Fort Fisher State Historic Site

10/06/2026

📣 We’re looking for Visitor Services Volunteers!

Do you love history, meeting new people, and sharing Fort Fisher’s story? We’re looking for friendly, enthusiastic volunteers to join our team and help welcome visitors from around the world.

Visitor Services Volunteers help greet guests, answer questions, share information about the site, and make sure everyone has a great experience at Fort Fisher. No previous museum experience is required—just a willingness to learn and a passion for helping others!

⏰ Current Volunteer Openings

Our Visitor Services shifts are 4 hours, Tuesday through Saturday. Here are the shifts we are looking to fill:

• Tuesday: 9:00 AM–1:00 PM & 1:00–5:00 PM
• Wednesday: 1:00–5:00 PM
• Friday: 1:00–5:00 PM
• Saturday: 1:00–5:00 PM

Whether you're a lifelong history buff, a local looking to get involved, or simply someone who enjoys meeting people and being part of a great team, we'd love to hear from you!

If you’re looking for a meaningful way to give back to your community while spending time at one of North Carolina’s most fascinating historic sites, come volunteer with us!

📧 Interested in volunteering? Fill out our Google Form application here: https://forms.gle/Ej513GKDbsZrkfWF7

We look forward to hearing from you!

10/06/2026

Thanks to all who joined us this past Saturday for Fort Fisher's Second World War!

Despite the threat of rain, we had a wonderful time sharing guided tours, weapons demonstrations, painting toy soldiers, and much more history with hundreds of visitors. We saw so many great conversations between you and our fantastic reenactors, proving why living history is so important to our study of the past!

A special thanks to our community partner organizations, such as the , USS NORTH CAROLINA Battleship, and the newly-opened Carolina Museum of the Marine in Jacksonville, NC. You help make our events here at Fort Fisher truly special!

09/30/2026

Our state's "Take A Child Outside Week" may be ending, but this beautiful weather certainly isn't! Fort Fisher is just one place among many here in New Hanover County where you, and our young learners, can witness the beauty of nature coincide with fascinating history.

We hope to see you and your families here this autumn! Whether it's for a walk on a day off, or during one of our special events, such as our annual "Fort Fisher's Second World War" event this Saturday, October 3 @ 10:00am - 4:00pm, we hope you will join us to experience something new and valuable!

Celebrate Take A Child Outside Week with DNCR through 9/30! Encourage students to explore nature, whether by visiting an NC State Park (North Carolina State Parks and Recreation) or on the school playground. Curiosity can spark meaningful connections with the outdoors.

NC teachers, visit takeachildoutside.org for year-round outdoor activities that make exploration simple and accessible for any classroom.

09/14/2026

Love military history and want to learn more about Fort Fisher's role during World War 2 - be sure to check out the living history displays including the functioning field kitchen during the event on October 3rd from 10-4pm.

09/07/2026

Come join us on Saturday October 3rd from 10-4 as we host our annual WW2 program. Historic vehicles, living history displays, weapons demonstrations and a functioning field kitchen will be on hand to explore. Also for young and old - paint your own toy solider to take home with you! Follow us for more information

09/05/2026

"Furry Friends at Fort Fisher" is underway!

Running from 10am - 2pm today, this special pop-up event is a great way to get your family and pets out of the house! Learn about how animals and humans supported each other in the Civil War, World War II, and today.

A huge thank you to our community partners who were able to join us today, Cape Fear Critters and paws4people foundation! They will be sharing all kinds of great resources about animal care and how we can show care to our natural environment.

We hope to see you here for a fun afternoon!

08/29/2026

Nearly eighty years after the Civil War ended, Fort Fisher was once again transformed into an active military installation as the United States prepared for and fought World War II. Like the soldiers who garrisoned Fort Fisher during the Civil War, servicemen stationed here during the 1940s shared their lives with a variety of animal companions.

The 430th Anti-Aircraft Battalion kept a variety of animals at Fort Fisher, demonstrating that military mascots remained a cherished part of service life. Among them was a rooster named "General MacArthur," whose habit of crowing through the night earned plenty of complaints from the men, not unlike Captain Braddy's troublesome chickens that raided the collards in 1863! The battalion also adopted two mascots, Spike, a dog, and Butch, a white duck, whose presence added a touch of humor and familiarity to daily life.

The 430th Battalion was hardly alone. Fort Fisher's wartime newspaper, The Barrage, mentions a surprising assortment of animal residents, including (but not limited to) a black cat, an alligator (albeit for less than a day), and numerous dogs. Among them were Piddle, 21, Lassie, Peggy, Queenie, and Queenie's puppies: Hup, Tup, Trep, and Foah, named after the familiar marching cadence, "hup, two, three, four." The sheer number and variety of these animals suggests that pets and mascots had become an accepted and beloved part of life at Fort Fisher.

Photographs of soldiers proudly posing with their animal companions, along with shelters built specifically for them, reveal the care and affection these animals received. Whether during the Civil War or World War II, Fort Fisher's soldiers found companionship, amusement, and a welcome reminder of home in the animals that shared their lives, continuing a tradition of companionship that had endured at Fort Fisher across generations.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this series on the role of animals during the Civil War here at Fort Fisher and beyond! Stop by for our pop-up event on September 5th from 10am - 2pm to learn more, see photographs of Civil War animals, and maybe even get a photo taken yourself!

08/26/2026

A big thank you to our friends and colleagues at Emerging Civil War for highlighting the work of our summer intern, Arianna, and our upcoming "Furry Friends at Fort Fisher" event next month in their recent blog post!

It's always a joy to see little-known topics like Civil War pets reach more readers, and on National Dog Day no less. We hope you enjoy reading, and we hope to see all you animal lovers here at Fort Fisher for our event on September 5 @ 10am - 2pm!

This month I wanted to highlight some exciting exhibits in my adoptive home state of North Carolina, brought to you by colleagues in the North Carolina Department of Natural & Cultural Resources. I’m excited to share information about them both since they each highlight aspects of the war that don...

08/22/2026

Throughout this series, we've explored how animals comforted soldiers, strengthened regimental identity, and offered emotional refuge amid the hardships of war. Fort Fisher was no exception. Although the stories from the Fort Fisher garrison are less famous than others, letters written by the men stationed here reveal that all sorts of animals were woven into everyday life at the fort.

In April 1863, Lieutenant Macon Bonner wrote home to his wife, Virginia. He told her about a fellow soldier, "Seb," whose cat had given birth to kittens. Bonner described how the cat was cherished by the men and even slept in Seb's bed, illustrating the same affection soldiers across the country felt toward animal companions. He even wrote about trying to ease the cat’s labor, regretting that he lacked the medicine to help her. Even in a military fortification built for war, soldiers like Bonner still found opportunities to care for vulnerable animals.

Not every interaction with animals was sentimental. In a less-affectionate letter home, Captain William Henry Tripp complained to his wife, Araminta, in December 1863 that Captain Braddy's fowls repeatedly raided the garrison garden, nearly eating all of his collards. This letter offers a humorous glimpse into everyday frustrations that persisted even while the garrison prepared for war.

On January 16, 1865, the day after US forces took Fort Fisher, a paymaster’s clerk named Sidney Stockbridge wrote to his mother from the USS Pawtuxet. After describing the battle and the trophies taken from the fort, he mentioned that Colonel William Lamb's dog had also been taken aboard the vessel. The remainder of the letter spans the next two days, but Stockbridge never mentioned the dog again, leaving his fate unclear. While this story lacks the happy ending of canine companion tales, it nevertheless reflects the significance soldiers attached to animals. Even amid the post-battle commotion, Colonel Lamb's dog was noteworthy enough to be included in a letter home, reminding us that animals remained a significant part of soldiers' lives and memories even in the aftermath of battle.

These small glimpses into life at Fort Fisher remind us that there is more to the fort than its fortifications, artillery, and battles. It was also a community where soldiers cared for pets, complained about the mischief they caused, and found moments of comfort amid the war; it was home to animals as well as the soldiers.

Next week, we'll fast-forward nearly eighty years to discover how animals once again became part of daily life at Fort Fisher during World War II!

08/17/2026

Great visibility for a special part of Fort Fisher's story!

The North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program works closely with the North Carolina Department of Transportation to install and maintain markers. Thank you to the crew at Division 3 for reinstalling the Modern Greece marker in Kure Beach.