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Marker pays homage to the town of Averasborough
Posted June 14, 2011 at 23:11 in clips
By April Dudash
Staff writer
The Fayetteville Observer
DUNN – In the grassy fields bordered by crops off Chicora Road, a chiseled monument was unveiled Sunday afternoon to pay homage to the historical town of Averasborough.
Author and historian Bryan Avery led the efforts to have names of Averasborough ancestors laid in stone. The old colonial river port was founded in 1766 by his great-great-great-great-grandfather Alexander Avera.
A crowd of about 200 people looked on, keeping to the shady trees as speakers recanted the tale of Averasborough’s creation and importance throughout history, from the American Revolution to the Civil War Battle of Averasboro, which took place in 1865, just three miles south of where the new monument stands today.
Before the town was founded in the latter half of the 18th century, the land used to be a dense forest of longleaf pine, up until Scottish immigrants settled into the area after traveling up the Cape Fear River from Wilmington.
In 1766, Alexander Avera and his family began to give shape to the town, as they created grist mills, a turpentine distillery and eventually expanded the area with taverns and mercantile businesses.
In 1791, Avera donated 120 acres to further expand the town of Averasborough, and today’s monument is sitting upon a piece of that donation.
A choir sang “How Great Thou Art” and “Dixie” before the Declaration of Independence was read. Onlookers watched as different raised flags told the story of who laid claim to their hometown throughout history, from the British colors to the present-day American red and blue.
The Edenton Bell Battery Confederate re-enactment unit fired a cannon alongside the road, and the blast almost caused onlookers to jump out of their skin.
The importance of the day was not lost on historian Sion Harrington, who was born and raised in Erwin.
He had tracked down his ancestors who lived in the Averasborough area. The result: he’s got “deep roots,” he said.
“There were some real characters that lived around here,” Harrington said. “The town had a reputation of being a rough town.”
Fellow historian and Erwin resident Joey Powell backed that up with the story of Rev. William Byrd, whose records indicate that he preached in Averasborough and ended up biting some man’s ear off in a tavern brawl.
Powell said he hopes to continue preserving Averasborough’s stories. His own grandfather is listed on the new memorial marker: farmer Colman Lucas, 1898-1965.
Two additional monuments are planned for the Dunn community to stress the importance of local history.
Had there not been an Averasborough, there may have not been an Erwin, Dunn or a Coats, Harrington said.
“What we’re doing today symbolizes grassroots history,” he said.
“Local people saw a need to preserve their ancestors and they took action.”
Staff writer April Dudash can be reached at dudasha@fayobserver.com or 486-3569.