WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) -- Southeastern North Carolina is rich with history. From important events to memorable people, the area is full of countless stories to tell. The Cape Fear Museum of History and Science in Wilmington has the region's stories all in one place, guiding visitors on a journey through the past.
The Cape Fear Museum had humble beginnings, starting out in 1898 as a Confederate Museum ran by the Wilmington chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. When the museum started welcoming visitors, it became the very first history museum in North Carolina.
Hundreds of artifacts were located in a single room on the second floor of the Wilmington Light Infantry Armory Building. The first president of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, Eliza Parsley, was responsible for many of the historic items, donating them from her own collection.
But space in the armory building became in demand during World War One. To keep the collection altogether, the historic items were moved to Raleigh for safekeeping and displayed in the Hall of History.
Once the war ended in 1918, the New Hanover Historical Commission worked through the 1920s to return the collection to Wilmington. They finally succeeded in 1929, with the items being transferred from the United Daughters of the Confederacy to the North Carolina Sorosis, a local women's group.
In addition to an ownership change, the collection also saw a location change, to the second floor of the New Hanover County Courthouse Annex. The collection was also broadened to contain artifacts related to regional and maritime history.
By the early 1960s, the museum was growing so large it was in need of even larger quarters. Its fourth home became the third floor of the Wilmington police station, with a grand opening being held in 1963. The first professional director was hired to oversee the new location, renaming the museum to the Wilmington-New Hanover Museum.
The museum's growth didn't slow down and the artifacts were moved a final time to the National Guard Armory building in 1970, where it remains today. Eight years after finding a new home, New Hanover County voters approved a $4.2 million bond referendum to increase the museum's space from 12,750 square feet to approximately 42,000 square feet.
The museum has since been renamed the Cape Fear Museum, now housing more than 50,000 artifacts, with the majority being in storage. The collection continues to grow and change, highlighting the history of the area within a 50 mile radius of Wilmington.
Standout displays include a 20-foot-tall giant ground sloth, a scale model of the 1863 Wilmington water front, an area dedicated to local NBA star Michael Jordan and natural history displays with a section on native plants and wildlife.
As the area continues to grow at a rapid pace, the museum has another move planned in early 2026 to the corner of Grace Street and Third Street to keep up with the community.
The Market Street location will become offices for curators and staff as well as storage space for the museum, with the new location doubling the exhibit space and triple its educational space.
While history is all around you as you travel the streets of Wilmington and around the Cape Fear, the stories behind the thousands of historic sites can be found in one spot at the Cape Fear Museum.