This marker is located near the end of the Third Street median, adjacent to the removed Confederate…read moremonument. The marker points out the history of a religious leader in the city. The marker reads, "Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, 1886-1921. Installed as vicar apostolic of North Carolina (1868-72) at St. Thomas Church 1/2 block west." Online, there is more information. "Among the most important Roman Catholic leaders in North Carolina history, James Gibbons (1834-1921) was the first Vicar-Apostolic in the state. Born in Baltimore, Gibbons returned to his parents' native Ireland for his education. He served as a chaplain in Baltimore during the Civil War. At age thirty-four, he became a bishop and was assigned to serve the Diocese of North Carolina. He arrived in Wilmington in October 1868 and took up residence in the rectory of St. Thomas Church on Dock Street between Second and Third Streets." "While in Wilmington Gibbons worked on his best-known work, Faith of Our Fathers, published in 1876. Gibbons brought to the city the Sisters of Mercy, who opened a school for girls. He traveled regularly during his years in North Carolina. The number of church members was so small at that time that it was said that he knew all adult Catholics in North Carolina personally and could call them by name." "n 1872 Gibbons left Wilmington to become Bishop of Richmond and in 1877 became archbishop in Baltimore. In 1886 he was made a cardinal. He is considered the founder of Catholic University in Washington, D.C., which lay within his jurisdiction. He is buried in Baltimore." [Review 14586 overall, 85 of 2021, number 2797 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.]

By the side of US-74 on the route to the ocean, this marker is in front of a mixed use condo and…read moreoffice building. The marker recalls an important structure that used to be here and is no longer. It reads, "Babies Hospital. Pioneer pediatric hospital opened here in 1920 by Dr. J. Buren Sidbury. Also provided training of nurses. Closed 1978." Online, there is more information. "Writing in 1896, James Sprunt proclaimed the benefits of sea breezes on sick infants and children, noting that for several years physicians had recommended to local mothers a trip aboard the daily steamer from Wilmington to Southport to take advantage of the air's curative powers. The same impulse led Wilmington physician J. Buren Sidbury (1886-1967) in 1920 to open Babies Hospital on the sound just across from Wrightsville Beach overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway. Until Duke Hospital opened in 1930, Dr. Sidbury's hospital was the only pediatric care facility in North Carolina." "In its fifty-eight-year history Babies Hospital never received public funds. The original cottage housing the facility burned in 1927 (with no loss of life or injuries) to be replaced the following year by a fireproof building directly across the road. The new building featured twenty-two rooms, a spacious ward, and a roof garden with high walls for sunning. Through 1939 the hospital operated only during the summer months. From 1942 to 1967 Babies Hospital conducted a nurses training program to which senior student nurses from hospitals throughout the state were sent for three months of pediatric training. Pediatric supervisors throughout North and South Carolina were trained there." "In 1954 the third floor was expanded. The following year a nurses dormitory was built and in 1962 a pediatric research center was completed (since used by the University of North Carolina at Wilmington for marine biomedical research). Patient usage of Babies Hospital peaked in 1967. In 1978 the board of directors closed the hospital since the need for a specialized facility had by then diminished. Progress in the treatment of children's diseases had replaced the efficacious sea breezes. Over the objections of preservationists the 1928 building was demolished in 2003." [Review 14627 overall, 127 of 2021, number 2806 in North Carolina.]

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 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 is the right spot for this marker and refers to a spot about 7 miles upriver from the…read moreBrunswick Town historic site. This marker is across the street from a convenience store so there's a spot to stop. The marker reads, "Center of a colony from Barbados led by John Vassall, 1664. Abandoned by 1667. Was located 2 miles East on Town Creek." Online, "Sir John Colleton of Barbados, one of the eight Lords Proprietors, played a role in securing the Carolina Charter of 1663. John Vassall, a Barbadian merchant, in 1663 organized the "Corporation of Barbadian Adventurers" with Colleton as their chief advocate in England. The company selected William Hilton to make an exploratory voyage to Carolina. Hilton left Barbados on August 10, 1663, sailed to Port Royal and then up to coast to Cape Fear. He spent several weeks exploring and scouting the location for a colony. Hilton returned to Barbados in January 1664." " A rift developed within the company with some urging immediate settlement and with others holding out for the negotiation of better terms with the Lords Proprietors. John Vassall organized a rival group and sought rights from the Proprietors. Vassall sailed to Cape Fear in May 1664 and selected a settlement site for Charles Town on a high bluff on the west site of the Cape Fear River north of Town Creek. He erected a fortified compound with several buildings. Within two years about 800 people were living in the colony. Many chose to settle along the branches of the river, seeking out the higher ground, some as far as sixty miles from Charles Town." "Problems from within and from the outside led to its failure. These included stress, internal complaints and bickering, and fighting with nearby Indians. In London the government was distracted by fire, plague, and other domestic and foreign crises. In 1666 Sir John Colleton died removing from the scene their patron. The settlers drifted away from Charles Town beginning in the fall of 1666. By early 1667 John Vassall, who had invested much of his personal fortune to keep the colony in place, reported that it was abandoned. A second "Charles Town" backed by many of the same Barbadians arose on the Ashley River in 1670. This in time developed into present-day city of Charleston, South Carolina." [Review 13983 overall, 1305 of 2020, number 2623 in North Carolina.]

This marker points out the nearby Brunswick Town historic site not far away which is well worth…read moreyour time if you're here already, yelp.com/biz/brunswick-t.... The marker reads, "Brunswick. Founded circa 1725, long a principal port of North Carolina, site of Spanish attack, 1748, and of Stamp Act resistance, 1766. Later abandoned. Was 2 miles southeast." Online, "Maurice Moore, the son of South Carolina governor James Moore, established himself in North Carolina in 1725 with a 1,500-acre grant from the Lords Proprietors. As a business venture, Moore laid out Brunswick Town, located in present-day Brunswick County, in 1726. It was named for King George I of England who was a member of the German House of Brunswick-Hanover. Situated on the Cape Fear River, the town became the colony's chief port for exporting naval stores and lumber to Europe and the West Indies." "Brunswick residents faced a series of hardships. On September 4, 1748, sailors from Spanish ships came ashore and attacked the town. Citizens drove out the Spaniards and ransacked their ship. They sold the ship's contents and even the sailors themselves, using the proceeds to finance the construction of St. Philip's Church. In February of 1766, residents rallied against the Stamp Act in one of the earliest acts of armed resistance to the Crown in America." "the Confederate Army constructed Fort Anderson on the site in 1862. After the fall of Fort Fisher in 1865, Union troops captured the fort. In the 1950s and 1960s state archaeologists began uncovering the foundations of Brunswick. Today the walls of St. Philip's, dating back to 1754, and the foundation of Russellborough are visible. Brunswick Town is a state historic site operated by the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources." [Review 13976 overall, 1298 of 2020, number 2616 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.]