Wilmington Audio Walking Tour

Highlights

• 
  USS North Carolina

  Nine 16-inch guns in triple turrets arm USS North Carolina, hull number BB-55, the lead ship of the North Carolina class of fast battleships. Built under the Washington Treaty system, her design was limited in displacement and armament, but the United States used a clause in the Second London Naval Treaty to change her main battery from the original twelve 14-inch guns in quadruple turrets to nine 16-inch guns in triple turrets.

• 
  Cape Fear Memorial Bridge

  Steel rises in two towers over the Cape Fear River here, the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge, a vertical-lift span in North Carolina. It carries US 17, US 76 and US 421 across the Cape Fear River between Brunswick County and New Hanover County, and it once carried U.S. Route 74 until that designation shifted to the Isabel Stellings Holmes Bridge.

• 
  St. Mary Catholic Church

  Brick tile alone holds up the Basilica Shrine of St. Mary here in Wilmington, North Carolina, part of the Diocese of Raleigh. In 1974 it was included as a contributing property in the Wilmington Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places, so you are literally standing in a listed piece of history.

• 
  Oakdale Cemetery

  Room for the dead ran short, so Wilmington bought this 65-acre tract east of Burnt Mill Creek for Oakdale Cemetery. The first interment here was little Annie DeRosset, age 6, on February 5, 1855; her father, John DeRosset, a physician, served as the first president of the cemetery corporation.

• 
  Thalian Hall

  Since 1858 Thalian Hall has served as both city hall and theatre in Wilmington, New Hanover County, North Carolina. Built in 1858, this two-story, five-bay, stuccoed brick building blends restrained Classical Revival and flamboyant Late Victorian design elements.

All 19 stops

• USS North Carolina (Wilmington)

  Nine 16-inch guns in triple turrets arm USS North Carolina, hull number BB-55, the lead ship of the North Carolina class of fast battleships.

• Cape Fear Memorial Bridge (Downtown Wilmington)

  Steel rises in two towers over the Cape Fear River here, the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge, a vertical-lift span in North Carolina.

• Murchison Building (Wilmington Waterfront)

  Locals call this eleven-story brick and marble building 'The Murch' — the Murchison Building, pronounced Murk-i-son, which you'll find at Front and Chestnut.

• Cotton Exchange of Wilmington (downtown Wilmington)

  Over eight historical buildings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries make up the Cotton Exchange of Wilmington, the shopping complex you see here.

• Thalian Hall (Wilmington Historic District)

  Since 1858 Thalian Hall has served as both city hall and theatre in Wilmington, New Hanover County, North Carolina.

• Alton Lennon Federal Building and Courthouse (Wilmington Historic District)

  Light sandstone, three stories tall, the Alton Lennon Federal Building and Courthouse is also known as the Customs House.

• Temple of Israel (Wilmington Historic District)

  Twin towers topped with golden onion domes mark the Temple of Israel at the corner of Fourth and Market Streets in Wilmington.

• Burgwin-Wright House and Gardens (Wilmington)

  Two acres of colonial gardens surround the Burgwin-Wright House, built in 1770.

• Cape Fear Museum (downtown Wilmington)

  At 814 Market Street in downtown Wilmington, you'll find the Cape Fear Museum.

• Market Street Mansion District (Market Street Mansion District)

  Here in Wilmington, New Hanover County, North Carolina, you can feel the hush of the Market Street Mansion District's preserved history.

• Wilmington Historic District (Wilmington Historic District)

  Wilmington Historic District gathers 875 contributing buildings at the heart of the city in New Hanover County.

• St. Mary Catholic Church (Wilmington Historic District)

  Brick tile alone holds up the Basilica Shrine of St. Mary here in Wilmington, North Carolina, part of the Diocese of Raleigh.

• Saint Thomas Preservation Hall (downtown Wilmington)

  Weddings and arts events now fill Saint Thomas Preservation Hall, a former Catholic church in downtown Wilmington.

• St. James Episcopal Church (Wilmington Historic District)

  Chartered in 1729, St. James Episcopal Church is the oldest church in Wilmington, North Carolina.

• First Presbyterian Church (Wilmington)

  Fire took the first three buildings of First Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, North Carolina, and this sanctuary was completed in 1928.

• First Baptist Church (Wilmington Historic District)

  Founded in 1808, First Baptist Church sits in the historic district of Wilmington, North Carolina.

• Williston School (Wilmington)

  Back in 1866 the American Missionary Association founded Williston School in Wilmington, North Carolina, for freed slaves.

• Oakdale Cemetery (Wilmington)

  Room for the dead ran short, so Wilmington bought this 65-acre tract east of Burnt Mill Creek for Oakdale Cemetery.

• Wilmington National Cemetery (Wilmington)

  Rows of markers cover 5.1 acres at Wilmington National Cemetery in New Hanover County, North Carolina.

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