Wilmington, North Carolina

Wilmington is a port city in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. It is the eighth-most populous city in the state with a population of 115,451 as of the 2020 census. The city lies between the Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Ocean, and it developed as an important port during the colonial era.

Wilmington has a rich history, dating back to the 1730s. It was named after one of its early supporters and has been an important place for culture and business. Today, it is known for its scenic riverwalk and many popular movies and TV shows that have been filmed there. The city is also home to the University of North Carolina Wilmington and a major film studio, making it a lively and interesting place to visit.

History

See also: Timeline of Wilmington, North Carolina

Colonial beginnings

The city was founded in the 1730s. After going through a series of different names (New Carthage, New London, Newton), its name became Wilmington. In 1739, Col. William Bartram, the uncle of the naturalist, introduced a bill to establish Wilmington, named for one of his patrons, Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington.

The area along the river had been inhabited by various successive cultures of indigenous peoples for thousands of years.

In the early 16th century, Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano, commissioned by the king of France with a French crew, was reportedly the first European to see this area, including the city's present site. The first permanent colonial settlement in the area was established in the 1720s by European settlers. In September 1732, a community was founded on land owned by John Watson on the Cape Fear River, at the confluence of its northwest and northeast branches. The settlement, founded by the first royal governor, George Burrington, was called New Carthage, and then New Liverpool; it gradually took on the name New Town or Newton. Governor Gabriel Johnston soon after established his government there for the North Carolina colony.

Some early settlers of Wilmington came from the Albemarle and Pamlico regions, as well as from the colonies of Virginia and South Carolina, but most new settlers migrated from the northern colonies, the West Indies, and Northern Europe. Many of the early settlers were indentured servants from Northern Europe. As the indentured servants gained their freedom and fewer could be persuaded to travel to North America because of improving conditions back home, the settlers imported an increasing number of slaves to satisfy the labor demand. By 1767, African slaves accounted for more than 62% of the population of the Lower Cape Fear region. Many worked in the port as laborers, and some in ship-related trades.

Naval stores and lumber fueled the region's economy, both before and after the American Revolution. During the Revolutionary War, the British maintained a garrison at Fort Johnston near Wilmington.

Revolutionary era

Due to Wilmington's commercial importance as a major port, it had a critical role in opposition to the British in the years leading up to the revolution. The city had outspoken political leaders who influenced and led the resistance movement in North Carolina. The foremost of these was Wilmington resident Cornelius Harnett, who was serving in the General Assembly at the time, and where he rallied opposition to the Sugar Act in 1764. When the British Parliament passed the Stamp Act the following year, designed to raise revenue for the Crown with a kind of tax on shipping, Wilmington was the site of an elaborate demonstration against it.

On October 19, 1765, several hundred townspeople gathered in protest of the new law, burned an effigy of one town resident who favored the act, and toasted to "Liberty, Property, and No Stamp Duty." On October 31, another crowd gathered in a symbolic funeral of "Liberty". Before the effigy was buried, though, Liberty was found to have a pulse, and celebration ensued.

William Houston of Duplin County was appointed stamp receiver for Cape Fear. When Houston visited Wilmington on business, still unaware of his appointment, he recounted,

"The Inhabitants immediately assembled about me & demanded a Categorical Answer whether I intended to put the Act relating [to] the Stamps in force. The Town Bell was rung[,] Drums [were] beating, Colours [were] flying and [a] great concourse of People [were] gathered together." For the sake of his own life, and "to quiet the Minds of the inraged [sic] and furious Mobb...," Houston resigned his position at the courthouse.

Governor William Tryon made attempts to mitigate the opposition, to no avail. On November 18, 1765, he pleaded his case directly to prominent residents of the area. They said the law restricted their rights. When the stamps arrived on November 28 on HMS Diligence, Tryon ordered them to be kept on board. Shipping on the Cape Fear River was stopped, as were the functions of the courts.

Tryon, after having received his official commission as governor (a position he had assumed only after the death of Arthur Dobbs), was brought to Wilmington by Captain Constantine Phipps on a barge from the Diligence, and "was received cordially by the gentlemen of the borough." He was greeted with the firing of seventeen pieces of artillery, and the New Hanover County Regiment of the North Carolina militia, who had lined the streets. This "warm welcome" was spoiled, however, after a dispute arose between Captain Phipps and captains of ships in the harbor regarding the display of their colors. The townspeople became infuriated with Phipps and threats were made against both sides. After Tryon harangued them for their actions, the townspeople gathered around the barrels of punch and ox he had brought as refreshments. The barrels were broken open, letting the punch spill into the streets; they threw the head of the ox into the pillory, and gave its body to the enslaved population. Because of the unrest, Tryon moved his seat of government to New Bern instead of Wilmington.

On February 18, 1766, two merchant ships arrived without stamped papers at Brunswick Town. Each ship provided signed statements from the collectors at their respective ports of origin that no were stamps available, but Captain Jacob Lobb of the British cruiser Viper seized the vessels. In response, numerous residents from southern counties met in Wilmington. The group organized as the Sons of Liberty and pledged to block implementation of the Stamp Act. The following day, as many as a thousand men, including the mayor and aldermen of Wilmington, were led by Cornelius Harnett to Brunswick to confront Tryon. The governor was unyielding, but a mob retrieved the seized ships. They forced royal customs officers and public officials in the region to swear never to issue stamped paper. The Westminster Parliament repealed the Stamp Act in March 1766.

Antebellum period

In the 1830s, citizens of Wilmington became eager to take advantage of railroad transportation. At this time, the shipping tonnage registered at Wilmington was 9,035. Plans were developed to build a railroad line from the capital, Raleigh, to Wilmington. When Raleigh citizens declined to subscribe in sufficient number to stock to raise money for the project, organizers changed the terminus to Weldon. When the railroad line was completed in 1840, it was the longest single line of railroad track in the world. The railroad also controlled a fleet of steamboats that ran between Wilmington and Charleston; these were used both for passenger travel and freight. Regular boat lines served Fayetteville, and packet lines traveled to northern ports. The city was a main stopover point, contributing greatly to its commerce.

By mid-century, the churchyard of St. James Episcopal Church and other town cemeteries had become filled with graves. On November 16, 1853, a group of citizens, organized as "the Proprietors of the Wilmington Cemetery", was formed to develop a new cemetery. Sixty-five acres of land around Burnt Mill Creek were chosen as the site for what would be called Oakdale Cemetery. It was the first rural cemetery in North Carolina. The cemetery's first interment, on February 6, 1855, was six-year-old Annie deRosset. Many remains from St. James churchyard were relocated to the new cemetery.

The Wilmington Gas Light Company was established in 1854. Soon after, streetlights were powered by gas made from lightwood and rosin, replacing the old street oil lamps. On December 27, 1855, the first cornerstone was laid, and construction began on a new city hall. A grant from the Thalian Association funded the attached opera house, named Thalian Hall. In 1857, the city opened its first public school, named the Union Free School, on 6th Street between Nun and Church Streets, serving White students.

Wilmington had a Black majority population before the Civil War. While most were slaves, the city had a significant community of free people of color, who developed businesses and trades. For a period up to Nat Turner's rebellion, they had been allowed to vote, carry arms, and serve in the militia. Fears after the rebellion resulted in the state legislature passing laws to restrict the rights of free Blacks.

Civil War

During the Civil War, the port was the major base for Confederate and privately owned blockade runners, which delivered badly needed supplies from England. The Union mounted a blockade to reduce the goods received by the South. The city was captured by Union forces in the Battle of Wilmington in February 1865, about one month after the fall of Fort Fisher had closed the port. Wilmington was the last Confederate port to be captured. As nearly all the military action took place some distance from the city, numerous antebellum houses and other buildings survived the war years.

In mid-August 1862, Wilmington was devastated by a deadly outbreak of yellow fever. This fever outbreak was brought about by a blockade runner named Kate. Sources suggest that the runner had crew members who were sick before the ship landed, but Dr. W.T. Wragg would later write an article in the New York Journal of Medicine that there were at least five cases in the city before the ship arrived. Dr. Wragg treated many of the yellow fever victims during the outbreak and claimed that the dirtiness of the city and the fumes of the dirty water left by heavy rains caused the disease. By the end of the outbreak at least 1,500 and perhaps as many as 2,000, contracted yellow fever. Of those, between 650 and 800 died, a mortality rate approximately 40 percent. Walter Reed would later discover in 1900 that yellow fever was transmitted by mosquitoes, so Wilmington's outbreak had to be introduced by a third party and spread by mosquitoes in the city.

Reconstruction era and 1898 insurrection

Main article: Wilmington Insurrection of 1898

During the Reconstruction era, former free Blacks and newly emancipated freedmen built a community in the city. About 55% of its residents were Black people. At the time, Wilmington was the most populous city and the economic capital of the state.

Three of the city's aldermen were Black. Black people were also in positions of justice of the peace, deputy clerk of court, street superintendent, coroners, policemen, mail clerks, and mail carriers.

At the time, Black people accounted for over 30% of Wilmington's skilled craftsmen, such as mechanics, carpenters, jewelers, watchmakers, painters, plasterers, plumbers, stevedores, blacksmiths, masons, and wheelwrights. In addition, they owned 10 of the city's 11 restaurants and were 90% of the city's 22 barbers. The city had more Black bootmakers/shoemakers than White ones, and half of the city's tailors were Black. Lastly, two brothers, Alexander and Frank Manly, owned the Wilmington Daily Record, the only Black-owned newspaper in the state, and one of the few in the country at that time.

In the 1890s, a coalition of Republicans and Populists had gained state and federal offices. The Democrats were determined to reassert their control. Violence increased around elections in this period, as armed White paramilitary insurgents, known as Red Shirts, worked to suppress Black and Republican voting. White Democrats regained control of the state legislature and sought to impose white supremacy, but some Blacks continued to be elected to local offices.

The Wilmington Insurrection of 1898 (also known as the Wilmington Race Riot) occurred as a result of the racially charged political conflict that had occurred in the decades after the Civil War and efforts by White Democrats to re-establish white supremacy and overturn Black voting. In 1898, a cadre of White Democrats, professionals, and businessmen planned to overthrow the city government if their candidates were not elected. Two days after the election, in which a White Republican was elected mayor and both White and Black aldermen were elected, more than 1500 White men (led by Democrat Alfred M. Waddell, an unsuccessful gubernatorial candidate in 1896) attacked and burned the only Black-owned daily newspaper in the state and ran off the new officers. They overthrew the legitimately elected municipal government. Waddell and his men forced the elected Republican city officials to resign at gunpoint and replaced them with men selected by leading White Democrats. Waddell was elected mayor by the newly seated board of aldermen that day. Prominent Black Americans and White Republicans were banished from the city in the following days. This is the only such coup d'état in United States history.

Whites attacked and killed an estimated 60 to more than 300 people; no Whites died in the violence. As a result of the attacks, more than 2100 Blacks permanently left the city, leaving a hole among its professional and middle classes. The demographic change was so large that the city became majority White, rather than the majority Black it was before the coup.

Following these events, the North Carolina legislature passed a new constitution that raised barriers to voter registration, imposing requirements for poll taxes and literacy tests that effectively disfranchised most Black voters, following the example of Mississippi. Blacks were essentially excluded from the political system until after the enactment of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965.

20th century

Wilmington is home to the Bijou Theater, which began as a tent in 1904 and progressed to a permanent structure in 1906. It operated until 1956, making it the oldest movie theater in the state and one of the oldest, continuously running theaters in the country. In 1910, Charlotte passed Wilmington to become North Carolina's most populous city. In the mid-20th century, efforts to preserve many historic building began. Due to this, many historic buildings were listed as National Register of Historic Places. Since the 1980s, Wilmington has remained the largest film and television production area in the state; many locations in and outside the city have been used for filming. In 1990, the extension of Interstate 40 to New Hanover County was opened and officially connected the region to the Interstate Highway System.

During World War II, Wilmington was the home of the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company. The shipyard was created as part of the U.S. government's Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Workers built 243 ships in Wilmington during the five years the company operated.

Three prisoner-of-war (POW) camps operated in the city from February 1944 through April 1946. At their peak, the camps held 550 German prisoners. The first camp was located on the corner of Shipyard Boulevard and Carolina Beach Road; it was moved downtown to Ann Street, between 8th and 10th Avenues, when it outgrew the original location. A smaller contingent of prisoners was assigned to a third site, working in the officers' mess and doing groundskeeping at Bluethenthal Army Air Base, which is now Wilmington International Airport.

21st century

Starting in the 1990s, Wilmington began to grow rapidly, partially due to the film industry and the completion of I-40. The city successfully annexed the areas of Seagate in 1998 and Masonboro in 2000. The annexation of Monkey Junction was stopped in 2012 by the North Carolina House of Representatives after local backlash. In 2017, a chemical compound called GenX, discharged by a Chemours plant near Fayetteville, North Carolina, was first found to be present in the Cape Fear River; a major water source for the region. It was also revealed that the same plant had been discharging the chemical compound since 1980. In 2020, then-President Donald Trump designated Wilmington as the first World War II Heritage City in the country due to the city's contributions during the war.

National Register of Historic Places

The Audubon Trolley Station, Brookwood Historic District, Carolina Heights Historic District, Carolina Place Historic District, City Hall/Thalian Hall, Delgrado School, Federal Building and Courthouse, Fort Fisher, Gabriel's Landing, James Walker Nursing School Quarters, Market Street Mansion District, Masonboro Sound Historic District, Moores Creek National Battlefield, Sunset Park Historic District, USS North Carolina (BB-55) National Historic Landmark, Westbrook-Ardmore Historic District, William Hooper School (Former), Wilmington Historic District, and Wilmington National Cemetery are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

Wilmington is where Interstate 40 ends. This major road stretches 2,554 miles to Barstow, California, passing through many big cities along the way.

The city covers about 53 square miles, with just under 51 square miles of land and a little over 1 square mile of water. Nearby beaches like Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach, and Kure Beach are popular spots for visitors.

Climate

Wilmington has warm, humid summers and mild winters. Snow is rare. Spring and autumn are also comfortable, though spring can be pollen-heavy. Summer temperatures often feel very hot due to humidity, and the area can sometimes see hurricanes or tropical storms between August and October.

Cityscape

Wilmington has a big historic district with many old buildings. New developments have replaced some old warehouses, including a tall building now used for city government. Other new projects include a convention center and apartment buildings.

Demographics

As of the 2020 census, there were 115,451 people living in the city of Wilmington.

In 2013, there were 112,067 people living in the city. The city had many different groups of people, including White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino American, Asian American, Native American, and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander people.

Many people in Wilmington practice Christian faiths. The largest groups are Baptists, Methodists, and Roman Catholics. There are also smaller groups of Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Pentecostals, and Lutherans. Some people also follow Islam, Judaism, or Eastern religions.

Wilmington has important historic religious buildings, such as the Basilica Shrine of St. Mary and the Temple of Israel.

Economy

Wilmington has many industries, including making electrical tools, medical supplies, electronic and telecommunications equipment, clothing, food, paper products, nuclear fuel, and medicines. It is part of North Carolina's Research coast, close to the Research Triangle Park in Durham.

Tourism is also important because Wilmington is near the ocean and has fun nightlife. Shopping areas include the Cotton Exchange of Wilmington and Independence Mall. Wilmington is located on the Cape Fear River, which flows into the Atlantic Ocean, and it has a big seaport with private marine terminals and the North Carolina State Ports Authority's Port of Wilmington.

The city has the Greater Wilmington Chamber of Commerce, the oldest in North Carolina, started in 1853. Some companies based in Wilmington are Live Oak Bank and HomeInsurance.com.

Top employers

See also: Category:Companies based in Wilmington, North Carolina

According to the city's 2023 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Arts and culture

Performing arts

Wilmington has many places where people can watch shows and performances. Thalian Hall is a theater that has been open since 1858 and puts on about 250 shows each year. It has three different spaces for performances.

The Hannah Block Historic USO/Community Arts Center has five studios where local groups can perform plays, have rehearsals, put on musicals, give recitals, and teach art classes. It has been helping people of all ages come together for over 50 years.

The University of North Carolina at Wilmington has a special building for arts opened in 2006. It includes a music hall, an art gallery, and two theaters. The school puts on four theater shows each year.

There is also the Brooklyn Arts Center, a very old building used for weddings, concerts, and community events.

Wilmington is also home to the Wilmington Conservatory of Fine Arts, which teaches dance and other arts. It hosts a dance group that performs shows like "Pinocchio" for the community.

Film and television series

Main article: Films and television shows produced in Wilmington, North Carolina

Wilmington has been a popular place to make movies and TV shows, earning it the nickname “Hollywood East.” Many well-known TV shows like Matlock, Dawson's Creek, One Tree Hill, Eastbound & Down, Sleepy Hollow, Under the Dome, Outer Banks, and The Summer I Turned Pretty were filmed there. Movies such as Firestarter, Blue Velvet, Weekend at Bernie's, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Super Mario Bros., I Know What You Did Last Summer, The Conjuring, Iron Man 3, Safe Haven, The Black Phone, Halloween Kills, and Scream were also made in Wilmington.

The city holds an annual film festival called “Cucalorus”, which includes screenings and workshops for young filmmakers.

Literature

Wilmington was the birthplace of author Johnson Jones Hooper and Robert Ruark.

Music

Wilmington has many music groups and events. Chamber Music Wilmington gives classical concerts each season. The Wilmington Symphony Orchestra offers classical music performances and a free family concert. There is also a big DIY festival called the Wilmington Exchange Festival each year around Memorial Day. The North Carolina Jazz Festival happens every year and features famous jazz musicians. The Cape Fear Blues Society puts on blues music events, including a big festival with local and national blues artists.

Museums and historic sites

Wilmington has many museums and historic places to visit, including:

• Bellamy Mansion Museum of History & Design Arts
• Cameron Art Museum
• Cape Fear Museum of History and Science
• The Children's Museum of Wilmington
• First Baptist Church, founded in 1808
• First Presbyterian Church
• Grace United Methodist Church, founded in 1797
• Hannah Block Historic USO/Community Arts Center
• Latimer House Museum and Gardens
• St. James Episcopal Church
• St. Mary Catholic Church
• Sunset Park Historic District
• Temple of Israel, the oldest synagogue in North Carolina
• USS North Carolina Memorial
• Wilmington Railroad Museum

Festivals

Wilmington hosts many festivals each year. The Azalea Festival, held in April, includes garden tours, historic home tours, musical performances, a parade, and fireworks.

Sports

Wilmington has many sports teams and events. The Wilmington Sharks are a baseball team that started in 1997. They are part of the Coastal Plain League and help college players improve their skills.

The Wilmington Sea Dawgs play basketball and began in 2006. The University of North Carolina Wilmington has many college sports teams and has been part of the NCAA since 1977. The area also hosts surfing events, like the O’Neil/Sweetwater Pro-Am and Music Festival, which is the second-largest surfing contest on the East Coast.

Government

Wilmington uses a special way of running the city called a council-manager system. They started using this system in 1941. This means there is a group of leaders called a council and a manager who helps take care of the city's work.

See also: List of mayors of Wilmington, North Carolina

Education

Wilmington, North Carolina, has many places for learning. There are several universities and colleges, including the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and Cape Fear Community College. Other schools include satellite campuses of Shaw University, University of Mount Olive, University of North Carolina at Pembroke, and Miller-Motte Technical College.

Public schools in Wilmington are run by the New Hanover County School System. Some of the public high schools are Emsley A. Laney High School, Eugene Ashley High School, Isaac Bear Early College High School, John T. Hoggard High School, and New Hanover High School. There are also private schools like Cape Fear Academy, St. Mark Catholic School, and the Wilmington Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Media

See also: List of newspapers in North Carolina, List of radio stations in North Carolina, and List of television stations in North Carolina

Wilmington has several newspapers, including the daily Star-News, which is read by many people in the area. There are also weekly papers like The Wilmington Journal and The Challenger Newspapers.

The city has many radio stations playing different kinds of music, such as sports, worship music, public radio, and more.

Wilmington also has several television stations. These stations show different types of shows, like news, entertainment, and educational programs. In 2008, Wilmington became the first place in the United States to switch completely from old TV signals to new digital signals. This helped make sure everyone could watch TV clearly.

Transportation

Airport

Main article: Wilmington International Airport

Wilmington International Airport (ILM) is the main airport in the area for people to fly. It helps more than 1.8 million travelers every year. The airport also has special services for private planes and has a special area for international flights.

U.S. Routes

• US 17
• 
  US 17 Bus.
• 
  US 17 Byp. (future Hampstead Bypass)
• US 74
• US 76
• US 117
• US 421
• 
  US 421 Truck

North Carolina State Highways

• NC 132
• NC 133
• NC 417 (temporary highway designation for US 17 Byp.)

Alternative transportation options

Public transportation in the area is provided by the Cape Fear Public Transportation Authority. They run buses, shuttles, and a free trolley in the downtown area. There is also a daily bus service to Raleigh by Greyhound Lines. Wilmington connects to train services through Amtrak Thruway buses to Wilson, North Carolina.

The city has places for boats to dock along the Cape Fear River. There are also bike paths and trails, like the Gary Shell Cross-City Trail, that let people ride bikes or walk to many places in Wilmington. Taxis are available, but their prices are controlled by the city.

Healthcare

New Hanover Regional Medical Center is a hospital in Wilmington. It opened in 1967 and was the first hospital in the city to welcome patients of all races. In February 2021, a nonprofit private organization called Novant Health took over the hospital.

Notable people

Wilmington, North Carolina, has been home to many interesting people in different fields.

Art and literature

Wilmington has produced many writers, poets, and artists. Some well-known names include Jock Brandis, who helped start a food project, and Wiley Cash, a novelist. Other notable writers and artists are Minnie Evans, a folk artist, and Sharyn McCrumb, an author known for her stories.

Government and politics

The city has also been home to many important political figures. William Hooper was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence. Other leaders include Bill Saffo, who served as mayor for many years, and Lara Trump, who worked with the Republican National Committee.

Media and entertainment

In the world of entertainment, Wilmington has seen stars like Charlie Daniels, a famous country musician, and Caterina Jarboro, the first Black opera singer to perform on an American opera stage. Other notable figures include David Brinkley, a well-known television newscaster, and Sammy Davis Sr., a dancer and father of entertainer Sammy Davis Jr.

Military

Wilmington has produced several brave military heroes. Edwin Anderson Jr. and William D. Halyburton Jr. both received the Medal of Honor for their bravery. Joseph McNeil was a member of the Greensboro Four, who helped fight for civil rights.

Sports

Many athletes come from Wilmington. Michael Jordan became one of the greatest basketball players ever. Other famous sports figures include Roman Gabriel, a former NFL quarterback, and Althea Gibson, a professional tennis player and golfer.

Other notables

Other interesting people from Wilmington include Julia Dalton and Kristen Dalton, who both were Miss North Carolina USA, and David Walker, a Black abolitionist who worked to end slavery.

Sister cities

Wilmington has special friendships with these cities around the world:

• Dandong, Liaoning, China—1986
• Doncaster, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom—1989
• Bridgetown, Barbados—2004
• San Pedro Town, Belize—2007