Cape Fear Unearthed

Latest Episodes:

Still Burning: The Story of Firestarter May 09, 2019

Show notes

Few moments in the Cape Fear's history can claim to be as influential as the arrival of "Firestarter," the feature film adaptation of Stephen King's novel that launched the local film industry in 1983.

Released on May 11, 1984, the film starring Drew Barrymore turns 35 this year. To celebrate, Cape Fear Unearthed revisits the production's history, explores why Hollywood producer Dino De Laurentiis came to Wilmington in the first place and looks at it how laid the groundwork for the transformative industry that would emerge from it.

Joining the episode is special guest Martha De Laurentiis, the associate producer of "Firestarter" and influential figure in the establishment of film's presence in North Carolina. She is now the president of The De Laurentiis Company.

Cape Fear Unearthed is written, edited and hosted by Hunter Ingram.

Additional editing by Adam Fish. Recorded at WHQR in downtown Wilmington.

A StarNews Media Production. This season is sponsored by Northchase Family Dentistry.

Sources:

"Wilm on Film," by Amy Hotz and Ben Steelman

Various Wilmington StarNews editions, August-November 1983

New Hanover County Library archive records and photos

"Dino: The Life and Films of Dino De Laurentiis," by Tullio Zekich and Alessandra Levantesi

The Roots of the Azalea Festival Mar 26, 2019

Show notes

This region's residents and visitors are keenly aware that when the azaleas bloom each spring, the N.C. Azalea Festival isn't far behind. But do you know how the festival came to be and how it has evolved over time?

In this special off-season episode of Cape Fear Unearthed, we dig for the roots of the festival, why it has persisted and the many famous faces that have attended over 70 years.

Cape Fear Unearthed is written, edited and hosted by Hunter Ingram.

Additional editing by Adam Fish. Recorded at WHQR in downtown Wilmington.

A StarNews Media Production. This season is sponsored by Northchase Family Dentistry.

Sources:

"Belle and Blooms: Cape Fear Garden Club and the North Carolina Azalea Festival," by Susan Taylor Block

"History of Airlie," AirlieGardens.org

Various Wilmington StarNews articles, 1948-present

The Suicide Club Mar 21, 2019

Show notes

Ever heard of the story of the club of young men in 18th century Wilmington that mocked the religious Last Supper and then started dying one by one, either by suicide or mysterious means?

If you haven't, don't worry. It's not a story often told, but it is one that deserves to be dusted off and reexamined. For this week's second season finale, Chris E. Fonvielle Jr. returns to talk about the fact and fiction of The Suicide Club, and more broadly about the men and women who have helped preserve this region's history for nearly two centuries.

Cape Fear Unearthed is written, edited and hosted by Hunter Ingram.

Additional editing by Adam Fish. Recorded at WHQR in downtown Wilmington.

A StarNews Media Production. This season is sponsored by Northchase Family Dentistry.

Sources:

"Stories Old and New of the Cape Fear Region" by Louis T. Moore

The Palace of Light Mar 13, 2019

Show notes

Going to Wrightsville Beach in the early 20th century was like no other attraction in the state thanks to Lumina Pavilion, a grand and glowing venue for dancing, music and merriment. The staple of the coast and the South enjoyed decades of prominence until cars, war and rock 'n' roll brought about its demise.

This week, we revisit the Palace of Light with special guest Madeline Flagler, the executive director of the Wrightsville Beach Museum and History.

Cape Fear Unearthed is written, edited and hosted by Hunter Ingram.

Additional editing by Adam Fish. Recorded at WHQR in downtown Wilmington.

A StarNews Media Production. This season is sponsored by Northchase Family Dentistry.

Sources:

"Wrightsville Beach: A Pictorial History," by Greg Watkins and the Wrightsville Beach Preservation Society

"Wrightsville Beach: The Luminous Island," by Ray McAllister

Cape Fear Museum archive photos

Wrightsville Beach Museum of History exhibit

UNC-TV’s “Lumina: Remembering the Light,” PBS, 1999

Wilmington in the Time of Nazis Mar 07, 2019

Show notes

Did you know that in the height of World War II, Nazi soldiers were held as prisoners of war in camps in Wilmington?

It's true, and it's just one of the stories discussed on this week's episode as Cape Fear Unearthed heads back to the 1940s to explore Wilmington during wartime, including a look at the legend of the U-boat bombing in Kure Beach.

This week's guest is Ev Smith, a local historian who has researched and written about the Second World War and its impact on Wilmington.

Cape Fear Unearthed is written, edited and hosted by Hunter Ingram.

Additional editing by Adam Fish. Recorded at WHQR in downtown Wilmington.

A StarNews Media Production. This season is sponsored by Northchase Family Dentistry.

Sources:

“Southeastern North Carolina in World War II” special publication, Wilmington StarNews, 1992

“Did a Nazi Submarine Attack a Chemical Plant in North Carolina?” by John Hanc, 2017, Smithsonian.com

“My Sentimental Journey: Memories of a Wartime Boomtown,” by Wilbur D. Jones Jr.

Wilmington Morning Star articles, 1941-1946

Cape Fear Classics, Vol. 1 Feb 28, 2019

Show notes

The Cape Fear region is never short on fascinating tales to tell, so this week we are launching a new recurring episode called the Cape Fear Classics.

Each season, we will produce one episode that shares three short stories from the area's history books. This week, we're starting out with the legendary ancient Dram Tree that welcomed mariners into Wilmington's harbor for centuries, the peculiar mystery of the Seneca Guns and the origin of Monkey Junction's namesake.

Cape Fear Unearthed is written, edited and hosted by Hunter Ingram.

Additional editing by Adam Fish. Recorded at WHQR in downtown Wilmington.

A StarNews Media Production. This season is sponsored by Northchase Family Dentistry.

Sources:

"Stories Old and New of the Cape Fear Region" by Louis T. Moore

"What is the Dram Tree?" by Ben Steelman, StarNews MyReporter

"Legend of the Dram Tree," by Paige Brown, Cape Fear Living Magazine

"Land of the Golden River," by Lewis Philip Hall

"Earthquake Booms, Seneca Guns, and Other Sounds," U.S. Geological Survey

Various articles, StarNews Archives

"Beginnings of familiar people and places," StarNews, April 2007

Ghosts of Gallows Hill Feb 14, 2019

Show notes

Wilmington has no shortage of ghost stories, but the one that persists at the Price-Gause House on Market Street is more than just another haunted tale. It's rooted in a time when public executions were held on the land the house now sits on.

This week, we explore the history of Gallows Hill, the ghost story that sprung up in its wake and are joined by local historians Beverly Tetterton and Chris E. Fonvielle Jr. to talk about why it is not the only site where gallows once stood.

Cape Fear Unearthed is written, edited and hosted by Hunter Ingram.

Additional editing by Adam Fish. Recorded at WHQR in downtown Wilmington.

A StarNews Media Production, sponsored by Northchase Family Dentistry.

Sources:

"Historic Wilmington Foundation Plaque Committee research," by Beverly Tetterton

"MyReporter: Where was Gallows Hill?" by Ben Steelman, Wilmington StarNews

"Land of the Golden River," by Lewis Philip Hall

"Haunted Wilmington and the Cape Fear Coast," by Brooks Newton Preik

"Ghosts of Old Wilmington," by John Hirchak

Various newspapers articles (1795, 1856, 1866, 1880)

Massacre After Midnight Feb 07, 2019

Show notes

James Love fought alongside Patriots in the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge in the first year of the Revolutionary War, only to die five years later in a vicious massacre spurred by bruised egos. At least that's what the legend says.

This week, we head back to the time when American fought for its freedom and future to explore the seismic implications of what happened at Moore's Creek Bridge and whether or not the Rouse Tavern Massacre of 1781 actually happened.

Joining us is Chris E. Fonvielle Jr., local historian and author of the upcoming book, "The Day Was Our Own: The Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge in History and Memory."

Cape Fear Unearthed is written, edited and hosted by Hunter Ingram.

Additional editing by Adam Fish. Recorded at WHQR in downtown Wilmington.

A StarNews Media Production, sponsored by Northchase Family Dentistry.

Sources:

"Historic Wilmington & the Lower Cape Fear: An Illustrated History," by Chris E Fonvielle

"Roster of the Patriots in the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge," by Bobby Gilmer Moss

"Legends of Old Wilmington & Cape Fear" by John Hirchak

"Cape Fear Sketches & Loafer Ramblings, by the Author of The Wilmington Whistling Society, Etc.”

The Man, The Myth, The Hermit Jan 31, 2019

Show notes

For more than 15 years, the region's most popular resident didn't live in a historic home in the heart of Wilmington but in a tight concrete bunker in the marsh of Fort Fisher. Robert E. Harrill is now known widely as The Hermit of Fort Fisher, who lived off the land, entertained tourists and died mysteriously -- all of which have created one of the region's most circulated legends.

On this week's episode, local filmmaker Rob Hill, who directed a 2006 documentary on the Hermit, joins the conversation to talk about his research and the growing myth surrounding Robert's death.

Cape Fear Unearthed is written, edited and hosted by Hunter Ingram.

Additional editing by Adam Fish. Recorded at WHQR in downtown Wilmington.

A StarNews Media Production, sponsored by Northchase Family Dentistry.

Sources:

"The Hermit of Fort Fisher" documentary, directed by Rob Hill

"The Story of Robert E. Harrill, the Fort Fisher Hermit," by Michael F. Edwards

"The Last Battle for Independence: The Story of the Fort Fisher Hermit," by Michael F. Edwards

"The Reluctant Hermit of Fort Fisher," by Fred Pickler

Adverse Possessions: The True Story of Robert E. Harrill," by Michael F. Edwards

"Memoirs of Robert E. Harrill," by Michael F. Edwards

The Lost Treasure of Money Island Jan 24, 2019

Show notes

Plenty of legends speak of pirates around these parts in the days when they sailed the high seas, but what's the truth? This week, we start with the legend of a supposed treasure island right off Wrightsville Beach, aptly dubbed Money Island. Then, underwater arcaheologist John "Billy Ray" Morris III joins to discuss fact vs. fiction on the Cape Fear's history with piracy.

Cape Fear Unearthed is written, edited and hosted by Hunter Ingram.

Additional editing by Adam Fish. Recorded at WHQR in downtown Wilmington.

A StarNews Media Production. This season is sponsored by Northchase Family Dentistry.

Sources:

"Money Island," Andrew J. Howell

"Land of the Golden River: Historical Events and Stories of Southeastern North Carolina and the Lower Cape Fear, Vol. 1," by Lewis Philip Hall

"The Inner Islands," by Bland Simpson

"Stories of Old Wilmington and Cape Fear," by Louis T. Moore

"The Legend of Money Island" in Wrightsville Beach Magazine, by Susan Taylor Block

"The Coastal Chronicles, Vol. 1," edited by Jack E. Fryar Jr.