Cape Fear Museum was founded in 1898, which makes it North Carolina's oldest history museum. The Museum has changed dramatically since it's founding. Originally, their mission was to preserve Confederate objects and memories of the Civil War. However, after years of greater acquisitions and expanding collections, they broadened their mission to include all of the region's culture, science, and history. Their collection now includes fifty-two thousand pieces that showcase North Carolina's history.
The Bellamy Mansion Museum is one of North Carolina’s best examples of antebellum architecture. It is located in downtown Wilmington. The mansion was built for Dr. John Dillard Bellamy, a physician and planter, his wife Eliza McIlhenny Harriss, and the couple’s nine children. The mansion was built on the eve of the Civil War by enslaved skilled carpenters, and local freed Black artisans. After the fall of Fort Fisher in 1865, Union soldiers captured the city of Wilmington. Union officers commandeered this house and used it as their headquarters during the occupation of the city.
This Greek Revival building holds special importance to the city of Wilmington. It was built around 1847 by prominent Wilmington businessman John A. Taylor to be his home. Taylor was a civic leader and made a living in the shipping and railroading industries. From 1892 to the early 1950s, the building was owned by the Wilmington Light Infantry (WLI), which used it as an armory. Visitors to the building will see cannons and cannon balls near the entrance. These were captured during the Spanish-American War and installed in 1902 (the WLI was activated for the war but was not deployed because the war did not last long, from April -August 1898). It appears that the adjacent First Baptist Church owns the building today.
Constructed in 1876, the Temple of Israel is the oldest synagogue in North Carolina and the 10th oldest in the United States still under continuous operation. While the congregation uses the building for religious services, its main offices and religious school are located at 922 Market Street, Wilmington, NC. The congregation has followed the Reform tradition since its inception. The structure itself, which was designed in the Moorish-revival style by Philadelphia architect Samuel Sloan, features several interesting elements such as horseshoe arches and two towers capped by small, gold, domes. The congregation today is vibrant and diverse, consisting of about 200 families.
Since its construction from 1855-1858 Thalian Hall has served as city hall and community cultural center. As a result, Thalian Hall has been at the center of many key moments in the city's history, perhaps none more important than those preceding the 1898 Race Riot. Thalian Hall shows up repeatedly in literature depicting the events surrounding the 1898 coup d'etat and demonstrates the immense role it played in what transpired. Prejudicial laws were drafted and angry mobs of white citizens were rallied all under the same roof of Thalian Hall.
The Burgwin-Wright house has a long and interesting history. It was commissioned by a wealthy merchant and planter named John Burgwin who had come to Wilmington from England. The home featured three stories with two tiers of white columnns, wide shaded porches and extensive gardens behind the property. It was considered to be a remarkable example of Georgian architecture. It was purchased by the National Society of Colonial Dames of American North Carolina in 1937 and established as the organizations headquarters.
To fully appreciate Michael White's poem "Coup," grab an ice cream from Kilwins and take a walk down to the pier by the waterfront. This is where White both felt the inspiration to write his poem and where he chose for his poem to take place, looking out over the water with his daughter, ice cream in hand. "Coup" creates a strange dichotomy of the present - a man eating ice cream with his daughter - to the past - a traumatic time of racial rioting and murder. The poem acts as a reminder and an anchor to reality, exposing the reader to the innocence of the moment and the horrors of what had recently taken place there over a hundred years prior. Drifting from the peaceful afternoon on the docks to the cold memories of dead men who had been targeted solely for the color of their skin, White's language fluidly moves from one feeling to the next, carrying his audience with him. This control of the mood places White's audience in a mindset that beyond the scenery lies the cold truth and results of a racist past, that even in locations of beauty we must not forget the tragedies that there also exists.
This Tour is a Walking Tour.
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This short walking tour begins at the Cape Fear Museum of History and Science and works its way west towards the Cape Fear River. The tour includes several historic buildings and landmarks along Market Street and concludes at the waterfront.
