[2] The ruins are located beside the Cape Fear River in the Brunswick Town Historic District, along with Fort Anderson, Russelborough, and the nearby Orton Plantation.

During the American Revolutionary War, British forces attacked Brunswick Town in 1776 and burned the church, Russelborough, and most of the settlement.

The fort was constructed to protect the city of Wilmington 18 miles (29 km) upstream, a vital port during the Civil War.

[7] During the attack on Fort Anderson in February 1865, cannonballs shot from Union ships hit the walls of the church and are still evident today.

[6][8] In 1899, the newly formed Cape Fear Chapter of the North Carolina Society of the Colonial Dames of America visited the historic site to pay homage to American Revolutionary War casualties in Brunswick Town.

In 1902, Cape Fear Chapter erected a marble plaque inside St. Philip's to commemorate Brunswick Town co-founder, Maurice Moore.

[6][11] Notable people buried at St. Philip's Church include Arthur Dobbs, Governor Benjamin Smith, and Supreme Court Associate Justice Alfred Moore.