The Lower Cape Fear A Unique Pictorial A photographic presentation of the many unusual and rarely noticed subjects to be found in Wilmington, New Hanover County, and the adjoining areas by Samuel D. Bissette Copyright 2005 Samuel D. Bissette
CONTENTS Introduction Chapter One CEMETERIES Chapter Two PAVEMENT RECORDS Chapter Three MEMORIALS - MARKERS - INSCRIPTIONS SIGNS Chapter Four CHURCHES AND HISTORIC BUILDINGS Chapter Five ART Chapter Six UNIQUE PEOPLE Chapter Seven ARTIFACTS Chapter Eight CONTEMPORARY About the Author
INTRODUCTION On Saturday morning October 11, 2003, I attended a ceremony honoring two graduates of New Hanover High School who had received the Congressional Medal of Honor in World War II. Arriving early, I walked around the school grounds and noted several interesting things. A piece of sculpture was over the main entrance, a world War I memorial, a historic plaque, and an unusual leaf design etched in a section of a sidewalk apparently created accidentally by leaf fall before the concrete hardened. Several weeks later, I recalled other instances of noting unusual events or artifacts elsewhere that related to our city of Wilmington or New Hanover County. The idea then occurred of attempting to find as many of these interesting things as I could and put them pictorially in a data base for possible future use. During the past year the number of pictures reached more than one hundred fifty and as they were taken with a digital camera were in digitized form, available for easy use to make a collection in book form. From various sources, I added a number of others and gradually this work developed. Each page contains one or more pictures illustrating what I believe is something unique or interesting related in some way with our city and county. The definition was intentionally very broad so the nature of the pages vary widely. I hope the result will be considered unusual, interesting and worth the time of the reader. Some personal comments have been made so the text is written in both the first and third persons, and above all, is simply presented. The pages are numbered at the beginning of each block of text - for example, i.e. 3.2, meaning chapter three, page two. It is hoped that the following pages will create within the reader an interest in our very historic area of the United States and an appreciation for the people of its past and their contributions to our present day society. I am indebted to a large number of persons that I met briefly along the way who helped me to find items I might have overlooked or furnish information that was helpful in including details in the text. Others were helpful in other ways. And my very personal thanks to my wife, Ruby, for her support, and my son David Bissette and daughter Sabra Ledent for sharing their computer and editing skills. Sam Bissette Wilmington, NC November 24, 2004
Chapter One CEMETERIES
1.1 - A LADY WHO LIVED IN THREE CENTURIES There are approximately five thousand graves in the National Cemetery in Wilmington dating back into the 1800s. Inscriptions are limited and epitaphs rare. The above grave marker shows her birth date to be in the nineteenth century and her death date to be in the twentyfirst century. Her epitaph seems quite appropriate. Her military husband s inscription and grave is found on the other side of the marker.
1.2 - A LADY WHO WAS MURDERED Unusual circumstances are recorded on the marble monument of Lizzie B. Turlington. She was born on December 10, 1862 according to the face of the stone, with this inscription on the side: Murdered by W. L. Bingham December 17, 1886, aged 24 Yrs. & 7 days. This monument is in Oakdale Cemetery.
1.3 - SAD EVENTS AND A MYSTERIOUS DEATH At Oakdale cemetery, the top photograph depicts the five gravestones of the Worth family s little children. The Gause family plot (not shown) also has identical stones of the five little Gause children. Below is shown the plaque marking the grave of Mary Lily Kenan Flagler Bingham at the Kenan family site. She died a mysterious death in Kentucky.
1.4 - ANOTHER OAKDALE CEMETERY CURIOSITY In Wilmington s Oakdale Cemetery there are found many interesting things besides the always intriguing epitaphs. It takes keen observation to discover them. I was walking down one of the lanes near the Yellow Fever Area when I suddenly felt disturbed so I stopped just past the corner of the Hebrew Cemetery where there was a large oak tree. I noted the cast iron fence as fine and unusual and suddenly realized that the corner post was growing out of the oak tree or so it seemed. Then the truth came out that the tree had grown around the post over the years! There are a number of places in Oakdale where the objects placed by man are moved or disturbed with the passing of many years. I kept this picture large so that the detail could be clearly seen.
1.5 - BROTHERS IN PUBLIC SERVICE On this page are shown the gravestones of two persons who achieved prominence in political service to the citizens of Wilmington, New Hanover County, and North Carolina. I was a schoolmate of Bill Schwartz at New Hanover High School and a friend and business associate of Bennie Schwartz. Both of these gentlemen were fine servants to our community. Please note that they both are past mayors of Wilmington.
1.6 - BURIAL SITES AT OAKDALE CEMETERY Above is shown a contemporary grave marker of the 21 st century with the identity of the individuals known only to those who knew them well. Below is an unusual grave marker which may be the only one in Oakdale that is not marble or granite.
1.7 - LINCOLN S GETTYSBURG ADDRESS In the National Cemetery on Market Street in Wilmington, the large metal tablet shown above is found on the wall of the administration building.. I understand that like plaques are located in every National Cemetery in the United States. It is pictured here because I thought the location was unusual being in a Southern Cemetery with thousands of Confederate dead.
1.8 - AT WILMINGTON S NATIONAL CEMETERY In its beginning, the cemetery had individualized grave markers. To the right is one of the oldest. Later restrictions were added and a standardized format was adopted. Above is a general view with a single upright slab of marble on which is found only one word Unknown. So this grave has a body but not a name. Among the more than five thousand graves are found exceptions from time to time as the markers had to adapt to the many ways military deaths occured.
1.9 - OAKDALE S CONFEDERATE MEMORIAL Above is shown the statue of a Confederate soldier which is mounted at the top of a mound that is known as the Confederate Memorial in Oakdale Cemetery. Buried in the mound are the remains of more than three hundred soldiers relocated from elsewhere in the cemetery.
1.10 - THE GIRL BURIED IN A CASK OF SPIRITS AT OAKDALE CEMETERY The cross to the left of Martin has the single name Nance carved on it. This is the grave of Nancy Martin who died in Bermuda while on a voyage with her father. Her body was placed sitting in a chair inside a large barrel of rum and on the return to Wilmington was buried here. Her brother also died on the same voyage. Some details are carved on the stone monument shown above.
1.11 - THE GRAVE OF DAVID BRINKLEY David Brinkley, an internationally known television news figure of the twentieth century, is buried in Oakdale Cemetery. He was born and raised in Wilmington working with the local newspaper before starting his national news career.
1.12 - TWO HEROES OF THE WAR BETWEEN THE STATES ERA A memorial marker to Charles Quigley, first caretaker of Oakdale Cemetery, is shown above. The legend tells the story. Below is shown the gravesite of Rose O Neal Greenhowe who drowned while running the blockade during the War Between the States. She was a Confederate secret agent. Her grave continues to receive care from local women s organizations which accounts for the flowers in the picture.
1.13 - TWO HEBREW CEMETERIES Please examine the above photograph taken at Oakdale Cemetery looking for something that is unusual. The date given is March 6, 5615 which is the Hebrew date and not the Christian date of 1855. Also note that this section of Oakdale was begun before the War Between the States. Below is shown a portion of a monument in the Hebrew cemetery located on North Eighteenth Street near Princess Street Road. I made inquiry as to why a number of memorial markers had pebbles lying on top them. The answer was given that it was a custom when persons visited a grave there to leave a pebble marking the visit.
1.14 - TWO UNUSUAL GRAVE MARKERS IN OAKDALE CEMETERY The marker above states DIED PLEASING THE PUBLIC. Don Hartman died at Legion Stadium in 1937 when he was performing a tightrope walking exhibition. The memorial below marks the graves of five people who all died on the same day. Their cause of death was a mass drowning of all five during a beach picnic at Zeke s Island south of Fort Fisher on June 1, 1885. There were three children and two adults, all members of the same family, that lost their lives. The details were extensively reported in the Wilmington Morning Star on June 2, 3, and 5, 1885.
1.15 - WILMINGON S NATIONAL CEMETERY Above is shown an unusual plaque describing a section of the cemetery. This caught my attention because I had never realized how persons in the military who lost their lives under unique circumstances would be remembered. Below is the main entrance drive on Memorial Day, 2004.
1.16 - YELLOW FEVER AREA OAKDALE CEMETERY The marker at right details the dreadful yellow fever epidemic that plagued Wilmington in 1862. People were buried in row graves marked by a number as shown below. A special row was provided for children.
1.17 - PREPARE FOR DEATH The upper monument is on the Cape Fear Country Club golf course. The monument below is in the Saint James Episcopal Church graveyard. Each of these is a different version of a popular epitaph of the 1700s and 1800s. Another version that was quite popular is as follows: Passing stranger, as you stop by As you are now, so once was I As I am now, so you shall be Prepare for death and follow me.
1.18 - THE MURCHISON ANGEL Oakdale Cemetery has a vast array of sculptures on its thousands of gravesites. Of all that I have seen, the statue shown above is my favorite.