Located at the corner of Third and Ann Streets, this marker denotes the home of one of North…read moreCarolina's Colonial leaders. The marker is in very good condition. Though the point it is referencing is seven miles away. Why put it in downtown Wilmington? It reads, "Acting governor, 1771; thrice Chief Justice, 1750-1766; President of the Council. Owned large library. Home 7 mi. southeast." Online, there is more information. "James Hasell (d. 1785) was the acting governor in the summer of 1771 after William Tryon departed for his new post in New York and while Josiah Martin was delayed due to illness. He served as president of the Council from 1760 to 1775, and in that capacity, performed the duties of acting governor of North Carolina on several occasions. Son of merchant James Hasell, the younger Hasell was originally from Bristol, England. He immigrated to the American colonies where he lived briefly in Philadelphia before settling in New Hanover County prior to 1735." "Although he had no formal legal education, James Hasell enjoyed a respectable career on North Carolina's higher courts. Although Arthur Dobbs had criticized Hasell's lack of legal training, he served several times as chief justice of the General Court, as well as of the supreme and superior courts. He was named chief baron of the Exchequer Court in September 1753, and held that office until the American Revolution, resigning twice, temporarily, for terms as chief justice. Hasell's hobby was book collecting. During his lifetime he accumulated one of the largest libraries in North Carolina. Many of his books are now in the North Carolina Collection in Chapel Hill." [Review 14608 overall, 108 of 2021, number 2802 in North Carolina.]

This marker near downtown Wilmington recalls the history of an escaped slave who joined the Union…read morenavy. It reads, "William B. Gould. 1837-1923. Was enslaved Bellamy plasterer. Escaped 1862 and joined Union navy. Kept detailed war diary. Lived 2 blocks north." Online, there is more information. "According to William B. Gould's death certificate, his mother was an enslaved person, Elizabeth Moore, and his father was an Englishman named Alexander Gould. William was owned by Nicholas Nixon, a prominent a peanut planter. During his youth, Gould gained skills in the building trade. Although teaching slaves to read had been outlawed in North Carolina in 1830, Gould also learned to read and write." "Around 1860, Gould began to work as a plasterer and mason on the Bellamy Mansion, on which construction began in 1859. The building would serve as the home of the family of Dr. John D. Bellamy, a Wilmington physician and merchant. James F. Post of New Jersey was the lead architect on the project. Gould created elaborate plasterwork throughout the main level of the mansion. He signed his initials, WBG, into the back of two sections of decorative plaster, one of which is on display at the Bellamy Mansion Museum today. The Bellamy Mansion is the only construction project on which Gould is confirmed to have worked. Bellamy is known to have hired Gould out, so it is probable that he worked on other construction assignments as well." "On September 21, 1862, Gould and seven other enslaved men escaped from Wilmington via the Cape Fear River and headed for the Union-occupied zone of the North Carolina coast. Six days later they were picked up by the USS Cambridge and recorded as "eight contrabands from Wilmington." Gould and his fellow escapees enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He began documenting his experiences on September 27, the day that he encountered the crewmen of the Cambridge. He kept the journal for three years; the last entry was dated September 29, 1865." "His is one of only three known diaries written by African American sailors during the Civil War, and is the only one penned by a former slave. Gould's diary was written in a spare style, as might be expected given the demanding routine of life aboard a naval vessel, which usually left little time for long reflective entries. Frequently entries include comments on the weather and various incidents of interest, sometimes serious and sometimes comic in nature, as well as brief descriptions of contacts with over Union naval vessels, encounters with the enemy, the pickup of other escaped slaves, references to letters from family of friends, notations to visitors of the ships, and, in the case of the European stint of the voyage, details of ports of call. Other entries briefly comment on the conduct of the war, such as Gould's April 16, 1864, expression of frustration regarding the failure of the U.S. government to retaliate for the recent massacre of black and white U.S. soldiers by Confederate troops at Fort Pillow, Tennessee." [Review 14493 overall, 1819 of 2020, number 2744 in North Carolina.]

This marker along one of Wilmington's oldest streets points out the early home of the 28th POTUS,…read moreWoodrow Wilson. It reads, "Woodrow Wilson. President of the United States, 1913-1921. His home, 1874-1882, was the Presbyterian Manse which stood one block east." Online, more information. "Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the United States, lived in Wilmington from 1874 to 1882 at the Presbyterian Manse while his father served as the minister of the city's First Presbyterian Church. The third of four children of Joseph R. and Jessie Janet Woodrow Wilson, Thomas Woodrow Wilson was born on December 28, 1856 in Staunton, Virginia." (Staunton is about 360 miles north.) "In 1873, Woodrow Wilson began attending Davidson College. The following year his father took a position as minister of the First Presbyterian Church in Wilmington. Wilson remained at Davidson College only briefly before transferring to Princeton University. He graduated in 1879, and began attending law school at the University of Virginia. Illness forced him to return to Wilmington the following year. The family remained in Wilmington until 1882. Wilson moved to Atlanta to open a law practice, while his father and family returned to Augusta." [Review 13995 overall, 1317 of 2020, number 2635 in North Carolina.]

Located in front of the New Hanover County Courthouse at the corner of Third and Princess, this…read moremarker points out a hero of Wilmington. It reads, "Johnston Blakeley, 1781-1814. Captain, United States Navy. After victories in War of 1812, he and his sloop Wasp were lost at sea. His home was 2 blocks west." Online, there is more information. "Johnston Blakeley, North Carolina's most noted naval hero of the War of 1812, was born in October 1781 in Seaford, County Down, Ireland. At the age of two he and his family emigrated to Charleston, South Carolina. Soon after, his mother and an infant died. Johnston and his father, John Blakeley, moved to Wilmington. Blakely attended school in Flatbush, New York, until the death of his father in 1796." "On February 5, 1800, Johnston Blakely was issued an appointment to the President, a new frigate being prepared for a cruise in the West Indies. He was later assigned to the USS John Adams, under Captain John Rodgers. Rodgers, recognizing his potential, chose to keep Blakeley with him during the Barbary War (1801-1805), and promoted him to acting lieutenant. Continuing his service in the Navy, he saw his commission as a lieutenant confirmed by the Senate in 1807. Blakeley assumed command of the Enterprise as acting commandant in March 1811." "The Wasp set sail on May 1, 1814, with a crew of 173 men and orders to harass British merchant ships in the English Channel. The ship's successes were many and the tales of Blakeley's escapades lightened the hearts of war-weary Americans. Blakeley was described as "a brave and discreet officer" and his ship as "one of the most successful of our cruisers." On November 3, 1814, Blakely was awarded a gold medal for his victory over the HMS Reindeer and on the 24th of the month he was promoted to captain. He never learned of his promotion, however--the Wasp was lost at sea, never heard from again. The ship is believed to have been sunk in an Atlantic storm, since no British ship reported destroying the prized vessel." Captain Blakeley, I salute you. Thank you for your service to our country. [Review 14299 overall, 1623 of 2020, number 2695 in North Carolina.]

This historical marker denotes a local citizen who was born here and educated here then went on to…read moredo great things for the people and the State of North Carolina. The marker reads, "Thomas F. Wood, 1841-1892. Organizer & Secretary-Treasurer of State Board of Health, 1877-1892. Founded North Carolina Medical Journal in 1878. Home was 1 block west." Online, there is more information. "Thomas Fanning Wood, born in Wilmington, attended public schools in that city and upon completion went to work in a drugstore. He studied medicine with several local physicians, a common way of gaining a medical education at the time. Wood's volunteer service for the Confederate army gave him the opportunity to attend classes at the Medical College of Virginia while serving as a hospital steward in Richmond. While in service he passed a medical exam and in 1863 was appointed an assistant surgeon." "After the war Wood returned to Wilmington where he established a private practice. There was a devastating smallpox epidemic in Wilmington from 1865 to 1866, during which time Wood ran a hospital for indigent blacks stricken with the disease. His experiences there led him to promote Edward Jenner's smallpox inoculation in North Carolina. Wood recognized the need for state involvement in public health issues and would be engaged in that form of politics for the rest of his life." "The General Assembly passed a bill establishing the North Carolina Board of Health in 1877 and increased its authority and funding in 1879 and again in 1885. Wood was elected secretary-treasurer of the initial board in 1877 and held that position until his death in 1892. The successful launching of the board was due in large part to the efforts of Wood, who wrote as many as 200 letters per month on behalf of the organization. In 1878 he co-founded the North Carolina Medical Journal, the publication of the North Carolina Medical Society. He was the principal editor of the journal for the remainder of his life. He was active as a public health administrator in many organizations and his contributions to medical literature are significant." [Review 14560 overall, 58 of 2021, number 2795 in North Carolina.]

Located on the inner side of Wrightsville Beach island, this marker recalls more recent history…read morethan the Colonial Era or even the Civil War. The marker reads, "Pioneer East Coast Surfing. Early surfing activity organized on beaches near here in 1909 by B.H. Bridgers & others." Online, "Polynesian children engaged in primitive surfing activities thousands of years ago. In some areas surfing on various types of board was merely transportation for fishermen. Hawaiian adults began to develop boards for surfing about 1200 C.E. Matt Warshaw, in his The History of Surfing, states that in Hawaii, surfing was "both recreational and universal" and was practiced by all members of society." "In 1908 South Carolinian Alexander Hume Ford founded the Outrigger Canoe and Surfboard Club to develop the "great sport of surfing in Hawaii." In August of 1909 Colliers Weekly published an article about surfing by Ford in which he encouraged readers to try the sport. Wrightsville Beach native Burke Haywood Bridgers read the article and, wishing to ask Ford detailed questions about surf boards, he wrote to the author in care of Colliers." "The surfing that occurred in the Wrightsville beach area in the early 1900s is the earliest documented in the state of North Carolina." There is much more - too much to post here - in the linked article. [Review 14011 overall, 1333 of 2020, number 2651 in North Carolina.]

The Old Smithville Burying Ground is a beautiful old cemetery. Smithville was the original name of…read morethe town now named Southport. It is thought to be the oldest cemetery in Brunswick County. The oak trees and shrubs make this a peaceful place to wander and explore history. The gravesites go back to the 1700s and include Revolutionary War soldiers to those lost when a steamship sank to those working on the Cape Fear lost at sea to those that helped make Southport what it is today.

Every time we go back, the homes and grounds look less and less maintained. The rentals are dirty…read moreyet expensive! The island is definitely struggling and being a full time resident there would be nearly impossible. Having no control of the ferry and no dedicated water taxi to Wilmington is a big miss for revenue. We were going to move there but it's too transient and unpredictable for us with no real plans for the future.

Bald Head Island retains much of its uniqueness even with the inevitable growth associated with all…read morebeach areas in the state. Located on the eastern side of the mouth of the Cape Fear River, the island is reachable only by ferry from Southport or by private boat. There are few motor vehicles here, and those belong to the island's municipal department, and to the array of building and maintenance contractors working on the local residences. The small marina remains the heart of the island for most of the 200 permanent residents and the flow of tourists that seasonally visit BHI. That's were the 2 public restaurants, Delphina Cantina and MoJo's on the Harbor, are located. Both are rather good in most respects, but are on the expensive side. Dining is also available at the BHI County Club for most renters. There is some shopping opportunities there as well, but these are limited to some apparel items, renting bikes and golf carts (the primary mode of transportation for most on the island. The local lighthouse, Old Baldy is near the marina, as it the local, quaint post office. There is only one food market on BHI, the Maritime Market, located about in the middle of the island. There is a reasonable variety of meats, produce, beer & wine, canned & packaged goods, breads, eggs, dairy products, but the prices are higher than you'll be used to, in most cases. And, there is no ABC Store on BHI, so bring an adequate supply, because the only choice is to take the ferry to Southport, which entails time and money, or be content with beer & wine. The beaches are nice, though some are rather narrow at high tide, and there are some strong currents swirling around this small island, because the Cape Fear River and the Gulf Stream collide here. The surf fishing can be outstanding, but beach access is limited to certain points, and carrying your equipment, chairs, etc to the water's edge can be daunting, and tiring. Commercially available bait is limited, and many catch their own bait, mullet minnows, in the surf with a hand throw net - not always easy or always available. This is a small, laid back place, with limited activities other than water related ones, biking, walking, and very limited dining opportunities. A fair amount of the inland part of the island is composed of maritime forest, and it is nice to walk, bike or cart through it, but this can occupy only some much attention.Folks refer to being on "Turtle Time" here, and it is a great place to relax. But if you and/or your family are into a more energetic life style, some boredom may be encountered. We liked much that the island offers, but also found there were some limitations (dining, food shopping, transportation, etc) and requirements to get there (ferry rides, luggage restrictions, ques, etc which were similar in some ways to those faced when going on a cruise) that we didn't care for, and just not being able to jump in a car and move about a bigger area.