Wilmington & Western Railroad August Schedule: Fill & Download for Free

The most shameful legacy was that the population of the South didn’t welcome their former slaves as full citizens into society and work with them to become full, participating members. This deliberate act of political terrorism by southern whites ensured the consequences of slavery would continue to tear the nation apart and prevent us from overcoming its legacy. Instead of reconciliation, the South used every means possible to maintain a society based on white supremacy.Instead, they created the myth of the Lost Cause and embarked on a sustained nearly 100-year campaign of terror to re-introduce a level of slavery through Jim Crow laws, lynching, murder and organized violence against nascent prosperous black communities in order to keep blacks under their heel. And, in some ways, the institution of Jim Crow in the south after the Civil War may have been a greater crime than that of slavery.Birmingham, Alabama (1951)The legacy the South chose to follow played out in the lynching of almost 7,000 African-Americans –– crimes meant to intimidate and brutalize blacks. And, crimes for which no White was ever brought to trial.This legacy underpinned the race riots in Oklahoma and Wilmington, North Carolina that were used by whites to slaughter blacks, terrorize those left alive and destroy prosperous and nascent economic development in black communities.Mount Zion church on fire during the 1921 race riots.African-Americans being led to the Convention Hall during the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot/Massacre.On Nov. 10, 1898, white supremacists murdered African Americans in Wilmington, North Carolina and deposed the elected Reconstruction era government in a coup d’etat.The Lost Cause supporters used Jim Crow laws, sundown laws and violence to suppress freed blacks. This ideology, underpinned by violence and hatred, enabled the South to win the narrative of the Civil War and to make it into a morally neutral disagreement over the Constitution. But, it was also the means used by the South to maintain a white supremacist state, government and society after the Civil War.Bodies of three men lynched in Habersham County, Georgia, May 16, 1892

I'll put in a vote for the Battle of Boon's Mill, North Carolina. . .US Civil War, 1863: The Union is imposing a naval blockade on the Confederacy, but small, fast blockade runners keep slipping past Union patrols, delivering badly needed supplies to the Confederate armies.A Confederate blockade runner (artist's conception).Wilmington, North Carolina was one of the most important Confederate ports, and supplies from Wilmington were carried northwards, up the Wilmington & Weldon Railroad, to the town of Weldon, from which they were sent further north to Petersburg and Richmond, Virgina. The Union wanted to cut the Wilmington & Weldon Railroad, and on July 26, 1863, Union ships disembarked 5,000 troops, under Maj. Gen. John G. Foster, to march inland and cut the railroad. The Confederates soon found out, and Confederate Brig. Gen. Matt Ransom headed south from Petersburg to stop Foster.On July 28, Ransom reached Garysburg, NC with about 200 men, who set up a defensive position around a pond at Boon's Mill. He and his staff went off to reconnoiter, and as the men waited at Boon's Mill on a hot day, some of them took advantage of the opportunity to strip down and take a swim. . .. . . and then Ransom and his staff came flying back to Boon's Mill, hotly pursued by Union cavalry. With bullets splashing in the pond around them, the bathing Confederates leaped out of the pond, seized their weapons, joined their fellows in the ranks, and battle was joined. The Union cavalry commander, Col. Samuel P. Spear, brought up artillery, and tried several attacks by his cavalry, but the Confederates held firm. After a few hours, Spear withdrew, and the Wilmington & Weldon Railroad would not be cut until August 1864. Casualties were light—eleven Union dead, one dead and three wounded Confederates. But had the Union succeeded—for example, had Spear remembered that he had infantry to call on— it's possible that the Civil War would have ended a year earlier than it did. . . .. . . and for better or worse, the outcome was owed to the Confederate soldiers who seized weapons and repulsed the Union cavalry while not wearing any clothes. Yes, this was one of the few post-Roman Empire military encounters in which a sizable number of fighters on one side fought butt naked.(Source: Clint Johnson's book Civil War Blunders. Also Boon's Mill, Battle of )Unfortunately, the "Battling Buck-Nekkids" are not mentioned. . .

I have a joke with a friend that Wilmington isn't a city, but the biggest small town we've ever seen. That stems from Wilmington seemingly being caught halfway in between. It has much more to offer in the way of attractions than anywhere around it until you get to Raleigh or Myrtle Beach. But at the same time, the job market isn't great, unless you love customer service or work for a couple of large companies (PPD, Corning, etc).Outside of that, Wilmington can be an absolute blast or a drag, depending on you. If you love the beach and those type of activities, or you love a good bar scene, you won't ever want to leave. If you're not into the beach and don't want to party every night, there's not a lot to do once you've done the touristy things (battleship NC, serpentarium) once.As far as the people, there is a mix of all kinds of mentalities and demographics, but they tend to stick within themselves. So if you like living somewhere with a mall and movie theater but you still want that “everybody knows you” feel, it will be great. If you want big city anonimity, and something different to do every night it probably won't.