Airlie Gradens

Established in 1901, Airlie Gardens is a valuable cultural and ecological component of New Hanover County and North Carolina history. ...read more

Ante-Bellum

The nearly 80 years between the Revolutionary and Civil Wars was a time of increasing wealth and population for Wilmington. With about 1,000 people at the start of the period, and over 5,000 at the end, Wilmington was the largest town in what was then known as the Rip Van Winkle State. Wilmington may not have had an economic explosion, but neither was she sleeping. ...read more

Brunswick

This quiet, picturesque site on the banks of the Cape Fear River has an amazing past. In 1726 Maurice Moore, the son of a former South Carolina governor, founded this port town. North Carolina was a colony of England, and the town was named Brunswick to honor George I, the king of England, who was a native of Brunswick, Germany. ...read more

Colonial History

Exploration and colonization of the Cape Fear area was a slow, haphazard affair. One hundred years after the establishment of Jamestown, Virginia, there still wasn't any activity to speak of in this part of North Carolina. It seems that even most of the area's friendly Indians had died out by the early 18th Century, probably as a result of European diseases. About the only people who made use of the place were the pirates who infested North Carolina waters. ...read more

Fort Fisher

Until the last few months of the Civil War, Fort Fisher kept North Carolina's port of open to blockade runners supplying necessary goods to Confederate armies inland. By 1865, the supply line through Wilmington was the last remaining supply route open to Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. When Fort Fisher fell after a massive Federal amphibious assault on January 15, 1865, its defeat helped seal the fate of the Confederacy. Visitors are invited to tour the remains of the fort's land face, which features an impressive reconstruction of a 32-pounder seacoast gun at Shepherd's Battery. ...read more

Jacob's Run

There are several legends associated with a downtown tunnel called Jacob's Run connecting historic buildings to the river. Some say it was a path for slaves during the Civil War, others say it served as a way out for persons fleeing the British invasion of Wilmington during the Revolutionary War, and, more unfavorably, an escape route for prisoners fleeing the old jail on Fourth and Princess streets. Though the legends cannot be proven, the tunnels do exist, and they are an interesting part of Wilmington's history. ...read more

Orton Gardens

Orton Plantation is situated about halfway between Wilmington and Southport, North Carolina, on the west bank of the Cape Fear River. The area was settled in the early 1700's. The land known as Orton was first owned by Colonel Maurice Moore, but he sold it to his brother Roger. It was Roger Moore who developed it into perhaps the most famous of the lower Cape Fear plantations. ...read more

Past 100 Years

America of the Nineteenth Century was an inwardly focused nation. That is probably even more true of the years after the war. The country's territory had been defined through earlier wars and acquisitions, and the people were busy conquering it. ...read more

The Lure

Wilmington is a city in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 75,838 at the 2000 census; 2005 Census Bureau estimates indicate a population of 95,476. It is the county seat of New Hanover CountyGR6. It was named in honor of Spencer Compton, the Earl of Wilmington, who was Prime Minister under George II. ...read more

Wilmington Race Riots

The events of November 10, 1898, in Wilmington constitute a landmark in North Carolina history. Almost a century later some details are still in question. The number of casualties, for example, is disputed with the total running from the coroner's fourteen to unconfirmed reports of scores or even hundreds of deaths. All of the reported victims were African American. Reports circulated in the midst of the violence of the shooting of a white man, Will Mayo. His fate still remains a mystery. More certain is the fact that the event marked the climax of the white supremacy campaign of 1898 and a turning point in the state's history. Restrictions on African American voting followed marking the onset of the Jim Crow era of segregation. ...read more

Wilmington Revolution

The Patriotic activity of pre-Revolutionary Wilmington continued as the colonies moved to open revolt. The area was home to several notable Revolutionaries including: William Hooper; a signer of the Declaration of Independence; Cornelius Harnett, a member of the Continental Congress; and Robert Howe, a General of the Continental Army. ...read more

Wrightsville Beach

The town of Wrightsville Beach occupies one of the chain of barrier islands along North Carolina's southeastern coast. These islands, geologically relatively young, presented prior to urban development a combination of wide sandy beaches, dunes, and marine forests. ...read more