry D. Goodson
George C. Blake
James M. Ford
Russell A. Gibbs

December 1, 1936 to January 15, 1942

January 15, 1942 to January 31, 1949

April 11, 1949 to December 17, 1955

April 8, 1956 to March 1, 1959

March 1, 1959 to April 11, 1964

August 2, 1964 to October 31, 1969

John R. DeWeese

December 14, 1969 to June 30, 1972

Raymond L. Ives

September 1, 1972 to October 22, 1977

John W Stockert

January 15, 1978 to February 2, 1985

Frederick H. Boyles

May 19, 1985 to November 25, 1989

68 Moores Creek National Battlefield: An Administrative History

Dusty Shultz February 11, 1990 to September 18, 1993

Robert E. Davidson October 16, 1993 to December 10, 1994

After Davidson's retirement, Moores Creek NB was placed under the administration of the superintendent at
Fort Sumter National Monument.

John Tucker December 10, 1994 to January 5, 1998

In 1998, Moores Creek was provided funding for an on-site superintendent once again, although the park remained
part of the Fort Sumter Group.

Ann Childress January 6, 1998 to Present

Appendix Three

Moores Creek NMP/NB Annual
Visitation Statistics

1926-1935 statistics unavailable

1936

4,187

1937

4,725

1938

6,428

1939

5,008

1940

3,768

1941

4,412

1942

2,700

1943

5,773

1944

3,342

1945

3,501

1946

4,031

1947

3,818

1948

4,974

1949

8,783

1950

12,648

1951

17,545

1952

18,194

1953

18,864

1954

21,737

1955

22,611

1956

26,188

1957

28,093

1958

30,001

1959

31,165

1960

24,440

1961

20,578

1962

25,679

1963

27,052

1964

27,968

1965

31,930

1966

33,832

1967

33,463

1968

35,408

1969

■ 37,535

1970

44,120

1971

52,460

1972

42,241

1973

37,574

1974

42,867

1975

48,954

1976

71,057

1977

56,163

1978

56,976

1979

44,272

1980

41,793

1981

45,054

1982

50,192

1983

39,532

1984

32,715

1985

43,908

1986

45,821

1987

41,026

1988

49,020

1989

46,260

1990

51,640

1991

68,511

1992

64,958

1993

58,215

1994

70,225

1995

57,706

1996

58,516

1997

47,139

Moores Creek National Battlefield: An Administrative History

Moores Creek Annual Visitation

80,000 T

70,000

60,000

E 50.000
o

"35

o 40,000

E
Z 30,000

20,000

10.000

|l l |l l | l l|l t |ll| U | H| U|U|U|

oo —

00 —

Year

Figure 1 9. Visitation trends at Moores Creek, 1 936-1 998

Appendix Four

Acts and Resolutions of the North Carolina General Assembly

An act for the purchase of Moores Creek Battleground
Ratified March 9, 1897

An act to incorporate the Moores Creek Monumental Association
Ratified March 7, 1899

An act to prevent felling of trees in Moores Creek, Pender County
Ratified February 4, 1905

An act to appropriate and consolidate the annual appropriation of the Moores Creek Monumental
Association

Ratified March 2, 1905

An act to empower the Moores Creek Monumental Association to preserve order and to protect
persons and premises

Ratified February 1907

An act to make appropriations for State Institutions
Ratified March 11, 1907

An act to amend Chapter 262 of the Public Laws of 1 907, increasing the annual appropriation to
the Moores Creek Battleground Association from $500 to $1,000
Ratified August 23, 1924

An act authorizing the granting of title by the State of North Carolina to Moores Creek Battlefield,
Pender County, North Carolina, to the Government of the United States
Ratified February 21, 1925

Resolution 31 calling attention of Congress to the significance of the Battle of Moores Creek
Bridge in the War of the American Revolution, and requesting that Moores Creek battleground be
erected and maintained by the Federal Government as a national park
Ratified February 27, 1925

72 Moores Creek National Battlefield: An Administrative History

An act to make an act of the General Assembly of 1 925 authorizing the grant of title to the U.S.
Government to Moores Creek battlefield in accordance with the requirements of said Government
Ratified February 26, 1927

An act to create a commission for the purpose of acquiring certain property adjoining the Moores
Creek National Military Park, in Pender County, and appropriating $500 therefor
Ratified April 5, 1947

An act to authorize the governor, with the approval of Council of State to convey to the United
States of America, a tract of land purchased for Moores Creek National Military Park
Ratified March 27, 1951

An act to appropriate funds for the purchase of additional land at Moores Creek National Military
Park

Ratified June 30, 1969

Appendix Five
Federal Legislation

An Act Authorizing the Secretary of War to donate two condemned cannon to Moores
Creek Battle Ground Association, approved February 23, 1909 (35 Stat. 643)

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
That the Secretary of War be, and he is hereby, authorized and directed to donate to Moores Creek
Battle Ground Association, of Currie, North Carolina, two condemned bronze field pieces with
their carriages and a suitable outfit of cannon balls which may not be needed in the service:
Provided, That no expense shall be incurred by the United States in connection with the donation
of the above-mentioned articles of ordnance property.

An Act To establish a national military park at the battle field of Moores Creek, North
Carolina, approved June 2, 1926 (44 Stat. 684)

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
That in order to preserve for historical and professional military study one of the most memorable
battles of the Revolutionary War, the battle field of Moores Creek, in the State of North Carolina,
is hereby declared to be a national military park whenever the title to the same shall have been
acquired by the United States; that is to say, the area inclosed by the following lines:

Those, tracts or parcels of land in the county of Pender, and State of North Carolina, more
particularly described as follows:

First tract: Beginning at a stone at the run of Moores Creek, on the east bank of same, about
twenty poles (in a straight line) above the new iron bridge, and running thence parallel to William
Walker's line, south sixty-two and one-half degrees west eleven chains to a stake; thence south
seven and one-half degrees east three and six-tenths chains to a stone at the south edge of said
road south forty-six degrees east about five chains and eighty links to a stone; thence south thirty-
seven and one-fourth degrees west fourteen chains and twelve links to a stone; thence north sixty-
two and one-half degrees west ten chains and seventy-five links to a stone, a corner (4) of an
eighty-acre tract which the parties of the first part conveyed to Governor D.L. Russell, for the
purposes aforesaid, by a deed dated January, 1 898, and recorded in Pender County; thence with the
lines of said tract north thirty-nine and one-half degrees east thirteen chains and twenty-seven
links to a stake, the third corner of the said eighty-acre tract; thence north fifty-one degrees west
four chains to a stake about twenty feet from the old entrenchment (the second corner of the
eighty-acre tract); thence up and with the run of said creek to the first station, containing twenty
acres.

Second tract: Beginning at a sweet gum on the eastern edge of Moores Creek, running thence
south forty-four degrees east two poles to a stake; thence south fifty-one degrees east four poles
five links to a stake; thence south thirty-nine degrees west thirteen poles twenty-seven links to a
stake; thence north fifty-one degrees west nine poles thirty-one links to a stake in the edge of
Moores Creek; thence northerly with the creek to the beginning, containing eight acres more or
less.

74 Moores Creek National Battlefield: An Administrative History

Third tract: Beginning at a cypress on the edge of the run of Moores Creek about twenty feet
from the west end of the old entrenchments and running thence in a line parallel to and ten feet
distance from the outside or east edge of the old line of entrenchments in all the various courses
of the same to a stake ten feet distant on the east side of the north end of said entrenchments;
thence a direct line to the run of said Moores Creek; thence down said creek to the beginning,
containing two acres, be the same more or less (the intention is to include all lands now known and
designated as Moores Creek battlefield and now so recognized as such and owned by the State of
North Carolina), together with all the privileges and appurtenances thereunto belonging.

The aforesaid tracts of land containing in the aggregate thirty acres, more or less, and being the
property of the State of North Carolina, and the area thus inclosed shall be known as the Moores
Creek National Military Park.

SEC. 2. The establishment of the Moores Creek National Military Park shall be carried forward
under the control and direction of the Secretary of War, who is hereby authorized to receive from
the State of North Carolina a deed of conveyance to the United States of all the lands belonging
to the said State, embracing thirty acres, more or less, and described more particularly in the preceding
section.

SEC. 3. That the affairs of the Moores Creek National Military Park shall be subject to the
supervision and direction of the Secretary of War, and it shall be the duty of the War Department,
under the direction of the Secretary of War, to open or repair such roads as may be necessary to the
purposes of the park, and to ascertain and mark with historical tablets or otherwise, as the Secretary
of War may determine, all lines of battle of the troops engaged in the Battle of Moores Creek, and
other historical points of interest pertaining to the battle within the park or its vicinity; and the
Secretary of War in establishing this military park is authorized to employ such labor and services
and to obtain such supplies and material as may be considered best for the interest of the
Government, and the Secretary of War shall make and enforce all needed regulations for the care
of the park.

SEC. 4. It shall be lawful for any State that had troops engaged in the battle of Moores Creek
National Military Park, to enter upon the same for the purpose of ascertaining and marking the
lines of battle of its troops engaged therein: Provided, That before any such lines are permanentiy
designated the position of the lines and the proposed methods of marking them by monuments,
tablets, or otherwise, shall be submitted to and approved by the Secretary of War; and all such
lines, designs, and inscriptions for the same shall first receive the written approval of the Secretary
of War.

SEC. 5. If any person shall, except by permission of the Secretary of War, destroy, deface,
injure, or remove any monument, column, statues, memorial structures, or work of art, which shall
be placed upon the grounds of the park by lawful authority, or shall destroy or remove any fence,
railing, inclosure, or other mark for the protection or ornamentation of said park, or any portion
thereof, or shall destroy, cut, hack, bark, break down, or otherwise injure any tree, brush, or shrubbery
that may be growing upon said park, or shall cut down or remove or fell any timber, battle relic,
tree, or tree growing upon said park, or hunt within the limits of the park, any person so offending
and found guilty thereof before any justice of the peace of the County of Pender, State of North
Carolina, shall, for each and every offense, forfeit and pay a fine, in the discretion of the justice,
according to the aggravation of the offense, of not less than $5 nor more than $50, one half for the
use of the park and the other half to the informer, to be enforced and recovered before such

Appendix Five: Federal Legislation 75

justice in like manner as fines of like nature are now by law recoverable in the said County of
Pender, State of North Carolina.

An Act To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to accept property for the Moores
Creek National Military Park, and for other purposes, approved September 27, 1944 (58
Stat. 746)

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
That the Secretary of the Interior is hereby authorized, in his discretion, to accept in behalf of the
United States donations of lands, buildings, structures, and other property, or interests therein,
which he may determine to be of historical interest in connection with the Moores Creek National
Military Park, the title to such property or interests to be satisfactory to the Secretary of the
Interior: Provided, That the area to be accepted pursuant to this Act shall not exceed one hundred
acres. All such property and interests, upon acquisition by the Federal Government, shall be a part
of the Moores Creek National Military Park and shall be subject to all laws and regulations applicable
thereto.

An Act To provide for increases in appropriation ceilings and boundary changes in certain
units of the National Park System, to authorize appropriations for additional costs of
land acquisition for the National Park System, and for other purposes, approved October
26, 1974 (88 Stat. 1445) (Public Law 93-477)

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SEC. 101. The limitations on appropriations for the acquisition of lands and interests therein
within units of the National Park System contained in the following Acts are amended as follows:

(7) Moores Creek National Military Park, North Carolina: The Act of September 27, 1944 (58
Stat. 746) is amended by adding the following new section:

"SEC. 2. There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out
the purposes of this Act, but not more than $243,000 shall be appropriated for the acquisition of
lands and interests in lands and not more than $325,000 shall be appropriated for development."

SEC. 402. The Act of September 27, 1944 (58 Stat. 746), providing for the Moores Creek
National Military Park is amended by changing the words "accept in behalf of the United States
donations of" to "acquire by donation, purchase, or exchange", and by changing "to be accepted"
to "acquired".

An Act To improve the administration of the Historic Sites, Buildings and Antiquities
Act of 1935 (49 Stat. 666), approved September 8, 1980 (94 Stat. 1133) (Public Law 96-
344)

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SEC. 12. The area formerly known as "Moores Creek National Military Park", established
pursuant to the Act of June 2, 1926 (44 Stat. 684), shall henceforth be known as the "Moores
Creek National Batdefield".

Bibliography

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Military Park. National Park Service, 1995.

Blankenship, Jamie. Background Study on Fences and Monuments at Moores Creek National Battlefield.
National Park Service, 1989.

Brewer, David M. Report on an Archeological Survey and Testing of Moores Creek National Battlefield.
National Park Service, 1983.

Buchanan, John. The Road to Guilford Courthouse: The American Revolution in the Carolinas. New York:
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Press, 1985.

Foster, Gaines M. Ghosts of the Confederacy: Defeat, the Lost Cause, and the Emergence of the New South.
New York: Oxford University Press, 1987.

Gibbs, Russell A. A History of Moores Creek National Military Park. National Park Service, 1965.

Hatch, Charles E., Jr. The Battle of Moores Creek Bridge. Washington: National Park Service, 1969.

Hubbell, S. Michael. Mary Slocumb's Ride to the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge. National Park Service,
1962.

King, Clyde B. Moores Creek Battlefield. National Park Service, 1939.

Lee, Ronald F. Family Tree of the National Park System: A Chart with Accompanying Text Designed to
Illustrate the Growth of the National Park System, 1872-1972. Philadelphia: Eastern National Park
and Monument Association, 1972.

Lee, Ronald F. The Origin and Evolution of the National Military Park Idea. Washington: National Park
Service, 1973.

78 Moores Creek National Battlefield: An Administrative History-

List of Classified Structures Files. Cultural Resources Stewardship Division, Southeast Regional
Office, National Park Service, Atlanta.

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in Moores Creek National Battlefield. Resource Management Company, 1985.

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McKoy, 1973.

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Central Classified Files, 1936-1952. Entry 81, Boxes 103-104.

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Park Files. Moores Creek National Battlefield, Currie, North Carolina.

Pender Post. July 20, 1994.

Powell, William S. North Carolina: A History. New York: WW Norton and Company, 1 977.

Rogers, Edmund B., compiler. History of Legislation Relating to The National Park System Through the
82d Congress: Moores Creek. Washington: National Park Service, 1958.

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Park Service, Atlanta.

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field, Cleaning and Preservation of Six Monuments. Atlanta: National Park Service, 1 993.

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Index

Abernethy, Charles L., 1 2, 1 4
Archeology, 19, 46-47, 20, 62, 64
Barden, Graham A., 21-22
Battle of Moores Creek Bridge

description of, 5, 57

events leading up to, 3-5

significance of, 6
Battle of Moores Creek Bridge Monument, 14, 19, 58
Battleground Association. See Moores Creek Battleground
Association
Bicentennial, 26-27, 40
George C. Blake, 60, 67
Borresen, Thor, 19-20, 46
Boyles, Fred, 29, 64, 67
Bridge

Revolutionary War role of, 4-5

reconstruction of, 14,17,21, 28-30,60
Bridge Monument JVe Battle of Moores Creek Bridge Monu-
ment

Camp, Oswald E., 20-21, 59-60, 67
Campbell, John, 5
Cannon, 5, 12,37-39
Caswell, Richard, 4-5
Childress, Ann, 31, 66, 68
CLI. j>£ Cultural Landscape Inventory
Cultural Landscape Inventory, 48
Cultural resources management, 45-48
DAR. JVe Daughters of the American Revolution
Daughters of the American Revolution, 12, 14, 58
Davidson, Robert E., 65, 68
DCP. ^Development Concept Plan
DeWeese,JohnR,61,67

Development Concept Plan (1972), 26, 30, 42, 61-62
Earthworks

Revolutionary War role of, 5

partially reconstructed and maintained, 9, 12, 19-20, 47, 59
Environmental education, 40-42
Flickinger, B.Floyd, 17-18
Flooding, 14,21-22,25,60
FordJamesM.,24,61,67
Fort Sumter National Monument, 30-31, 66
Gibbs, Russell A, 25, 61, 67
Goodson, Harry D, 60, 67

Government Performance and Results Act, 31, 48, 65
GPRA. See Government Performance and Results Act
Grady, John

death of, 5

monument to, 9
Grady Monument. See Patriot Monument

Harrington, Jean C, 21

Henderson, David N., 24

Heroic Women of the Lower Cape Fear Monument, 1 2, 1 8,

49,58

Highlanders. See Scottish Highlanders

Highways

State Highway Number 210, 21, 25-26, 28, 48, 61, 64

State Highway Number 602, 1 8, 20-21, 60
Interpretation, 37-42, 65
Ives, Raymond L., 45, 63, 67
Jones, John, 9, 57

King, Clyde B., 17-20, 37, 41, 58-59, 67
Land acquisition, 9, 21, 25, 28
Landscape management, 12, 17-18, 47-48, 64
Law enforcement, 50-51, 63-64
LCS. Seellst of Classified Structures
Lillington, Alexander, 4-5
List of Classified Structures, 46
Living history, 40, 62
Loyalist Monument, 12, 58
Loyalists

Revolutionary War role of, 3-6

monument to, 12, 58
MacDonald, Donald, 4
Martin,Josiah, 3-4
Master Plan (1969), 30, 39, 42
McLeod, Donald, 4-5
Mission 66, 21, 23-25, 28, 38-39, 61

Monumental Association. See Moores Creek Monumental
Association

Monuments, 9, 12, 14, 18-19, 21, 45, 49. See also Battle of
Moores Creek Bridge Monument; Heroic Women of
the Lower Cape Fear Monument; Loyalist Monument;
Moore Monument; Patriot Monument; Stage Road
Monument
Moore, Charles P., 13, 17, 58
Moore, George J., 13, 17, 58, 67
Moore, Coloneljames, 4
Moore, James F, 11-12,57-58
Moore Monument, 12, 21, 58
Moores Creek, 5, 25, 42
Moores Creek Battleground Association, 12, 21-22, 24-25,

30-31 , 39, 42, 59. See also Moores Creek Monumental As-
sociation
Moores Creek Battleground Highway, 21, 60. See also High-
ways

Moores Creek Monumental Association. See also Moores
Creek Battleground Association

creation of, 9-10, 57

82 Moores Creek National Battlefield: An Administrative History

management of battleground by, 10-13, 17-19, 58
Museum, 20-21, 37-39, 59
National Register of Historic Places, 45-46
Natural resources management, 49-50, 59, 63
Negro Head Point Road, 5, 12, 27-28, 45, 57
North Carolina. See also North Carolina General Assembly

settlement of, 3

Revolutionary War in, 3-6
North Carolina General Assembly, 9, 12, 57-58, 71-72
Overman, Lee Slater, 12-13
Patriot Monument, 9, 57, 65
Patriots

Revolutionary War role of, 3-6

monument to, 9, 57
Patriots Hall, 24-25, 27, 61, 63, 65
Pender County, 9, 22, 30, 40
Scottish Highlanders, 3-5, 57
SEAC. See Southeast Archeological Center
Second World War. See World War II
Shultz, Dusty, 30, 64, 68
Slocumb, Ezekiel

grave of, 14,45,58

husband of Mary, 6

reinterment of, 14, 58
Slocumb, Mary

grave of, 14,45,58

reinterment of, 14, 58

ride of, 6, 12,39
Slocumb Monument. See Heroic Women of the Lower Cape
Fear Monument

Southeast Archeological Center, 46-47
Stage Road Monument, 12, 19, 42, 58
Stockert, John W, 27, 63, 67
Trails, 18, 26, 30, 41-42, 60, 62-63
Tucker, John, 30, 66, 68
Visitation, 20, 23, 69-70
Visitor Center, 23-24, 27, 38-39, 61-63
War Department, 12-14, 58
Whitfield, J. V, 22, 24-25

Widow Moore's Creek, 5. See also Moores Creek
World War II, 20-21, 59

To Currie and
Wilmington

StageRoad
Monument •

Negro Head Point
Road historic trace

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/ Monument

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Visitor'
Center

Slocumb j
Monument

411

Reconstructed
Bridge

t Loyalist

« Monument „,-

• Moore

Patriot Monument
(Grady)

Negro Head Point Monument

Road historic trace

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Trail

North

U.S. Department of the Interior - National Park Service - Southeast Regional Office

Bridgeport National
Bindery, Inc.

NOV. 1999