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The State and Local  History Collection houses materials which relate to North Carolina, with a concentration on Southeastern North Carolina. This is a non-circulating collection.  
 

 The Wilmington Harbor Collection

 
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The Wilmington Harbor Collection contains images of and along the Cape Fear River in Wilmington, North Carolina from 1837 to present day. The historic boundary of the harbor extended from about two miles south of Market Street to just north of Point Peter where the Cape Fear and Northeast Cape Fear Rivers divide.
 

 About the Local History Collection

 

Much of the Collection has been handed down through several former public and private libraries dating back to the Cape Fear Library of 1760. Although emphasis has been placed on collecting information about Southeastern North Carolina, the collection includes materials from across the State. The collection continues to grow through library funding and generous donations. It is housed in the North Carolina Room, New Hanover Public Library, 201 Chestnut Street, Wilmington, NC 28401.

 A non-circulating collection, all research must be done in the North Carolina Room during the following hours: Monday and Tuesday, 9:00 am to 8:00 PM; Wednesday and Thursday 9:00 am to 6:00 PM, Friday and Saturday, 9:00 am to 5:00 PM. The North Carolina Room is not open on Sundays.
 
Some materials, such as manuscript materials and special collections, must be requested at least one day prior to coming to the library. State and local history materials are not allowed out of the North Carolina Room. A copy machine (15 cents) and a microfilm printer (25 cents) are available to make copies. Some materials are too rare or fragile to be copied, such as those housed in locked cases. To obtain material from these cases a library card or driver’s license is required. It is suggested that pencils rather than pens be used when working in the North Carolina Room. 
 
Information can be requested by writing to North Carolina Room, New Hanover Public Library, 201 Chestnut Street, Wilmington, NC 28401, (910) 798-6305, or via e-mail to Jennifer Daugherty or Joe Sheppard. Requests from citizens of New Hanover County are taken first. Others are answered in the order received. The cost for simple research is 15 cents per photocopy, plus postage. Extensive research will require a trip to the library. If you are planning a visit to our facility, it is suggested that you write or call us first so we can anticipate what materials you need and be sure that helpful staff or volunteer staff is available.

 
 

 Facts and Firsts

 



History of the Lower Cape Fear
History of Wilmington
Timeline 1663-1760
Timeline 1760-1800
Timeline 1800-1850

 

Still to come:
Dictionary of Lower Cape Fear Biography
New Hanover County Encyclopedia
Wilmington Firsts ​
 

 Digital Collections

 
 

 Strength Through Struggle

 

Mr. Reaves spent thirty years compiling information on the history of southeast North Carolina, and Wilmington. This book, focused on Wilmington's black community, includes chapters on social life, schools, churches, community affairs, military affairs, political affairs, business affairs. business, labor and agriculture, and 100 pages of biographical sketches. The book, 580 pages, is illustrated with 264 images. The every name index is 65 pages long.

The book was funded by grants and donations from the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, the New Hanover Friends of the Public Library, and Tabitha Hutaff McEachern. Published by the New Hanover County Public Library, 1998.
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Copies of  “Strength through Struggle” are available from the New Hanover County Public Library, North Carolina Room.
$20.00 – Picked up at the Library   $30.00 – by mail – Check or money order(tax included)

 

New Hanover County Public Library
North Carolina Room
201 Chestnut St., Wilmington , NC 28402
910-798-6305
 

​Strength Through Struggle
 

 eResources

 
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African American Heritage
American Civil War: Letters and Diaries
American Civil War Research
Ancestry Plus *Available in Library Only
ArchiveGridAn important destination for searching through historical documents, personal papers, and family histories held in archives around the world
Biography in Context
Daily Life AmericaHistorical and contemporary cultures of U.S. History
Fold3/ FootnoteU.S. Historical documents and Genealogy Archives - available from home now
Heritage Quest Online
Images of the American Civil War: Photographs, Posters and Ephemera
Images of the American Civil War
Star-News (1994-Present) through NewsBankSearchable by keyword and date - Includes Magazines, Current Events and Special Reports.
Early Sanborn Fire Insurance MapsFull color images of 116 NC cities and towns from late 19th and early 20th century
Fales Photo Collection
L.T. Moore Photo Collection
North Carolina Maps ProjectCollaborative digitization project between UNC-CH, NC State Archives and Outer Banks History Center
Port City Architecture Online
Postcard Collections
Sanborn Insurance Maps of NCHistorical maps of NC
Star-News Image Archive