Timeline of Wilmington, North Carolina

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Wilmington, North Carolina, United States.

18th-19th centuries

• 1733 - James Wimble and three other men begin to sell plots for a settlement under names such as "New Carthage", "New Liverpool", "Newton" or "New Town".
• 1739
• Town incorporated and renamed "Wilmington" after the Earl of Wilmington, the patron of the governor of North Carolina Gabriel Johnston.
• New Hanover County seat moves to Newton from Brunswick.
• 1751 - St. James Episcopal Church founded.
• 1756 - Fire.
• 1760 - John Sampson becomes mayor.
• 1764 - Fort Johnston built near Wilmington.
• 1776 - February 27: Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge fought near Wilmington during the American Revolutionary War.
• 1781 - Wilmington occupied by British forces under command of Cornwallis.
• 1820 - Population: 2,633.
• 1830 - Population: 3,791.
• 1840 - Population: 5,335.
• 1844 - Wilmington Journal newspaper begins publication.
• 1849 - April 16: Snowfall.
• 1850 - Population: 7,264.
• 1855 - Oakdale Cemetery and Wilmington Library Association (social library) organized.
• 1860 - Population: 9,552.
• 1862 - Yellow fever epidemic empties out city, befalling over 1600 and killing 654.
• 1864 - December: Wilmington Campaigns by Union forces begin in area during the American Civil War.
• 1865 - February 11–22: Battle of Wilmington fought; Union forces win.
• 1866 - City of Wilmington incorporated.
• 1867
• Morning Star newspaper begins publication.
• Wilmington National Cemetery established.
• 1879 - Africo-American Presbyterian newspaper begins publication.
• 1892 - New Hanover County Courthouse built.
• 1898 - November: Wilmington insurrection of 1898.

20th century

• 1906 - Public library built.
• 1915 - Royal Theatre in business.
• 1919 - Customs House built.
• 1935 - WMFD radio begins broadcasting.
• 1947 - University of North Carolina at Wilmington established.
• 1954 - WECT (television) begins broadcasting.
• 1955 - Starway Drive-In cinema in business.
• 1956 - Lower Cape Fear Historical Society formed.
• 1966 - Historic Wilmington preservation group founded.
• 1971 - February 6: Bombing of grocery store; racial unrest ensues, eventually leading to controversial conviction of "Wilmington Ten."
• 1976 - Emsley A. Laney High School established.
• 1980 - United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit overturns "Wilmington Ten" convictions.
• 1981 - Athlete Michael Jordan graduates from Laney High School.https://books.google.com/books?id=HrsDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA46
• 1984 - Italian film producer Dino De Laurentiis opens the De Laurentiis Entertainment Group studio complex, now owned by Cinespace Studios.
• 1989 - Old New Hanover Genealogical Society formed.http://www.onhgs.org
• 1997 - Mike McIntyre becomes U.S. representative for North Carolina's 7th congressional district.
• 1998 - City website online (approximate date).

21st century

• 2003 - Star-News in publication.
• 2007 - Bill Saffo becomes mayor.
• 2010 - Population: 106,476.
• 2015 - David Rouzer becomes U.S. representative for North Carolina's 7th congressional district.
• 2018 - Hurricane Florence makes landfall in Wilmington causing major flooding and several deaths

See also

• Wilmington history
• List of mayors of Wilmington, North Carolina
• New Hanover County history
• National Register of Historic Places listings in New Hanover County, North Carolina
• of other cities in North Carolina: Asheville, Charlotte, Durham, Fayetteville, Greensboro, Raleigh, Winston-Salem

References

Bibliography

• . (Includes city history, pp. 9–24)
• 1911 ed., 1920 ed.
• 1952 ed., 1963 ed.
• 1957-

External links

• Items related to Wilmington, North Carolina, various dates (via Digital Public Library of America)