One of the most important documents of the United States and one of the very few people who signed…read moreit was born here. This marker points out his home. It reads, "William Hooper. One of North Carolina's three signers of the Declaration of Independence. Home was here." Online, "William Hooper, one of North Carolina's three signers of the Declaration of Independence, was born in Boston on June 17, 1742. He was the eldest child of William Hooper, Sr., rector of Boston's Trinity Church, and his wife Mary, the daughter of a prominent Boston merchant. At age eight he entered Boston Latin School, the nation's oldest public academy. Seven years later Hooper entered Harvard University, where he graduated in 1760 with an A. B. and eventually obtained an A. M. three years later." "In 1774, Hooper became a founding member of the first Committee of Correspondence formed in North Carolina. On April 26, 1774, he wrote to his friend James Iredell that it would not be long before the colonies "will build an empire on the ruins of Great Britain." When Boston's port was closed the following June, Hooper organized two shiploads of provisions to be sent to Massachusetts." "At the First Provincial Congress in North Carolina in August 1774, Hooper was elected as one of the colony's first three delegates to the Continental Congress along with Richard Caswell and Joseph Hewes. He remained in the Congress when war broke out in April 1775. The following February he left briefly to move his widowed mother from Cambridge, Massachusetts to North Carolina. In May 1776, Hooper joined John Penn and Hewes at the Third Continental Congress. With Hewes, Hooper served on the Marine Committee, and although absent when the Declaration of Independence was voted on, signed his name to the document on August 2. The following December he joined Hewes and Thomas Burke in devising the North Carolina state seal." His signature on the Declaration is the first in the second column, in line with the famous John Hancock. [Review 13998 overall, 1320 of 2020, number 2638 in North Carolina.]

This marker is alongside River Road between Wilmington and the Caswell/Oak Island beaches. It is in…read moregood condition and there is a grassy area where you can stop. Probably not legally, but I was only here for a minute. The marker reads, "Major General Howe was the commander of Southern Department of the Continental Line, 1776-78, and North Carolina's highest ranking officer. Lived 4 1/2 miles east." Online, there is more information. "Robert Howe, Continental army general, was born in 1732 in New Hanover County. Howe inherited a considerable fortune from his parents and grandparents, owning several large plantations in the New Hanover and Bladen counties. He served in several minor public posts in Bladen County, including as a militia captain and magistrate in the 1750s and 1760s. After Brunswick County formed, Howe was elected to the colonial assembly, a post he held for six consecutive terms. He also served as a militia officer for Brunswick County, and commanded Fort Johnston from 1769 to 1773. During the War of the Regulation, Howe commanded that artillery of Governor William Tryon at the Battle of Alamance." "At the outbreak of the Revolution, Howe served as a member of the Wilmington Committee of Safety and led the local militia that took control of Fort Johnston. On September 1, 1775, Howe was appointed colonel of the 2nd North Carolina Continental regiment. After the death of James Moore in 1777, Howe was appointed to succeed him as commander of the Southern Department and was promoted to major general on October 20, 1777." "Howe returned home in 1783 at the war's end, intent on resuming his life as a planter. In 1786 he was elected to the House of Commons, however he died on December 14, while traveling to the meeting of the body. He was the highest-ranking officer from North Carolina to serve in the American Revolution." [Review 14233 overall, 1556 of 2020, number 2676 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 is alongside River Road between Wilmington and the southern North Carolina beaches…read more It's a busy road but there's a spot to stop. The marker reads, "Alfred Moore. Associate justice U.S. Supreme Court, 1799-1804. Continental Line & militia officer; attorney general. Grave 2 mi. southeast." Online, there is more information. "Alfred Moore, Revolutionary War officer and associate justice of the United States Supreme Court, was born on May 21, 1755 in New Hanover County. Alfred Moore's father was a staunch opponent of British tax policies, and his opposition to the Stamp Act of 1765 caused Royal Governor William Tryon to remove him as a superior court judge." "Alfred was admitted to the bar in April 1775 just as war broke out between Great Britain and the colonies. Imbued with his father's political ideals, Moore clamored for action. In September 1775 he received a commission as a captain in the First North Carolina Continental Regiment, commanded by his uncle Colonel James Moore. He saw action first at Brunswick Town in January 1776. The following June, he served briefly in the defense of Charleston. Upon the death of his father the following year, Moore resigned his commission and returned home to manage the family estates." "At the war's conclusion, Moore began a lengthy career in public service, first as a state senator from Brunswick County, and then as attorney general of North Carolina, following the resignation of James Iredell. He resigned his position in 1791 in opposition to the Court Act of 1790, and in 1792 represented Brunswick County as a Federalist in the state assembly. In October 1799, President John Adams appointed Moore an associate justice to the United States Supreme Court upon the death of Justice James Iredell." "He died on October 15, 1810 at "Belfont," the plantation home of his son-in-law. He is buried in the graveyard of St. Phillips Church in Brunswick Town. Moore County is named for him." Moore County is just south of Greensboro North Carolina. The county seat is Carthage and its largest town is Pinehurst. [Review 14180 overall, 1502 of 2020, number 2675 in North Carolina.]

This marker notes an important event during the Colonial Era. There is a small spot to stop here if…read moreyou wish and the marker is in excellent condition. It reads, "Stamp Act. Armed citizens led a protest in Feb. 1766 at Brunswick, seat of royal power, 2 miles southeast." The spot is the nearby Brunswick Town historic site, https://www.yelp.com/biz/brunswick-town-fort-anderson-state-historic-site-winnabow?hrid=-SdScFPXQAgnBgruEnXR1w Online, "As England was having difficulty maintaining order in the colonies, Parliament turned to economic measures such as the Stamp Act of 1765. The law placed taxes on most forms of paper in the colonies, including newspapers, letters, pamphlets, and wills. While Parliament intended to defray costs incurred from stationing British troops in the colonies at critical sites such as Boston, the imposition of the tax drove many colonies to the brink of rebellion." "A collective shudder raced through the colonies at the news of the approval of the Stamp Act. On October 19 1765, angry mobs collected in the streets and alleys of Wilmington to burn the likeness of "a certain honorable gentleman," most likely the state tax collector, William Houston." "A series of events unraveled in North Carolina that illustrated the colony's stern resistance to the tax. In February of 1766, Speaker John Ashe, Cornelius Harnett, James Moore, and Col. Hugh Waddell, led several hundred citizens through Brunswick, arresting key royal officials and forcing the comptroller to resign. Other similar acts of defiance in North Carolina and elsewhere took their toll on British resolve. Within a few months, the colonies learned that Parliament had repealed the Stamp Act." I knew that there was rebellion in Boston, of course. I did not know that there was so in North Carolina so this was interesting to learn. [Review 14027 overall, 1349 of 2020, number 2666 in North Carolina.]

This marker stands in front of the former Catherine Kennedy Home for the Elderly that closed in…read more2000. According to news, the non-profit facility faced a steady decline in residents, and it proved too expensive to convert its aging buildings to meet federal and state standards for assisted living or nursing care. The buildings were acquired by the First Presbyterian Church of Wilmington, which extensively renovated its interior, largely with volunteer labor by church members. Today, the church uses the buildings to house its preschool, as well as for Sunday school classes and church suppers. The marker reads, "Catherine Kennedy Home. For the elderly. Grew from Ladies Benevolent Society, founded, 1845. First home, 1879, stood four blocks east." Online, there is more information. "he Ladies Benevolent Society of Wilmington was organized in 1845 for the purpose of general charity work. The organization was chartered by the state legislature in 1852. The facility was used as a home for aged women, and became known as "The Old Ladies Rest." By 1942, the home, run by a matron under the direction of a self-perpetuating board of directors, had twenty-eight residents. In 1950, the facility moved to a new location on Third Street (at the corner of Orange)." "The Catherine Kennedy Home operated as a non-profit independent living retirement community for more than 100 years. It was among the oldest homes for the aged in America when it closed its doors permanently in July 2000. The Catherine Kennedy Home Foundation was created following the home's demise. In 2003 the foundation presented $60,000 in grants to charitable organizations that promote the welfare of the elderly in southeastern North Carolina. The grants were a part of the Foundation's mission in managing and administrating the charitable assets received from the home's sale." [Review 14258 overall, 1582 of 2020, number 2692 in North Carolina.]

Not far from Town Creek Park, this marker points out the birthplace of North Carolina's 49th…read moreGovernor. The marker reads, "Daniel L. Russell, 1845-1908. Governor, 1897-1901; Superior Court judge, 1868-1874; member of Congress, 1879-1881. Born two miles northeast." "Daniel Lindsay Russell, Jr. (1845-1908) was elected to office by the uneasy "Fusion" alliance of Republicans and Populists in the bitter and racially charged election of 1896. Russell was nineteen when he was elected in 1864 to the first of two terms in the state House. With the advent of Radical Reconstruction, Russell sided with the new Republican regime and won election as a Superior Court judge, remaining in that position for six years. While Russell maintained a law office in Wilmington, his residence was in Brunswick County from which he was returned to the legislature in 1876. Two years later he entered the Third District Congressional race and served a single term." "By the early 1890s agrarian unrest and economic depression split the state's Democratic Party. The schism widened, giving the Republicans a long awaited opportunity. An alliance with Populists resulted in victories in 1896 that removed control of the legislature from the Democrats and placed Republican Russell in the governor's office." [Review 13994 overall, 1316 of 2020, number 2634 in North Carolina.]

Along the way to Fort Fisher, this marker points out some industrial history that looks to be long…read moregone. It's all beach houses and such along here now. The marker has the same text on both sides, reading "Ethyl-Dow plant, which operated here, 1934-1945, pioneered extraction of bromine from sea water. Element used in Ethyl, anti-knock gas compound." There is more information online. In 1934, Dow Chemical's plant commercially extracted bromine from sea water. Bromine was primarily used in Ethyl, an anti-knock gasoline additive, and the site was chosen for its ideal water conditions and natural features, including a Carolina bay and a Civil War-era trench. Built during the Depression for three million dollars, the plant treated 2,000 gallons of sea water to produce one pound of bromine, reaching a peak output of 15,000 pounds per day. Though operations ended in 1946, remnants of the facility remain. This is marker number D-98 and it was erected in 1993 by the North Carolina Division of Archives and History. There isn't really space to park and read the marker. [Review 1358 of 2025 - 4477 in North Carolina - 24910 overall]