You're likely familiar with Charleston, the crown jewel of historic South Carolina. But have you ever heard of North Carolina's Charles Town?

The small settlement was actually the first Carolina community to bear the name of King Charles II and the first attempt to form a home in the Cape Fear region in 1664. But the will and ambition of the 800 or so settlers were no match for a string of crushing setbacks that brought a swift end to the settlement just three years after it started.

This week's episode is the first of a two-week special look at the origins of the Cape Fear region, through the lens of its two earliest colonial settlements. In this episode, we'll look at why Charles Town failed and how its missteps taught Europeans how to build better settlements in the Carolinas in the century after it.

Joining the conversation is Jack Fryar Jr., a local historian and author of the upcoming book "Charles Towne on the Cape Fear: The Rise and Fall of the First Barbadian Settlement in Carolina."

Cape Fear Unearthed is written, edited and hosted by Hunter Ingram. Additional editing by Adam Fish.

Season three is sponsored by Northchase Family Dentistry and Tidewater Heating & Air Conditioning.

Sources:

-- "Charles Towne on the Cape Fear: The Rise and Fall of the First Barbadian Settlement in Carolina," by Jack Fryar Jr.

-- "Land of the Golden River, Vol. 2," by Lewis Philip Hall

-- "The Coastal Chronicles Vol. 1," by Jack Fryar Jr.

-- "The Exploration, Settlement and Abandonment of the Lower Cape Fear, 1662-67: The Historical Record and The Archaeological Evidence at the Supposed Site of Charlestown," by James Legg and W. Bryan Watson Jr.