We talk with longtime Wilmington resident Elaine Henson about what shopping downtown in the 1950s and '60s was like: Where the department stores were, who had the most magical display windows, where the toys could be found, and where you might see Santa Claus.By Gannett

Wilmington filmmaker Kent Chatfield played a starring role in "Wilmington on Fire," Christopher Everett's documentary film about Wilmington's deadly 1898 coup and massacre, the only successful insurrection on American soil in history. Now, Chatfield has directed his own documentary, "McKinley's Guns," which premiered at Thalian Hall in September an…

For this week's episode, we talk with Margaret M. Mulrooney, author of the book "Race, Place and Memory: Deep Currents in Wilmington, North Carolina," a comprehensive deep dive into Wilmington's long and troubled racial history that looks at how decades of inequality have shaped, and often warped, life in the Port City. Mulrooney is professor of hi…

The tourists who stay there might not know, but the Holiday Inn at Wrightsville Beach, recently rebranded as Lumina on Wrightsville Beach, a Holiday Inn Resort, sits on the former site of Moore's Inlet. With Ray McAllister, author of "Wrightsville Beach, the Luminous Island," we take a look back at the days when Wrightsville's north end, Shell Isla…

We talk to Wilmington native and North Carolina jazz historian Larry Reni Thomas about The Barn, a club that shone brightly during the days of segregation in the 1940s and early '50s, hosting such legendary players as Lionel Hampton, Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, Cab Calloway and many more.By Gannett

From the early days of rice plantations to its time as an industrial zone for Wilmington's naval stores industry, Eagles Island, which with Point Peter makes up the "west bank" of the Cape Fear River across from downtown, has nearly three centuries of history that parallel that of the Port City. As Wilmington decides whether to bring development ba…

Before the rise of chain grocery and convenience stores, dozens of mom-and-pop stores run by independent merchants could be found in nearly every Wilmington neighborhood, most of them downtown. We take a look back at where some of these stores were, why they went away and where their last vestiges remain.…

We talk with retired StarNews sports reporter Chuck Carree about Jordan's days in the '70s and '80s playing high school basketball in Wilmington, and about whether more should be done to recognize the legendary player's ties to Southeastern North Carolina.By Gannett

We talk with Mark W. Koenig, the former director of the Wilmington Railroad Museum. In January, his first book, "The Wilmington, Brunswick and Southern Railroad," was published by Arcadia Publishing and The History Press. In it, he uncovers the history of the long-forgotten railroad line. Cape Fear Unearthed is written, edited and hosted by John St…

We talk with StarNews investigative reporter Matthew Prensky about a 1983 study commissioned by the city of Wilmington that documented more than 100 historic sites and structures of significance to the Black community. The study was shelved, and more than two dozen of those structures have since been demolished.…

This week, we take a deep dive into more than 15,000 historic Wilmington photographs the Cape Fear Museum recently made available to the public on its website. Some photos date back to the 1860s, and together, they help tell the story of Wilmington -- the good, the bad and the ugly -- in a way words never could. Cape Fear Unearthed is written, edit…

Built in 1876 at Fourth and Market streets, Wilmington's Temple of Israel is believed to be the oldest synagogue in North Carolina and the 10th oldest in the United States in continuous use. We talk with longtime Temple members Glen and Beverly Tetterton about the history of the Temple, the history of Jewish people in Wilmington and about the ongoi…

The tale of the Christmas flounder has captured the imagination of Wilmingtonians ever since the story began running in the StarNews every Christmas Eve back in the early 1980s. We look into the Christmas flounder's rather murky origin story. Cape Fear Unearthed is written, edited and hosted by John Staton. Additional editing by Adam Fish.…

We talk to the folks at Legacy Architectural Salvage, an offshoot of the Historic Wilmington Foundation, about their work in preserving old building materials for future home renovation and construction projects. Cape Fear Unearthed is written, edited and hosted by John Staton. Additional editing by Adam Fish.…

This week, we talk to Jim Downey and Tim Pinnick of the New Hanover County Community Remembrance Project, who are involved with some of the efforts to commemorate the events of 1898, in part by finding the descendants of those who were killed. Cape Fear Unearthed is written, edited and hosted by John Staton. Additional editing by Adam Fish.…

In this week's episode, we take a look at the history of bridges in New Hanover County, both the bridges that exist today, and the bridges that preceded them. Cape Fear Unearthed is written, edited and hosted by John Staton. Additional editing by Adam Fish.By Gannett

Let’s talk a little bit of Wilmington film history, history that took place in an unlikely location in the northern wilds of New Hanover County. The massive, shut-down Ideal Cement plant near Castle Hayne has been the site of a dozen or more major film productions over the decades, some of them with very famous names: “The Crow,” “Super Mario Bros.…

100 years is a long time. Almost no one even lives that long. But as we look back on the history of Wilmington, there are a handful of businesses that have stood the test of time and, through multiple generations, survived, and even thrived, for 100 years or more. With guest Wilbur Jones, a historian and native Wilmingtonian. Cape Fear Unearthed is…

Let's take a look back at the many Wilmington movie theaters and drive-ins from yesteryear! Wilmington native Ann Hutteman saw movies at many of these locations, and she shares her memories with us. Cape Fear Unearthed is written, edited and hosted by John Staton. Additional editing by Adam Fish. The show is sponsored by Northchase Family Dentistry…

Founded in 1966, the Historic Wilmington Foundation, which has saved dozens if not hundreds of prominent structures in downtown Wilmington, has made its name on preserving the past for future generations. We talk with new executive director Travis Gilbert and HWF staffer Isabelle Shepherd about how the group is adapting to meet present-day challeng…

50 years ago, on May 16 and 17, 1971, a fire destroyed Hemenway Hall in downtown Wilmington. The New Hanover County Board of Education building, built in 1915, was formerly Hemenway School. The cause of the fire remains a mystery, but the anniversary opens a window to a time of great unrest in Wilmington.…

We talk to Kevin Mercer of Cape Fear Explorers about the many historical artifacts he's found in Southeastern N.C. And we speak to Elton Franks about a very special find he made recently in Brunswick County: What appears to a Native American "peace medal" dating back to the early 1700s. Cape Fear Unearthed is written, edited and hosted by John Stat…

Victoria Huggins, the 74th queen of Wilmington's N.C. Azalea Festival, talks with host John Staton about some of the festival's most famous and notable queens, as well as some of her personal favorites. Huggins is the first Miss North Carolina -- as well as the first Miss Wilmington -- to be named queen of the storied Wilmington festival, which she…

Wilmington rock club The Mad Monk only lasted for 13 years, from 1983 to 1996. But the impact it had on live music in the Port City continues to this day. On the 25th anniversary of its closing, John Staton talks to Jeff Reid about the Mad Monk's heyday and its legacy. Cape Fear Unearthed is written, edited and hosted by John Staton. Additional edi…

A new era begins on Cape Fear Unearthed creator Hunter Ingram bids farewell to the podcast and welcomes new host John Staton to the show. Hear about Hunter's new opportunity at Old Baldy Lighthouse, what stories John wants to bring to the show and how the origins of the podcast can be traced to the tunnels underneath downtown Wilmington. Cape Fear …

Long forgotten by history, the Battle of Forks Road was the last domino to fall before Wilmington was captured by Union forces in the final year of the Civil War. But even more than its military significance, it was a key theater of war for the United States Colored Troops. Across 175 regiments, the USCT was made up primarily of African Americans l…

They were inseparable in life and they were inseparable in death. Whoever said a dog is man's best friend would have certainly smiled at the bond between Capt. William Ellerbrock and his dog, Boss, both of whom lived in Wilmington in the late 1800s. The pair would become the lone victims of a vicious blaze in downtown Wilmington in April 1880, vict…

Black Thursday: Dec. 15, 1955. To shock of Wilmington, the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad announced it would be ending its century-long relationship with the city, where it operated its headquarters in 1900, and moving to a new city. It was a devastating day that provided a harsh period to a massive legacy for the railroad in Wilmington, an industry …

For more than 80 years, Wilmington had the ultimate icon of the holidays right in its backyard. The World's Largest Living Christmas attracted tens of thousands of visitors every year to marvel at its height and outstretching branches, draped in lights and ornaments galore. The tree was centerpiece of the holidays for the Cape Fear, and it's servic…

On the morning of Nov. 11, 1898, Wilmington was a city in shock. The day prior, chaos reigned on the streets when a mob of armed white supremacists unleashed intimidation, threats and gunfire on the Black residents of Wilmington. In the third episode of "Unearthing 1898," host Hunter Ingram and guests look at Wilmington in the days and years after …

On the morning of Nov. 10, 1898, hell jolted loose in Wilmington, as it was later described. Chaos filled the streets as a mob of armed white men swept across the city, burning The Daily Record In the second episode of "Unearthing 1898," host Hunter Ingram and guests look at Wilmington on Nov. 10, 1898, from sunup to sundown. How did the day of vio…

On the morning of Nov. 10, 1898, Wilmington awoke to violence in the streets. A white supremacist mob had started the morning by marching through the city, burning a Black-run newspaper and eventually killing Black citizens in the streets before overthrowing the local government. But to understand the truly horrific motivations behind the 1898 Wilm…

Lula's Pub is a downtown Wilmington bar beloved for its underground aesthetic, its low-key atmosphere and its ghost story, which tells of a former slave killed on the property who now greets guests in mirrors or dark corners. Venture down a dark, cramped hallway and into this subterranean hideaway that's lit with string lights and neon signs. It's …

Lizzie Turlington was a promising leader in North Carolina's deaf mute community in 1886 when she was murdered in the woods outside of Raleigh. The Wilmington native was shot once in the head by the man who had taken her for a leisurely ride that Friday afternoon in December – her fiancé Walter Bingham. Turlington's story became famous as the manhu…

In 1791, George Washington, just two years into his presidency, set out on a tour of the Southern States. Nearly 120 years later, William Howard Taft celebrated his first year in office with a tour of 33 states and territories. On each trip, the presidents took time to stop into Wilmington, where they were welcomed with massive celebrations and ent…

Frying Pan Tower was once the first light of the Cape Fear, serving as a light station 32 miles off the coast of Southeastern North Carolina to warn mariners of the dangers of Frying Pan Shoals. Today, it has been retired by the U.S. Coast Guard and is well past its prime, but a group of owners and volunteers are working against rust and time to pr…

As Confederate monuments come down across the country, the historic Bellamy Mansion’s intertwined stories of Southern prosperity and slavery have only invited more questions about the history of the 160-year-old Wilmington residence and what it has to say about the city’s past and present. This week’s episode of the Cape Fear Unearthed local histor…

The Women's Suffrage Movement was fought city by city, league by league for nearly eight decades. Changing the country's mind on what role women should play in society was never going to be an easy fight, but for years, the suffragettes at the center of the movement persisted. On August 18, 1920, their work paid off when the 19th Amendment was rati…

Before it was one of North Carolina’s most desired destinations, the setting of Nicholas Sparks’ “Safe Haven” or a quaint fishing village, Southport was supposed to be the first line of defense for the Cape Fear. The land that would become the Brunswick County getaway was originally designated as Fort Johnston in the 1740s, intended to protect the …

In June 2020, the city of Wilmington removed two downtown statues to the Confederacy that had been publicly displayed for a century or more. One was a memorial to those soldiers from New Hanover County who fought for the South, the other was a statue to Confederate Attorney General George Davis. But what does the larger community know about the sto…

Seven years before the Boston Tea Party and a decade before the Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence, the residents of the Cape Fear launched one of the earliest armed revolts against the British crown. With the passage of the Stamp Act in 1765, the colonists in Southeastern North Carolina decided enough was enough with the o…

Althea Gibson was considered the greatest tennis player in the world in the 1950s after becoming the first Black person to win Wimbledon. Breaking barriers on the world's stage was a long way from the streets of Harlem where she grew up and the backyard tennis court in Wilmington she practiced on as a young woman. While in Wilmington, Althea would …

In 1744, Wilmington's first jail was commissioned at the prominent corner of Third and Market streets in the heart of the still-growing downtown. It was a highly visible site for the crude colonial justice system to enact an array of punishments for the entire town to watch. But in 1770, influential planter and merchant John Burgwin bought the prop…

When the United States was finally pulled into World War II, the city was already hard at work churning out warships on the banks of the Cape Fear River. During the war, the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company would churned out 243 warships, employing more than 20,000 workers and turning the city into a wartime manufacturing hub. Up the road at Cam…

In its milestone 50th episode, Cape Fear Unearthed ventures into some of the most beautiful and historic places in the region with a look at the cemeteries and graveyards of the Cape Fear. Learn about the origins of and notable residents within burial grounds like Oakdale Cemetery, Bellevue Cemetery, Pine Forest Cemetery, St. James Episcopal Church…

In the fall of 1918, Wilmington's attention was on the frontlines of World War I overseas. But without realizing it, a deadly enemy managed to sneak in undetected. By the time the first case of Spanish influenza was reported in Wilmington, transmission was already widespread. One hundred cases spiraled into 500 and later more than 5,000. The city a…

History is often viewed through the lens of the accomplishments of men. But it is women who have provided the backbone for communities all over the world. That is no different in the Cape Fear region. With Women’s History Month in full swing, the Cape Fear Unearthed local history podcast is turning its attention to the lives of women who helped def…

When America went to war to fight for its independence, it was a nation of immigrants. Among those disparate groups looking for opportunity in the new country were the Highland Scots, thousands of which made the journey after being forced out of their homeland. In the Cape Fear region, they found an abundance of land, the chance to build a new life…

How did a flag from Fort Anderson in the Cape Fear make it all the way to Washington, D.C. and become the inciting factor in a chance encounter between President Abraham Lincoln and his eventual assassin John Wilkes Booth? In this special companion episode to our look at the history of Fort Anderson in the Civil War, host Hunter Ingram and special …

By February 1865, the only thing that stood between Wilmington and the Union navy advancing up the Cape Fear River was Fort Anderson. Built upon the ruins of Brunswick Town, the region’s first permanent settlement, the fort was initially manned by a garrison of a few hundred men through the Civil War. But after Fort Fisher fell in January 1865, upw…