Touring the Cape Fear Museum in Wilmington, North Carolina

This is our first visit to the Wilmington area.

A visit to the Cape Fear

Museum will help Eric &

me "get the lay of the land."

The Cape Fear River cuts the

land in two for 35 miles 

before reaching the Atlantic

Ocean & creating Cape Fear.

Wilmington's oldest resident is

the Giant Ground Sloth.

This 20 foot long, 3 ton creature

roamed the area 12,000

 years ago.

Artifacts prove that Native Americans were living in this region 10,000 years ago.

Eric's favorite artifact is a
a sea shell mounted on
a stick.

Is is it a tool or a weapon?








British settlers took advantage of the geography they found here.  Wilmington became a major port.

Manufactured goods & slaves

 were shipped into Wilmington.

Crops & regional products

were exported.

Saltwater was collected from
nearby marshes, boiled & the
salt that remained was used
to preserve foods, seasoning
foods & many other uses.








Following years of discord regarding states rights and slavery, Southern states decided to secede from the Union and conflict started in April 1861.  President Lincoln, declared a Naval blockade of Southern ports.North Carolina seceded from the Union on May 20, 1861.  Wilmington was an important port during the Civil War.   Over 100 ships were grounded, sunk or captured while attempting to dock in Wilmington.  Many other ships slipped by the blockade and brought in supplies for the area and Rebel Armies.  As the war ground on, Wilmington became the last operating southern port that supplied Confederate troops.

A model of the Scottish made

 blockade runner, the Dare.

It was destroyed on January 7,

1864 while trying to run the

blockade into Wilmington.

On January 15, 1865, the Rebel
defense of Wilmington at Fort
Fisher fell following a Naval
bombardment & fierce fighting.

Without desperately needed supplies, the Army of the Confederacy fought on for three months until General Lee surrendered to General Grant at Appomattox Courthouse in Central Virginia on April 9, 1865.  Slavery ended and segregation began.

Wilmington, like all communities

across the South had white

schools & black schools.

In 1954 the Supreme Court struck down laws that allowed and enforced racial separation in the schools.  Wilmington integrated its schools in 1969.  

Life on the coast filled with inlets and rivers makes travel by boat a necessity.

The Sea-Skiff easily navigates
the open sea, rivers & shallow
salt marshes that dominate
this region.

Raised in Wilmington, Michael Jordan,

went to University of North Carolina.

He is universally known for his

 basketball career with the

Chicago Bulls.

The Cape Fear Museum does a great job presenting and explaining the history of the region.  There are hands on displays for the children, making this museum a must see for families.