Where To Next? Wilmington North Carolina: Where Coastal Charm Meets History

Wilmington is a port city in North Carolina, and has a population of about 128 thousand people. Wilmington's residential area lies between the Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Ocean, and the city developed as a commercial port in the colonial era. Toward the end of the 19th century, Wilmington racially integrated, prosperous city – and the largest in North Carolina. By 1910 and after what became known as the Wilmington insurrection of 1898 when white supremacists launched a coup that overthrew the legitimately elected local government, Charlotte overtook Wilmington as North Carolina's largest city. Wilmington's downtown includes a 2.82 km riverwalk, a local tourist attraction in the late 20th. Wilmington was declared the first World War II Heritage City in the country in 2020. The World War II battleship USS North Carolina, now a war memorial, is moored across from the downtown port area, and is open to the public for tours. Other attractions include the Cape Fear Museum of History and Science and the Children's Museum of Wilmington. The city is home to the University of North Carolina Wilmington as well as Cinespace Wilmington,the largest domestic television and movie production facility outside California and houses the largest special-effects water tank in North America.

Photo by Andre Ellis Mack: https://www.pexels.com/photo/scenic-wilmington-riverfront-holiday-decor-29753605/

Colonial beginnings

Mitchell-Anderson House (built 1738) 

Photo by Jason W. Smith - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18641614 

The city was founded in the 1730s. After going through a series of different names (New Carthage, New London, Newton), its name became 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, was reportedly the first European to see this area, including the city's present site. 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.

Revolutionary era

The Bellamy Mansion draws many tourists annually to downtown. 

Photo by: Billy Hathorn - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20449672

Alton Lennon Federal Building and Courthouse, the backdrop of Andy Griffith's Matlock television series 

Photo by Billy Hathorn - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20449717

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. 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. 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 stamps were available, but the vessels were still seized by a captain of a British cruiser. In response, numerous residents from southern counties met in Wilmington calling themselves the Sons of Liberty and pledged to block implementation of the Stamp Act. The following day, as many as a thousand men went 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. With 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. 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

Cannon firing at a re-enactment of the Battle of Forks Road near the Cameron Art Museum 

Photo by Zach Rudisin - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20673318

Wilmington National Cemetery has markers dating to the American Revolution and the American Civil War. 

Photo by Billy Hathorn - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20460668 

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. Wilmington was the last Confederate port to be captured.[47] As nearly all the military action took place some distance from the city, numerous antebellum houses and other buildings survived the war years.

Wilmington c. 1898 

Photo: State Archives of North Carolina Raleigh, NC - N.89.7.27 Panoramic view of Wilmington-NC, No restrictions, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=54918078

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. 

National Register of Historic Places 

• The Audubon Trolley Station, 
• Brookwood Historic District, 
• Carolina Heights Historic District, 
• City Hall/Thalian Hall, Federal Building and Courthouse, 
• Fort Fisher, 
• Gabriel's Landing, 
• 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, 
• Wilmington Historic District, 
• Wilmington National Cemetery are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Climate 

 

Wilmington has a humid subtropical climate with these characteristics:

Cypress trees in Greenfield Lake 

Photo By Zach Rudisin - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20745519 

Winters are generally mild. Spring is reasonably lengthy, beginning in late February and lasting to early May. The presence of abundant dense vegetation in the area causes significant pollen dusting in the springtime that tends to turn rooftops and cars yellow. Summer brings high humidity, with daily high temperatures. Due to the proximity of warm Atlantic Ocean waters and prevailing tropical-system tracks, the Wilmington area is subject to hurricane or tropical storm activity, mostly from August to early October. Autumn is also generally humid at the beginning, with the threat from tropical weather systems 

Cityscape 

Wilmington boasts a large historic district encompassing nearly 300 blocks. Abandoned warehouses on downtown's northern end have been recently demolished making room for multimillion dollar projects, such as the "Skyline Center"-the main building for city government operations.Other completed projects include a state-of-the-art convention center, Live Oak Bank Pavilion, Pier 33 Apartments, and The Cove houseboat community in Port City Marina. 

Downtown Monuments and Historic Buildings 

• The Bellamy Mansion 
• Cotton Exchange of Wilmington 
• The Temple of Israel 
• The Murchison Building 

Performing arts 

The city supports a very active calendar with its showcase theater, Thalian Hall, hosting about 250 events annually. The complex has been in continuous operation since it opened in 1858 and houses three performance venues, the Main Stage, the Grand Ballroom, and the Studio Theater. The University of North Carolina at Wilmington College of Arts and Science departments of Theatre, Music and Art share a state-of-the-art, $34 million Cultural Arts Building, which opened in December 2006. The production area consists of a music recital hall, art gallery, and two theaters. Sponsored events include 4 theater productions a year. The Brooklyn Arts Center at St. Andrews is a 125-year-old building on the corner of North 4th Street and Campbell Street in downtown Wilmington. The Brooklyn Arts Center at Saint Andrews (BAC) is on the National Register of Historic Places. The BAC is used for weddings, concerts, fundraisers, art shows, vintage flea markets, and other community-driven events. 

Film and television series

Wilmington City Hall, with movie crews filming in July 2012 

Photo By Billy Hathorn - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20460566 

The city's prominent place in cinema throughout the 1980s and 1990s earned the city the moniker "Hollywood East". Popular television series like Matlock (1986–1995), Dawson's Creek (1998–2003), Outer Banks (2020–present) have filmed in the city. Since 1995, Wilmington has hosted an annual, nationally recognized, independent film festival called "Cucalorus". In 2014, Governor Pat McCrory decided not to renew the film incentives, which ended up taking a massive toll on not just Wilmington's but North Carolina's entire film industry. As a result, most productions and film businesses moved to other cities, especially to Atlanta, Georgia. For the years following, there were many attempts to bring the industry back to North Carolina via the North Carolina Film and Entertainment Grant. In the early 2020s, after the COVID-19 lockdowns and changes to state legislation, filming in the city began to increase again, with 2021 being the biggest year to date for both the city's film industry as well as the whole film industry at large in North Carolina. 

Music and Festivals 

Chamber Music Wilmington was founded in 1995 and presents its four-concert "Simply Classical" series every season. The concerts are performed by world-class chamber musicians and are held at UNCW's Beckwith Recital Hall. The Wilmington Symphony Orchestra was established in 1971 and offers throughout the year a series of five classical performances, and a Free Family Concert. Beginning in 1980, the North Carolina Jazz Festival is an annual three-day traditional jazz festival that features world-renowned jazz musicians. The Cape Fear Blues Society is a driving force behind blues music in Wilmington. The organization manages, staffs and sponsors weekly Cape Fear Blues Jams and the annual Cape Fear Blues Challenge talent competition (winners travel to Memphis TN for the International Blues Challenge). Its largest endeavor is the Cape Fear Blues Festival, an annual celebration that showcases local, regional and national touring blues artists performing at a variety of events and venues. Wilmington is host to many annual festivals, including, most notably, the Azalea Festival. The Azalea Festival, sponsored by the Cape Fear Garden Club, features a garden tour, historic home tour, garden party, musical performances, a parade, and a fireworks show. It takes place every year in April. The beach near Wilmington, NC is home to the annual O’Neil/Sweetwater Pro-Am and Music Festival, the second largest surfing contest on the East Coast. 

Museums and historic sites

The USS North Carolina Battleship Memorial, seen from downtown Wilmington, across the Cape Fear River 

Photo By Ken Thomas - KenThomas.us(personal website of photographer), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1712035 

• The Railroad Museum 
• Cameron Art Museum 
• Bellamy Mansion 
• Museum of History & Design Arts 
• Cape Fear Museum of History and Science 
• The Children's Museum of Wilmington 
• First Baptist Church, founded in 1808 
• First Presbyterian Church, historic 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, oldest church in Wilmington 
• St. Mary Catholic Church, historic Roman Catholic church in Wilmington 
• Sunset Park Historic District 
• Temple of Israel, oldest synagogue in North Carolina 
• USS North Carolina Memorial Wilmington 

Sports 

The Wilmington Sharks are a Coastal Plain League baseball team in Wilmington that was founded in 1997 and was among the charter organizations when the CPL was formed that same year. The roster is made up of top collegiate baseball players fine-tuning their skills using wood bats to prepare for professional baseball. Their stadium is located at Buck Hardee Field at Legion Stadium. 

The Wilmington Sea Dawgs are a Tobacco Road Basketball League team that began its inaugural season with the American Basketball Association in November 2006 and have also played in the Premier Basketball League, and the Continental Basketball League. 

The University of North Carolina Wilmington sponsors 19 intercollegiate sports and has held Division 1 membership in the NCAA since 1977. UNCW competes in the Colonial Athletic Association and has been a member since 1984. 

The Cape Fear Rugby Football Club is an amateur rugby club playing in USA Rugby South Division II. They were founded in 1974 and hosts the annual Cape Fear Sevens Tournament held over July 4 weekend; hosting teams from all over the world. They own their own rugby pitch located at 21st and Chestnut St. 

Sister cities 

Wilmington is a sister city with the following cities: 

Dandong, Liaoning, China—1986 

Doncaster, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom—1989 

Bridgetown, Barbados—2004 

San Pedro Town, Belize—2007

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The most famous antebellum/Civil War site in Wilmington, North Carolina is Fort Fisher State Historic Site. This site, located in Kure Beach, was a crucial Confederate fortification that guarded the Cape Fear River and the port of Wilmington, which was the last major open port for the Confederacy during the war. 

Here's why Fort Fisher is so significant: 

• Defending the Port: Fort Fisher's primary role was to protect Wilmington, a vital supply line for Confederate armies, from Union blockade-runners. 
• The Fall of Fort Fisher: The fort fell to Union forces after a massive amphibious assault in January 1865, helping to seal the fate of the Confederacy. 
• National Historic Landmark: Fort Fisher was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961, and it now includes a fort complex, a museum, and a visitor center. 
• Antebellum & Civil War Significance: The fort's history encapsulates both the antebellum period, with the construction of the fort itself, and the Civil War, with its pivotal role in defending the port. 
• Accessibility and Open to the Public: Fort Fisher State Historic Site is open to the public and offers tours, exhibits, and educational programs about its history. 

Fort Fisher: The Gibraltar of the South 

Nestled at the southern tip of North Carolina's coastline, near present-day Kure Beach, Fort Fisher holds a storied place in American history. While its prominence rose during the Civil War, understanding its full context means stepping back into the antebellum era—a time of rising tensions, economic dependency on slavery, and growing division between North and South. 

Antebellum Foundations: The Calm Before the Storm 

In the early 19th century, the Cape Fear region—anchored by the port city of Wilmington—was a vital hub for the Southern economy. Wilmington became one of the largest exporters of naval stores (tar, pitch, and turpentine), and as tensions between North and South mounted in the decades before the war, the importance of defending this coastline became increasingly clear. Though Fort Fisher itself was not yet constructed, the area was eyed as a strategic location to protect Confederate shipping interests.

Birth of a Bastion: Fort Fisher and the Civil War 

Comstock, C. B. (1863) Sketch of Fort Fisher. [S.l] [Map] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/99446438/. 

Fort Fisher was born of necessity. As the Civil War erupted in 1861, the Confederacy scrambled to defend its critical ports. Wilmington, as the South’s last major open seaport by 1864, became a lifeline for receiving supplies from Europe via blockade runners. To defend this gateway, Fort Fisher was constructed under the guidance of Colonel William Lamb. The fort used innovative sand and earth ramparts that absorbed bombardments more effectively than traditional masonry.

By Smithsonian Institution - https://www.flickr.com/photos/smithsonian/4327164519/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30884138 

The Fall of Fort Fisher: A Turning Point

“Union Attack on Fort Fisher, January 15, 1865” 

By Robert Knox Sneden - http://www.learnnc.org/lp/multimedia/12418, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10640054 

In January 1865, after a failed attempt the month prior, Union forces returned in force. In one of the largest amphibious assaults of the Civil War, thousands of Union troops stormed the fort. After days of brutal fighting, Fort Fisher fell on January 15, 1865, severing the Confederacy’s last access to the outside world. 

Legacy of Fort Fisher: 

Today, Fort Fisher is preserved as a state historic site. Though partially lost to erosion, the site remains a powerful memorial. Visitors can walk the remaining earthworks, tour the museum, and learn about Fort Fisher's role in one of America’s defining conflicts. 

Visiting Fort Fisher Today: Plan a trip to the Fort Fisher State Historic Site, which includes exhibits, guided tours, and reenactments. It’s a must-see for Civil War enthusiasts, history students, and families alike. 

Citations: 

1. Wilmington, North Carolina,Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 10 April 2025 
2. Second Battle of Fort Fisher, Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 13 April 2025