The Secret Delights of Eagle Island

by Joyce Deaton

If you live in Wilmington, you probably think of Eagle Island as the home of the USS North Carolina Battleship Memorial and the US Army Corps of Engineers’ disposal grounds for residue from dredging the Cape Fear’s main channel. But there’s more to this largely undeveloped island than meets the eye.

Lying between the Brunswick and Cape Fear rivers, just across from the downtown waterfront, Eagle Island boasts both a rich history and a panoply of delights for boaters who want to explore its creeks and marshes.

Historical writings describe the day in February 1865 when everyone in town could see a line of Federal troops advancing along the causeway on the island toward the city. “A Whitworth piece was brought up and a shell fired from the head of the Market House to welcome them here,” says one account. Most of the Union troops left, but there were a few skirmishes. Soon after, Wilmington was evacuated. Armies of the two sides met nine miles up the Northeast Cape Fear River, and the Confederates won. In only about six weeks, however, the war was over.

For years after this time, Eagle Island was chiefly industrial, hosting shipbuilders and distributors of turpentine and rosin oil. Today, except for the Corps of Engineers facility and the battleship, it’s privately owned and undeveloped. A coalition of state agencies and environmental groups is working to acquire this land for conservation, canoe and kayak trails and educational uses. One 265-acre tract is now being acquired, and an agreement is already in place for another 270 acres. The group’s goal is to protect all the land north of the causeway that’s not now in use.

“This northern part of the island is really a nice area,” says Walker Golder, deputy state director of the National Audubon Society’s North Carolina office at Wilmington. “Bigger boats can cruise by to see the sea marshes and cypress trees. It’s a neat landscape.” But the best way to enjoy it is in a canoe, kayak or small motorboat that can navigate the small creeks and channels that wind through the marshy island. “There are scattered cypress trees – not like a swamp – and lots of blooming wildflowers, cat tails and marsh plants,” says Golder.

Birds are plentiful as well, varying by season. Year-round you’ll see wading birds such as herons, egrets and ibises, as well as bald eagles and songbirds. About now you’ll see waterfowl including wood ducks, green-wing teal ducks, black ducks and mallards. In the warmer months osprey are common. “Take a kayak into the small creeks, and if you’re quiet, you may see some of the more secretive marsh birds, such as king rails, least bitterns and clapper rails,” he says. “It’s a wonderful place to explore.”

Golder has traveled around Eagle Island in a small motorboat, but he warns that boaters should be careful of the many submerged logs and the effect of the tides, which can make the waters suddenly too shallow.

Though the islands are privately owned, as long as you’re in the water, you’re legal. “And you want to stay in the water,” says Golder. “Don’t get out, because many places the banks are muddy and the ground is soft. You can step into muck up to your thigh and quickly get in trouble. Besides, there are alligators.”

He recommends putting your boat in on the Brunswick side at the new public boat landing in Leland. Follow the creek out to the Brunswick River, and you’ll see Eagle Island directly in front of you. Or you can put in at the public ramp at the Memorial Bridge in Wilmington and head north up the Cape Fear with Eagle Island to your left.

Other interesting areas for experienced canoeists, kayakers or power boaters include Campbell Island and Keg Island to the south, between Eagle Island and Snow’s Cut. Here you can paddle through the canals of old rice plantations and uncover sharks’ teeth and fossils on Sharktooth Island, created from dredging spoils from the ocean’s depths. Golder says this section of the Cape Fear is tricky because of passing ships and rough waters, so only experienced boaters should attempt it.

David Pugh, owner of Cape Fear Kayaks, often leads paddling tours in this area. His paddlers almost always find something interesting, he says. His greatest find so far? The tooth of a “megalops” shark, millions of years old.