The town was founded on March 6, 1834, from land conveyed by John "Yellow Jacket" Bailey, and named after Captain Otway Burns, a naval hero of the War of 1812. In 1909 a statue of Captain Burns was given to the town by his grandson, Walter Francis Burns, Sr. and was set on a granite pedestal in the center of the town square. It has an inscription which reads, in part, "He Guarded Well Our Seas, Let Our Mountains Honor Him." Due to damages, the original statue was replaced in the early 2000s.

"He Guarded Well Our Seas, Let Our Mountains Honor Him."

Mount Mitchell.

"from the mountains to the prairies…"

amazingly cool history this country

this Otway Burns has testicular fortitude

>>11439580

anon knows this area well. good folks down east let me tell you. born in Queens….where else?

they disguised Snap Dragon as a merchant ship by putting up old, ragged sails and moving the guns out of view. Snap Dragon ran into five British men of war. One of the ships, the frigate HMS Garland, fired a warning shot and signaled the other ships to chase down Snap Dragon.[10] For over two hours, Burns led Snap Dragon away from danger, toward Ship Rock passage, which unknowingly, was blocked by two British brigs. HMS Sophie immediately launched an attack on Snap Dragon. Burns told his crew to lie down on the deck while the vessel was being fired upon. Fortunately, Burns was able to command the vessel away from the British ships, unscathed.[11][12] The next morning, Burns and his crew encountered HMS Dominica, another British man of war, but again they successfully escaped. The crew of Snap Dragon made their way to St. Croix, where they made "several small captures" of coastal traders.[10]

Burns commanded Snap Dragon on her next two cruises, during which he had several encounters with British men-of-war and took numerous prizes.

HUGE BALLS OF SHOT!

so he used a Q-ship type trickery….

In 1835 President Andrew Jackson appointed him keeper of the Brant Island Shoal Light, a position he held until his death. He is buried in the Old Burying Ground at Beaufort.[

Captain Burns' life is the basis of a historical novel by Ruth P. Barbour, The Cruise of the Snap Dragon.[20

anon is going to see if I can find a copy of this.

>>11439834

this is awesome!

make a movie someone

The Snap Dragon was the most successful North Carolina privateer in combat with the British fleet in the War of 1812. The schooner was built on the West River in Maryland in 1808 and originally named the Zephyr.