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Cape Fear Explorers

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Cape Fear Explorers

Cape Fear Explorers is a non-profit organization aimed toward recovery & preservation of artifacts.
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08/31/2026

A couple of days ago, Cape Fear Explorers team member Jamy Whitehurst made a pretty incredible find in Wilmington, NC. It is a rare Confederate officer’s button dating to the American Civil War. It’s hard not to think about the history behind something like this. More than 160 years ago, this very button was fastened to the uniform of a Confederate officer somewhere around Wilmington. Who he was and exactly what he experienced may never be known, but somehow this small piece of his uniform survived all these years in the ground. These are the kinds of finds we love, not because of what they’re worth, but because they’re a real pieces of Cape Fear history.

08/07/2026

Jacob OBriant had a spectacular day recovering artifacts from a Confederate trench and along a retreat route used during the Battle of Town Creek. Every piece has a story to tell, offering a rare glimpse into the final moments of soldiers who once fought across this historic battlefield. Seen below are both Union and Confederate bullets as well as the percussion caps use to ignite the powder when firing a musket.

07/21/2026

Here is another awesome video we were apart of with historian and Author Jeremy R. Moss about our pirate, Stede Bonnet and his time in the Cape Fear River. If you got a few minutes, check it out!

07/17/2026

Although nothing came of this adventure but a great time with friends and a wonderful experience we figured we would share this. A few years ago we worked on what’s called a sizzle reel with an A&E production company. Although it didn’t make it to the big screen it was a lot of fun making it and we are grateful we got the opportunity. It sure would’ve been cool though! If you got 4 minutes, check it out and see what you think about it.

07/15/2026

Whoa!!! Team member Jacob Obriant returned to the same site where he recently uncovered that 1690 Spanish silver cob… and right off the bat struck silver once again! This time, Jacob recovered a 1659 Dutch “Silver Rider” (Zilveren Rijder) silver coin from the Dutch Republic. Even more fascinating, the coin had been cut in half centuries ago to make change. If complete, this hammered silver coin would have weighed nearly 33 grams. With one Spanish coin and now one Dutch coin dating squarely to the Golden Age of Piracy, this small coastal site is becoming even more mysterious. During the 1600s, valuable silver coins like these circulated throughout the Caribbean and American colonies. They passed through the hands of merchants, sailors, privateers… and yes, even pirates, who spent whatever silver they acquired regardless of where it had been minted. Does that mean this coin belonged to a pirate? There’s no way to know for sure but it’s certain that it once traveled aboard a ship during one of the most adventurous periods in maritime history. Every discovery adds another piece to the puzzle, and we can’t wait to see what this site reveals next.

Who knows… maybe we stumbled near a pirate hideout and the mother lode is still waiting nearby!

07/13/2026

This past week our team sadly lost one of our members. His name was Larry Young, and he was one of the best diggers to ever do it in Brunswick County. He had been digging since the 70’s and had a great collection of local artifacts that he had saved but most importantly a long list of memories he made along the way. Larry had been dealing with health issues for quite some time now and had came to us a couple years ago about joining the team. We don’t take in many members but we had to make an exception for Larry as he was sort of a digging legend here. He wasn’t able to make it out with us on any digs but he always enjoyed talking to us about our discoveries and locations we were digging. He would chuckle and say how he knew exactly where that was, because he had already been there. Larry, you will be missed by many! We thank you for all the input you gave us and the discussions we had with you, until we meet again my friend, goodbye.

07/11/2026

Today, while metal detecting in Southport, NC team member Justin Macklin discovered this cool little cuff size navy button. It was likely lost there during the end of the American Civil War.

07/09/2026

This past week, team member Jacob Obriant recovered an incredible 1690 Spanish cob coin. This small piece of silver is from the heart of the Golden Age of Piracy. Coins like this were exactly the kind of treasure that pirates hunted. Spanish silver moved across the Atlantic by the shipload, traveling from the Americas through dangerous waters where privateers and pirates watched for heavily loaded vessels. By the late 1600s and early 1700s, Spanish cobs had become part of the very world that fueled piracy, treasure fleets, colonial ports, shipwrecks, raids, and black market trade.

Here in the Lower Cape Fear, piracy left its own mark. These waters were once traveled by some of the most infamous names of the era, including Blackbeard and Stede Bonnet. So the question is hard to ignore…how did a 1690 Spanish cob end up here? Was it simply carried through trade, lost by an early settler, or could it be a small piece of the same pirate-era story that once unfolded along the Cape Fear coast?

07/08/2026

Along the old Georgetown Road, deep in the woods, lies what was once a late 18th-century homesite. Today, nothing remains above ground, but beneath the soil are the stories left behind. This particular site was occupied by artillery and naval troops during the War of 1812, and the button shown below is one of the many reminders of their time there. Belonging to the 1st Regiment, it features a patriotic eagle perched above a cannon. Despite spending more than 200 years in the ground, it still displays a beautiful green patina and remarkable detail.

Team member Justin Macklin recovered this incredible button just two days ago during a hunt that produced six military buttons in a single day. Over the past several years, our team has uncovered more than 100 military artifacts from this remarkable site, making it one of the most historically significant locations we’ve had the privilege to explore.

07/05/2026

After approximately two centuries of being buried beneath the soil team member Jacob Obriant recently unearthed this beautiful 1801 Spanish reale. It was discovered at a prominent plantation site here on the Lower Cape Fear River.

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