Wilmington, NC

Travel story from Polly: Wilmington, North Carolina

     A wedding can take you to places you’ve never been.

     Let the romantic occasion become a journey, and you are immersed into fun and adventure in a far off place that perhaps you have only occasionally heard of.

     Recently, my husband and I packed in a multitude of culture while attending a much celebrated marriage in the southeastern part of North Carolina.  

     After flying across the United States, we found ourselves in Wilmington, a city nestled between the Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Coast.

     Although it does not actually border the ocean, the eastern portion of the municipality overlooks the Sound, the Intercoastal Waterway, and barrier islands that lie between.

     Long ago, sailors described the river as the “Cape of Fear” named for the high winds that raised havoc with the ships.

     The old part of the port city rises from the riverwalk where voices of the past whisper from the remains of shipyards, the Cotton Exchange, the city market, and restaurants and shops housed in refurbished wharf buildings. Friendly guides relive the Revolutionary and Civil War history from horse drawn carriages, trolleys, and even push-off segways.

     Before the Civil War, Wilmington was an active seaport shipping great quantities of naval stores (tar, pitch, and turpentine), wood products, and rice to Charleston, Baltimore, New York, and the West Indies.  The war dramatically changed Wilmington as it became the Confederacy’s main blockade running seaport.  As the Union took over the area, Wilmington was different, but they never gave up.  Eventually, the southern families that owned property were able to move back and restore their fine homes, churches, and mansions that encompass an area of more than one hundred blocks.

     Having survived the hostilities between the North and the South, Wilmington showcases the largest National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina, in fact, one of the largest in the U.S.  

     Today, visitors walk and tour the old district tripping along charming brick lined streets that the locals refuse to give up.

     “It’s a bumpy ride,” said our trolley guide, Wes, explaining the ongoing controversy that prevails to asphalt over the well worn red pavers.

     He claimed that a solid army of residents comes out at night with picks and shovels to attack any hot mix truck that may invade the lovely magnolia lined streets.

     Stories unfold as the historic plaques proudly grace grand porches and holy steeples, structures that are maintained as they were in the antebellum days.  The city is proud to have a historical committee that is diligent about keeping up the street side and iron gated properties.

      Built in 1848, our Bed and Breakfast, the Rosehill Inn, has been lovingly restored by innkeepers, Tricia, Bob, and Sean Milton. The two story white Georgian style house, was once the home of Henry Bacon, who in the 1880s, served as the government engineer in charge of the Cape Fear River improvements.  He was the father of Henry Bacon II, who later became the architect who designed the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.  Not only have the Miltons preserved this historic inn, they meet and greet you at the airport.  And in the eleventh hour, Bob takes the side streets to whet your taste of the landscape that will awaken you in the morning.  Now that’s southern hospitality!

     Only a heavy sleeper could snooze through the melodic carillon that is regularly rung from the First Presbyterian Church down the street. The church, with its finials and soaring stone spire, topped with a metal rooster, can be seen from any vantage.  It is said that the Reverend Joseph R. Wilson, pastor from 1874 until 1885, would not have been proud of son, Tommy’s, sling shot antics that shattered neighbors windows. However, he would acknowledge that Thomas Woodrow Wilson grew up to be the 28^th President of the United States.    

     A few blocks away, the house where Anna McNeil Whistler was born still stands.  James McNeill Whistler’s mother; yes, the lady in the painting, was proud to have been from Wilmington.

     Of particular note along Market Street, is the pre-Civil War Bellamy mansion.  Built in the scale seldom rivaled in the States, for the family of physician Dr. John Bellamy, the house was seized and used as the Union military headquarters at the end of the war.  In September 1865, the U.S. government pardoned Dr. Bellamy for his allegiance to the Confederacy and allowed him to return with his family to the mansion.  Finding their home in a horrible state, the Bellamys were never the same. Much political grief ensued even into the 1930s and the tale is still told how the last surviving daughter refused President Taft entry when he knocked to just have a look at the grand home.  Restored to its palatial style, the mansion is today a museum that is open to the public.

     If you are looking for big shoes in sports, you’ll find them here.  Wilmington just happens to be where Michael Jordan grew up.  He played basketball for Laney High School, though, ironically, he was cut from the varsity shooters as a sophomore.  He never gave up, and eventually made the team, leading them on to the state championship.  Today, the high school gym is named after Jordan.

     The Riverwalk, the heart and soul of the downtown Wilmington wharf, is an adventure on any given day.

     As we strolled along, we came upon Darrell Chambers, a Scotsman, polishing and cleaning the engraved silver on his bag pipe.  A member of a well known pipe band, Chambers showed us the intricate parts of his tartan instrument.  And then, without prompting, he stood and played lovely tunes to honor his countrymen.  We lingered for some time as he played on, pausing briefly to boast that “there are more Scots here in Wilmington, than in Scotland.”   

     Walking along the Cape Fear River, you can’t avoid the fog horn of the Capt. J.N. Maffitt, a tour boat.  Originally constructed as a “liberty launch” for the U.S. Navy, the boat was used to convey sailors from ship to shore, on “liberty.”  Soon, the lapping waves along the pier signaled the arrival of the 600 passenger riverboat, Henrietta III, as it docked at the completion of an afternoon cruise.  Across the river, the heroic  battleship North Carolina rested in calm waters, making World War II history come alive with its’ narrated tours.  A well known sideshow to the battleship is “Charley,” an aging