Category Archives: Event

Preparations are well underway for the 6th and last Derby Day fundraiser for the 1918 Fort Caswell Rifle Range Memorial.

Caswell Dunes Clubhouse in Caswell Beach
May 5th from 2:30-7:00 PM
Tickets are $15, which include dinner.
Email ftcaswellriflerange@gmail.com if you plan to attend.

What is the Derby Day Fundraiser?

The Derby Day Fundraiser is the annual fundraiser to help stabilize the 1918 Fort Caswell Rifle Range. The focus this year is the WWI Centennial.

What activities are planned?

Activities include Tabletop horse races; Silent auctions including themed baskets; Contests such as Best Dressed and Best Hat, 50/50, Blind pool; and the Kentucky Derby viewing. Dinner is served before the Kentucky Derby.

Is 2018 the last year?

Yes, a new fundraiser is planned for 2019.

Click here for more information.

Stay tuned…

Buy your tickets now for the last ever Kentucky Derby Day fundraiser!

Commemorating the WWI Centennial

Be a proud supporter of the rifle range and those who served

Funds raised will support the 1918 Fort Caswell Rifle Range Memorial honoring Brunswick County veterans of WWI or assist with the stabilization efforts underway.

Click here to view the 2018 Derby Day Fundraiser page or select the Fundraising tab at the top of every page.

For five years, volunteers have been the key to the success of the Derby Day fundraisers for the 1918 Fort Caswell Rifle Range.

Volunteers for the 2018 Derby Fundraiser are now needed.

Please click on this link to go directly to the 2018 Derby Day Fundraiser webpage.

Thank you!

The next meeting of the Brunswick County Historical Society will be Monday, November 13, at Brunswick Electric Membership Corp on Hwy 17 just south of Supply. The meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. Guest speaker will be Dr. Norma Eckard, who will talk about the Friends of Fort Caswell World War I Rifle Pit and its efforts to stabilize the rifle range.

Eckard is a former professor at Campbell University and North Carolina State University and is the president of the Friends of Fort Caswell Rifle Range, Inc.

Anyone interested in preserving and studying the history of Brunswick County and genealogy is invited to attend. The meeting is free to the public.

Please make a note of the date (Monday, November 13).

The Brunswick County Historical Society meets the second Monday of February, May, August, and November.

Thanks to numerous volunteers, 65 attendees, and many donations, the Derby Day fundraiser net $2778.50 to the stabilization fund.

The interior and exterior of the Caswell Dunes clubhouse was decked out with patriotic red, white and blue. The flags of France, Britain, and the US waved in the wind on the deck where guests gathered. Also featured was the National World War I Centennial Flag that will be used in future commemoration events during the next year and a half.

The table top horse races brought cheers for horses with names such as Pershing, Red Baron, Marne, and “Over There.” A Military Moment was given before each race by Carl Mauney, a World War I re-enactor from Pennsylvania who graciously educated everyone at the commemoration last month. Attendees’ ancestors who served in the war were highlighted during this time. Norman Sprinthall gave a brief history of the US preparation and involvement in World War I, and Taps was played. Funds were raised in other activities and games, and particularly in the Silent Auction, using donated items from merchants and members of the community.

Anyone wishing to become a part of the planning for next year’s Derby fundraiser should email ftcaswellriflerange@gmail.com. To make a donation click on the donate button on the website.

More news of the event will be posted soon. Thank you for your support!

In the news: Derby Day event for rifle pit May 6
courtesy of The State Port Pilot

Since 2013, the Kentucky Derby has been a backdrop to the annual fundraiser for the stabilization of the Fort Caswell Rifle Range. The event consists of tabletop horse races, contests, door prizes, dinner, and culminates in the viewing of the Kentucky Derby.

Last year, a World War I Wall of Honor was assembled to honor relatives of locals [and beyond] who served in World War I with photographs, clippings and other memorabilia.

Click to view the virtual Wall of Honor.

This year’s Derby Day Fundraiser is May 6, 2:30pm until 7:00pm. To purchase tickets to attend, donate prizes, or sponsor tabletop horses, email ftcaswellriflerange@gmail.com.

Go to Derby Day Fundraiser: May 2017 for daily updates. There is also a permanent link to the Derby Day 2017 page after you click on the Fundraising tab at the top of the website.

Many people from the surrounding area attended the Commemoration on Saturday, April 8, 2017. To read more, see World War I Commemoration Ceremony. There is also a permanent link to the commemoration page after you click on the WWI tab at the top of the website.

Another story can be found at http://darbrunswicktownchapter.blogspot.com/2017/04/the-great-war-wwi-centennial.html

For those interested in more information about World War I, a new exhibit has opened at the North Carolina Museum of History that includes artifacts and life-sized trenches. The exhibit will last two years. Read more about the fascinating exhibit and the World War I ceremony that was recently held at the state capitol in Raleigh at Centennial of US entry into WWI puts ‘Great War’ in focus.

Due to the weather, the Commemoration of the US entry into World War I will now be held on Saturday, April 8, 2017, 11:00am, at the Fort Caswell Rifle Range in Caswell Beach, NC. Click below to view the flyer.

WWI Centennial Commemoration Flyer

Read more in the following article,
courtesy of The State Port Pilot. http://stateportpilot.com/

World War I ceremony planned April 6