Category Archives: Announcement

On April 5, 2018, the 1918 Fort Caswell Rifle Range was officially designated one of 100 World War I Centennial Memorials in the United States.

The tribute to the one hundred official Centennial World War One Memorials is now available for purchase.

The Pritzker Military Museum & Library gift shop website describes the publication. The website may be used to purchase the book.

100 CITIES 100 MEMORIALS: RESTORATION, RECOGNITION & REMEMBRANCE is the first work to commemorate the 100 official national World War One memorials of the United States.

As selected by the Pritzker Military Museum & Library, Chicago, and the Congress-appointed World War I Centennial Commission, these diverse monuments mirror the depth and breadth of the stories of dedication, sacrifice, and heroism they reflect.

With more than 230 archival images, vintage posters, and contemporary and specially commissioned photographs, this richly illustrated volume journeys from Hawaii to Maine, North Dakota to Florida, and Arizona to Illinois to celebrate the varied tributes formed of metal, stone, and memory.

Published to coincide with the fall 2024 installation of “A Soldier’s Journey” frieze at the National World War One Memorial at Pershing Park, Washington, D.C., 100 CITIES 100 MEMORIALS is much more than a picture book.

Through the powerful and personal stories it tells, this volume stands as a moving testament to those who answered the call of duty and shaped a pivotal era in American history.

The two page spread detailing the 1918 Fort Caswell Rifle Range Memorial was created from the proposal written by the Friends of Fort Caswell Rifle Range in 2017 to appeal for the honor.

The following sentence demonstrates the diverse group of individuals that joined in tribute to the Brunswick County WWI veterans.

“In 2011, a dedicated group of residents, including retirees, local politicians, journalists, artists, history and genealogy enthusiasts, professional engineers, attorneys, and leaders of other historic sites” began the work to save the historic structure.

The Friends of Fort Caswell Rifle Range nonprofit, now defunct, was established for this mission. What followed was countless hours and years planning and implementing fundraisers, commemorations, stabilization and restoration, and the research and historical research necessary. Notable accomplishments include:

• Official designation in the National Register of Historic Places,
• Applying for and selected as an official Centennial WWI Memorial,
• The creation of the list of WWI Brunswick County Veterans,
• The Centennial Commemoration and Dedication on November 11, 2018,
• Honoring Shallotte WWI veteran and only known POW from Brunswick County Private Robert Bollie Stanley and presenting his Purple Heart and WWI medals to his family.
• The published tribute Brunswick County in the Great War: Preserving the 1918 Fort Caswell Rifle Range and the Legacies of the Men and Women Who Served, a 584 page book dedicated to all of the Brunswick County WWI veterans, as well as the nurses who served at Fort Caswell during WWI.

Some members of the community and supporters of the mission are mentioned in the book. We thank them again for their support and involvement.

A quote by Jim McKee, Site Manager at Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site, is included in the text detailing the rifle range restoration.

Dylan Phillips, editor of Brunswick Beacon, was listed in the image credits for his photo of the rifle range. The photo was also featured in the September 2023 Brunswick Beacon supplement, Hidden history in Caswell Beach (A supplement to the newspaper issue)

Christine Urick was listed in the image credits for her familiar photo of the South Brunswick High School JROTC members during the April 6, 2019, WWI Commemoration.

Note: The publication was based on the 2017 proposal for the WWI Commemoration project, written by the Friends of Fort Caswell Rifle Range. Some details have changed since, including the number of Brunswick County WWI veterans and nurses, and Jim McKee’s title.

The 1918 Fort Caswell Rifle Range is 105 years old today.
MAY 20^TH 1918

Date on south wall

On January 21, 1918, the United States War Department proposed the construction of a rifle range adjacent to Fort Caswell, NC, for small arms training of soldiers “in view of the immediate necessity for instruction of men destined for over-seas duty” in World War I.

Continue reading and view the documents in the History section of the website.

Thank you to those who have joined us in saving this relic of the United States’ involvement in World War I!

The Friends of Fort Caswell is hitting the pause button on WWI Snapshots for now.

For several years, the primary focus has been WWI Profiles, WWI Snapshots, and writing the book, Brunswick County in the Great War, which is still available for purchase.

The primary focus will now return to the restoration of the 1918 Fort Caswell Rifle Range. Progress will be posted here on the website.

Read more about the past stabilization effort by clicking the Stabilization tab at the top of the website.

Fort Caswell WWI Nurse Faye White
Meanwhile, please view this wonderful presentation by Liz Fuller from the Southport Historical Society. Liz included some of the information about the Fort Caswell WWI nurses in her presentation:

Southport Nurses of WWI and the Spanish Flu. (click to view)