History of Wilmington, NC

On October 19, 1765, several hundred townspeople gathered in protest of the new law, burned an effigy of one town resident who favored the act, and toasted to "Liberty, Property, and No Stamp Duty." On October 31, another crowd gathered in a symbolic funeral of "Liberty". But before the effigy was buried, it was found that Liberty still had a pulse, and celebration ensued.

Antebellum period

In the 1830s, citizens of Wilmington became eager to take advantage of railroad transportation. Plans were developed to build a railroad line from the capital of Raleigh to Wilmington. This was later changed when the citizens of Raleigh did not care to make the venture of a stock subscription to secure the railroad. The end point was changed to Weldon. When construction of the railroad line was finally completed in 1840, it was the longest single line of railroad track in the world. The railroad also controlled a line of steamboats that ran from Wilmington to Charleston; it was widely used for passenger travel and transportation of freight. Regular boat lines served Fayetteville, and packet lines traveled to northern ports. The city was a main stop-over point, contributing greatly to its commerce.

By mid-century, the churchyard of St. James Episcopal Church and other town cemeteries had become filled with graves. On November 16, 1853, a group of citizens, organized as "The Proprietors of the Wilmington Cemetery," was formed to develop a new cemetery. Sixty-five acres of land around Burnt Mill Creek was chosen as the site for what would be called Oakdale Cemetery. It was the first rural cemetery in North Carolina. The cemetery's first interment, on February