The newly discovered rubble dates to the 1840s or earlier — a time when Eagle’s Island held a train depot. But uncovering that rubble takes a lot of traipsing through high reeds, swampy muck, and potentially volatile wildlife.
USS North Carolina Executive Director Jay Martin spearheaded the expedition.
"We've got geese who are territorial. You know, there's, of course, snakes and things out here, and crabs, which are no big deal, and it's possible that there are gators. So this is just an indication that history and archeology isn't for the faint-hearted," he said.
Martin has worked in museums most of his life, but is excited to return to archeology, his first passion and love.
As Battleship handyman Atwood Boyd slashed through the underbrush to clear a path, old rubble of brick and concrete walls was revealed. Martin explains the significance of the find: "So this would have been one of the entry ways for the train yard that existed pre Civil War.”
There are two remnants of railroad trestles, from the 1840s and from a later date.
"So there were trains running along here, so this old support foundation for the tracks was later replaced sometime after the Civil War by this more modern unit that we have here," he said, pointing to the larger of the two structures. "And you can see that it's bigger so that it could be double track. This is a single-track trestle, and this is a double-track trestle that came into this space."
He expects to do some extensive digging and perhaps even hire divers to look at shipwrecks in the Cape Fear River near Eagle’s Island. With the site so near to the historic Battleship, Eagle’s Island seems ripe to explore deeper into Wilmington's history. They may even uncover materials from a small battle fought on Eagle’s Island during the Civil War.
