Cape Fear Unearthed

Gannett
  • 3.5 (6)
  • History
  • Semimonthly

StarNews Media Presents "Cape Fear Unearthed," a podcast digging into the history books of Southeastern North Carolina. The weekly podcast will feature stories drawn from the region's persisting legends, historical oddities and mysterious figures that have helped shape its legacy and culture.

  1. 12/19/2022

    Christmas shopping in the downtown Wilmington of yesteryear

    We talk with longtime Wilmington resident Elaine Henson about what shopping downtown in the 1950s and '60s was like: Where the department stores were, who had the most magical display windows, where the toys could be found, and where you might see Santa Claus.

    Christmas shopping in the downtown Wilmington of yesteryear

  2. 10/20/2022

    Film documentary 'McKinley's Guns' digs into 1898 coup

    Wilmington filmmaker Kent Chatfield played a starring role in "Wilmington on Fire," Christopher Everett's documentary film about Wilmington's deadly 1898 coup and massacre, the only successful insurrection on American soil in history. Now, Chatfield has directed his own documentary, "McKinley's Guns," which premiered at Thalian Hall in September and will be available for streaming online Nov. 10. In the film, Chatfield reveals research that proves involvement from military officers and U.S. government officials at a higher level than has previously been revealed.

    Film documentary 'McKinley's Guns' digs into 1898 coup

  3. 10/06/2022

    'Race, Place and Memory': Wilmington's troubled racial history

    For this week's episode, we talk with Margaret M. Mulrooney, author of the book "Race, Place and Memory: Deep Currents in Wilmington, North Carolina," a comprehensive deep dive into Wilmington's long and troubled racial history that looks at how decades of inequality have shaped, and often warped, life in the Port City. Mulrooney is professor of history at James Madison University in Virginia, and a former visiting professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

    'Race, Place and Memory': Wilmington's troubled racial history

  4. 08/11/2022

    When Shell Island was an island, and a Black beach resort

    The tourists who stay there might not know, but the Holiday Inn at Wrightsville Beach, recently rebranded as Lumina on Wrightsville Beach, a Holiday Inn Resort, sits on the former site of Moore's Inlet. With Ray McAllister, author of "Wrightsville Beach, the Luminous Island," we take a look back at the days when Wrightsville's north end, Shell Island, was actually an island, and when some developers tried to develop a beach for African-Americans during the days of Southern segregation.

    When Shell Island was an island, and a Black beach resort

  5. 06/24/2022

    Revisiting The Barn: a legendary Wilmington jazz club and dance hall

    We talk to Wilmington native and North Carolina jazz historian Larry Reni Thomas about The Barn, a club that shone brightly during the days of segregation in the 1940s and early '50s, hosting such legendary players as Lionel Hampton, Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, Cab Calloway and many more.

    Revisiting The Barn: a legendary Wilmington jazz club and dance hall

  6. 05/12/2022

    A brief history of Eagles Island and Wilmington's 'west bank'

    From the early days of rice plantations to its time as an industrial zone for Wilmington's naval stores industry, Eagles Island, which with Point Peter makes up the "west bank" of the Cape Fear River across from downtown, has nearly three centuries of history that parallel that of the Port City. As Wilmington decides whether to bring development back to the west bank, we take a look at the history of the area, including its dark associations with slavery.

    A brief history of Eagles Island and Wilmington's 'west bank'

  7. 05/06/2022

    Wilmington corner stores, gone but not forgotten

    Before the rise of chain grocery and convenience stores, dozens of mom-and-pop stores run by independent merchants could be found in nearly every Wilmington neighborhood, most of them downtown. We take a look back at where some of these stores were, why they went away and where their last vestiges remain.

    Wilmington corner stores, gone but not forgotten

  8. 04/14/2022

    Roots of the GOAT: Michael Jordan's history in Wilmington

    We talk with retired StarNews sports reporter Chuck Carree about Jordan's days in the '70s and '80s playing high school basketball in Wilmington, and about whether more should be done to recognize the legendary player's ties to Southeastern North Carolina.

    Roots of the GOAT: Michael Jordan's history in Wilmington
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Ratings & Reviews

3.5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

StarNews Media Presents "Cape Fear Unearthed," a podcast digging into the history books of Southeastern North Carolina. The weekly podcast will feature stories drawn from the region's persisting legends, historical oddities and mysterious figures that have helped shape its legacy and culture.

Information

  • Creator
    Gannett
  • Years Active
    2022
  • Episodes
    94
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Gannett
  • Show Website
    Cape Fear Unearthed