Spring Meeting: 250th Anniversary of the Battle of Moores Creek
Our Spring 2026 Meeting has been moved to February 27-28 to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Moore’s Creek, the first Revolutionary battle in North Carolina and the South! Join us in Wilmington for a weekend of history, fellowship, and Scottish heritage.
Battle of Moores Creek - 250th Anniversary
On February 27, 1776, patriot militias led by Richard Caswell and Alexander Lillington defeated 1600 Highland Scots and loyalists at Moore’s Creek Bridge. The planks were removed and the girders greased - the loyalist charge with broadswords met quick disaster. This battle permanently ended Royal authority in North Carolina and paved the way for the Halifax Resolves.
Society members will be guests at the tent of the Scottish Society of Wilmington during the anniversary celebration on Friday the 27th.
Cape Fear Scottish Immigration Memorial
Saturday morning we travel to Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site to visit the magnificent Memorial Cairn, dedicated in November 2025. The cairn overlooks the Cape Fear where at least 20,000 Scots, mostly Highlanders, arrived between 1739 and 1800. The cairn is surrounded by ballast stones from the ships that sailed from Scotland.
Historic Black River Presbyterian Church
Saturday afternoon we visit Black River Presbyterian Church in Ivanhoe, NC. Founded about 1740 by Scottish Highlanders from the Isle of Arran (Argyll Colony), Black River is one of North Carolina’s earliest Highland kirks. President Woodrow Wilson’s father occasionally served here.
Friday Evening Program - 7:00 pm
- Steve McRae, Chairman, Business Meeting
- Bob McLeod, Creation of the Scottish Immigration Memorial
- Don McLeod, John Bethune: Chaplain to the Loyalists at Moores Creek and Father of Presbyterianism in Canada
Hotel
Hampton Inn Medical Park, 2320 S. 17th St., Wilmington. Booking Reference #54079486, Rate $161. Call 877-504-9858 or 833-314-9815. Do not delay your reservation - the city will be busy!