C Glimpse at Orton's 
Interesting History 
Orton Plantation was founded in 1725 by “King”’ 
Roger Moore, son of Governor James Moore, of South 
Carolina and grandson of Sir John Yeamans, first 
Governor and leader of the Lords Proprietors’ suc- 
cessful colonization of the Carolinas. Along with 
Roger Moore came a company of distinguished rela- 
tives and friends who established many famous plan- 
tations and the Colonial Town of Brunswick where 
dwelt three Colonial Governors—Johnston, Dobbs 
and Tryon. 
Roger Moore and his family became so active in 
opposition to the harsh regulations of the British au- 
thorities that King George referred to them as 
“those pestiferous Moores!” George Moore who suc- 
ceeded his father, was one of the leaders of the 
armed resistance to the Stamp Act in 1766, which 
occurred % mile distant from Orton and is com- 
memorated by a marble tablet. Orton was purchased 
from George Moore by his brother-in-law, Richard 
Quince, who in time sold it to Benjamin Smith, ex- 
Governor of North Carolina, Aide de Camp to Gen- 
eral Washington and famous duellist. The next own- 
er, Dr. Frederick Hill, added a story and the four 
columns to King Roger’s home. He was succeeded 
by Mr. Thomas Miller, a connection who lived at 
Orton during the Civil War. 
Across the Cape Fear River from Orton stood 
Fort Fisher guarding the entrance from the sea and 
for years keeping the all important port of Wilming- 
ton open to the swift Confederate Blockade Run- 
ners, which supplied General Lee’s Army with vital 
necessities. When in 1865 Fort Fisher fell to over- 
whelming forces Federal troops bombarded and cap- 
tured Fort Anderson, (A part of which was the thick 
walls of St. Philip’s Church) at the town of Bruns- 
wick. Orton was taken over as a smallpox hospital 
and thereby escaped the fate of so many other 
beautiful houses burned by the victors. By this de- 
feat Mr. Miller was bankrupted, and Orton was 
abandoned to the wilderness until around 1880 when 
it was bought by Kenneth M. Murchison, Colonel in 
the Confederate Army. He repaired the house and 
restored the rice fields, returning Orton once more 
to activity. At his death in 1906, his Son-in-law, the 
late James Sprunt, LLD, bought Orton and the pres- 
ent owner is a son, J. Laurence Sprunt. 
