Orton Plantation
Orton Plantation is a historic plantation house, garden, and former rice plantation beside the Cape Fear River in Brunswick County, North Carolina.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Orton Plantation is a historic estate on the Cape Fear River between Wilmington and Southport in Brunswick County, North Carolina. Although sometimes presented through a heritage-tourism or place-brand lens, it is not a conventional consumer brand: its significance rests on its architecture, landscape, colonial and antebellum history, association with the Moore and Sprunt families, and later use as a filming location. The principal house is regarded as an important surviving example of Southern antebellum architecture and is among the oldest structures in Brunswick County. The property’s documented history begins with the Moore family. Roger Moore moved from South Carolina to the area in 1725, while the land was associated with his brother Colonel Maurice Moore. The brothers were involved in founding Brunswick Town nearby. Roger’s first residence was destroyed during conflict with local Native Americans, after which the present Orton house was built in 1735. The estate became a major rice plantation worked by hundreds of enslaved people, a central part of the property’s history that cannot be separated from its later architectural and cultural interpretation. Ownership subsequently passed outside the Moore family. Benjamin Smith acquired the property but later lost it, and the house and approximately 4,975 acres were auctioned. Physician Frederick Jones Hill purchased Orton in 1826, and Thomas C. Miller was identified as its owner during the Civil War era. After the Confederate defeat at Fort Fisher, Union forces confiscated the property and used the house as a military hospital. The estate survived the conflict but was abandoned afterward, leaving the house unoccupied for roughly nineteen years. In 1884, former Confederate officer Kenneth MacKenzie Murchison bought and restored Orton, using it as a winter residence. In 1904, his daughter Luola and her husband, attorney James Sprunt, acquired the property. The Sprunts remodeled the house and began developing its gardens in 1910. They also built a family chapel in 1915; after Luola died of scarlet fever in 1916, the building was named Luola’s Chapel in her memory. The estate’s gardens were substantially expanded during the 1930s by James Laurence Sprunt and his second wife, Annie. The landscaped area eventually grew to approximately 20 acres, surrounded by additional forests, lagoons, fountains, statues, former rice fields, and a family cemetery. The gardens were opened to the public after a successful fundraising event prompted by a family member’s automobile accident. A small admission charge raised funds for medical expenses, and the family then continued public access as a regular feature of the property. Orton’s heritage importance was reinforced in 1954, when the Sprunt family donated 114.5 acres for the Brunswick Town State Historic Site. In 1958, James Laurence Sprunt published a history of the property. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 11, 1973. Before 2010, Orton operated as a regional tourist attraction with public gardens and chapel access, wildlife habitat in the former rice fields, birdwatching opportunities, weddings, reunions, corporate events, and school visits. In May 2010, the Laurence Sprunt family sold the estate for $45 million to Louis Moore Bacon, a hedge-fund manager and descendant of the Moore family associated with Orton’s early history. Following the sale, the plantation and grounds were closed to the general public. Bacon reportedly pursued restoration, historical research, and plans affecting the gardens and former rice fields. A 2012 prescribed burn affected approximately 4,000 acres as part of the restoration project. Proposed efforts to resume rice cultivation and expand the property’s historic designation required regulatory and preservation considerations, including wetlands permitting. The estate’s present public-access status and operating arrangements are not clearly established in the supplied sources. Orton Plantation also has a notable role in popular culture. After the property was selected as a filming location for Firestarter in 1983, producer Frank Capra Jr. encouraged Dino De Laurentiis to establish a studio in the Wilmington area. Orton subsequently appeared in numerous films and television productions, including Lolita, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Hounddog, A Walk to Remember, One Tree Hill, Dawson’s Creek, Hart of Dixie, and Matlock.
History
Orton Plantation developed from land associated with the Moore family in southeastern North Carolina. Roger Moore moved from South Carolina to the area in 1725, while his brother, Colonel Maurice Moore, held the property known as Orton. The brothers helped establish Brunswick Town approximately one mile south of the estate. Roger’s first house was destroyed during conflict with local Native Americans, and the existing plantation house was constructed in 1735. The estate became a leading rice plantation. Its agricultural operation depended on the forced labor of hundreds of enslaved people, whose work shaped the property’s economic development and whose history is essential to any accurate account of Orton. The property later passed to Benjamin Smith, who eventually lost it. The house and approximately 4,975 acres were auctioned, and physician Frederick Jones Hill purchased the estate in 1826. Thomas C. Miller was identified as the owner in an 1861 runaway-slave notice. After Union forces defeated the Confederacy at nearby Fort Fisher, they confiscated Orton and converted the house into a military hospital. The property survived the war but was abandoned afterward, and the house remained empty for nineteen years. In 1884, Kenneth MacKenzie Murchison, a former Confederate military officer, purchased the estate, restored the house, and used it as a winter residence. Following his death in 1904, ownership passed to his daughter Luola and her husband, James Sprunt. The Sprunts remodeled the house and began systematic garden development in 1910. They built a family chapel in 1915, later known as Luola’s Chapel after Luola died from scarlet fever in 1916. During the 1930s, James Laurence Sprunt and his second wife, Annie, expanded the gardens to approximately 20 acres, with landscape work partly associated with Robert Sturtevant. The gardens were opened to the public after a fundraising event connected with an automobile accident generated substantial support. Public access continued as a family-supported attraction. The Sprunt family donated 114.5 acres in 1954 to establish the Brunswick Town State Historic Site. James Laurence Sprunt published The Story of Orton Plantation in 1958. After his death in 1973 and Annie Gray Sprunt’s death in 1978, ownership was divided among their four sons. Management of the gardens continued within the family, and Laurence Gray Sprunt eventually acquired the gardens from his brothers. The Sprunt family retained the property for approximately 126 years. By the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, Orton included formal gardens, forests, lagoons, fountains, former rice fields, wildlife habitat, a family cemetery, and the chapel. It served as a tourist attraction and venue for weddings, reunions, corporate functions, and school trips. The house and landscape were also used for filming. Productions associated with the property include Firestarter, Lolita, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Hounddog, A Walk to Remember, One Tree Hill, Dawson’s Creek, Hart of Dixie, and Matlock. On April 11, 1973, Orton Plantation was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In May 2010, the Laurence Sprunt family sold the estate for $45 million to Louis Moore Bacon, a descendant of the Moore family. The gardens and chapel had been open to the public before the transaction but were closed afterward. Bacon reportedly began restoration and historical research, and a 2012 forest burn formed part of the land-management effort. Proposed rice cultivation in the former fields and possible expansion of the property’s historic designation raised wetlands-permitting and preservation issues. The supplied reference does not establish a current public-opening date or a definitive present operating structure.
- 2012
Reported restoration-related forest burn
[1]Approximately 4,000 acres of forest were burned as part of a reported restoration and land-management project.
- 2010
Private sale and closure to the public
[1]The Sprunt family sold Orton to Louis Moore Bacon for $45 million, after which the estate and grounds closed to general visitors.
- 1983
Film-location profile begins
[1]Orton was selected for filming a scene in Firestarter and became connected with the growth of Wilmington’s film industry.
- 1973
National Register listing
[1]Orton Plantation was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 11.
- 1958
History of Orton published
[1]James Laurence Sprunt published The Story of Orton Plantation.
- 1954
Land donated for Brunswick Town State Historic Site
[1]The Sprunt family donated 114.5 acres to establish the Brunswick Town State Historic Site.
- 1930
Gardens expanded and opened to visitors
[1]James Laurence Sprunt and Annie Sprunt enlarged the gardens and subsequently maintained public access after a successful fundraising opening.
- 1915
Family chapel constructed
[1]The Sprunts built the white-brick family chapel later known as Luola’s Chapel.
- 1904
Sprunt family ownership begins
[1]James and Luola Sprunt acquired Orton after Murchison’s death and began a major period of domestic and landscape improvement.
- 1884
Kenneth MacKenzie Murchison restores Orton
[1]Murchison purchased the abandoned property, restored the house, and made it his winter residence.
Products and positioning
A privately owned North Carolina historic estate positioned around architectural preservation, plantation history, formal gardens, landscape conservation, and cultural-tourism associations. Its public identity also derives from appearances in film and television, although public access has been closed since the 2010 sale according to the supplied reference.
Historic architecture · 1735
Orton Plantation House
The principal house is a surviving colonial-era plantation residence built in 1735 and later altered. It began as a one-and-a-half-story white-brick structure; a second floor and four fluted Doric columns were added in 1840, while two wings were added in 1904. Its Classical Revival and Greek Revival features contribute to its reputation as a significant example of Southern antebellum architecture.
Historic gardens · 1910
Orton Plantation Gardens
The gardens include approximately 20 acres of formal lawns and plantings, plus surrounding fountains, statues, forests, lagoons, former rice fields, and a family cemetery. Notable landscape elements include brick paths, mature oaks draped with Spanish moss, camellias, dogwoods, magnolias, crape-myrtles, annuals, and perennials. The gardens were once a public attraction but were closed after the 2010 sale.
Historic chapel · 1915
Luola’s Chapel
Built by James and Luola Sprunt in 1915, the family chapel is a white-brick building with Doric columns and a small steeple. It was renamed Luola’s Chapel after Luola Sprunt died in 1916. The chapel stands within the landscaped grounds and was formerly used for public visits and private events.
Historic agricultural landscape
Former Rice Fields and Wildlife Habitat
The former rice fields are part of Orton’s agricultural and environmental landscape. After commercial plantation use ended, the fields became associated with wildlife habitat and birdwatching. Later restoration plans reportedly considered returning rice cultivation to the property, subject to wetlands and federal permitting requirements.
Location service · 1983
Film and Television Location
Orton Plantation has served as a setting for films and television productions since at least 1983. Its architecture, gardens, river-adjacent landscape, and mature vegetation have supported period, Southern, and domestic settings. Productions associated with the site include Firestarter, Lolita, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Hounddog, A Walk to Remember, One Tree Hill, Dawson’s Creek, Hart of Dixie, and Matlock.
Brand decisions
2012
Restoration and possible rice-field revivalStrategyBackground
The new ownership reportedly sought to restore the house and grounds and investigate the property’s historical agricultural landscape.
Action taken
Approximately 4,000 acres of forest were burned as part of the project, while plans reportedly considered resuming rice cultivation and expanding historic recognition.
Aftermath
Resuming rice cultivation would require a permit from the United States Army Corps of Engineers because the fields are wetlands. The supplied material does not confirm whether the cultivation or designation proposals were completed.
2010
Sale to Louis Moore BaconM&ABackground
After approximately 126 years of Sprunt-family ownership, the estate was transferred to a private buyer with a documented ancestral connection to the Moore family.
Action taken
The Laurence Sprunt family sold Orton Plantation and associated grounds to Louis Moore Bacon for $45 million.
Aftermath
The gardens and chapel, which had previously been open to visitors, were closed to the general public. Restoration and historical research were reportedly undertaken under the new ownership.
Sale price. $45 million (May 2010)
1954
Donation of land for a state historic siteStrategyBackground
The Sprunt family controlled a large historic estate containing land connected with the nearby colonial settlement of Brunswick Town.
Action taken
The family donated 114.5 acres to establish the Brunswick Town State Historic Site.
Aftermath
The donation created a public historic-site component adjacent to the privately retained Orton property.
Sources1 sources
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