Situated on the banks of the Cape Fear River, Wilmington is awash in unusual tales and legends. A prevalent pirate hideaway, the area harbored the infamous Blackbeard and the cunning Calico Jack Rackham. Since its initial settlement, the region has witnessed an abundance of fantastical lore, including passionately fought duels, explosive train wrecks, Revolutionary and Civil War heroes and some legends that are said to take the form of apparitions. At the local Cape Fear Wine & Beer pub, the ghost of a fallen redcoat can't seem to get enough of a frothy porter brewed from yeast salvaged from an early nineteenth-century shipwreck. Wonder at these and other fascinating and strange tales as local author John Hirchak reveals the legendary history of Wilmington and Cape Fear.

As one of America's most haunted cities, Wilmington and its many ghosts make the Cape Fear region of North Carolina truly worthy of its name. With wit and style, ghostlore expert John Hirchak leads readers on a journey down Wilmington's back alleys and docksides, urging them to listen to the lingering whispers of generations long dead.

When black citizens win elected offices in 1898 Wilmington, NC, white citizens stage a coup. Based on real events. Twenty-fifth anniversary edition.

Discover Wilmington's enduring spirit in these images of past and present. Since 1739, Wilmington has seen centuries of change along the banks of the Cape Fear River to the beaches of the Atlantic. Through the years much has been lost to war, neglect, and progress, but in many places the past is well preserved and still visible today.

For a century after its incorporation in 1740, Wilmington, North Carolina remained a sleepy port city. Then, the coming of steam-power, especially railroad and steamship, enabled a steady growth. War, whether the Civil War with its blockade-runners or the shipbuilding born of the world conflicts of the 1900s, brought more growth. With that expansion came, of course, growing pains. The story of Wilmington, North Carolina is a story of rivers, sounds, and sea, and of a city that grew near the places where those waters mingled. It is the story of a port that became the ?Lifeline of the Confederacy” as well as the lifeline of a state. And in this case, it is the story of over a hundred years of history (1860s to 1970s) told through almost two hundred photographs?the captured essences of people and events now lost.

These tales of the supernatural are an intrinsic part of the rich folklore of the coastal area, and they have been written with as much attention to authenticity and historical accuracy as possible.