History with ‘Hud’: How the Wilmington National Cemetery came to be
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia is one of the most well known in the country. But three years after it was established, a local national cemetery popped up in the Port City.
Wilmington National Cemetery was formed on five acres of land in 1867 as a burying site for Union soldiers who died during the Civil War, with emphasis on those killed during nearby battles such as Fort Fisher. The cemetery also created a section for the remains of US Colored Troops who played a big part in battles around the region including the capture of Wilmington.
Of the 557 Union troops who died during the siege of the city, 502 were unidentified at the time of burial due to being two years after they died. They are all marked by simple headstones in the northwest section of the cemetery.
By 1870, more than 2,000 interments had been recorded. A brick wall was constructed around the same time to provide a quiet border for the western side of the cemetery, with a stone lodge for the superintendent and his family was constructed on the grounds by the end of the decade.
More people continued to be added to the grounds in the decades to follow, with 28 Puerto Rican laborers being laid to rest there after dying from an influenza outbreak in 1918 while on board a ship docked at the Cape Fear River. The laborers were on their way to help with the construction of Camp Bragg before falling ill.
More than half a century later, the National Cemetery was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997 and contains more than 6,000 interred remains today. It is currently closed to new interments, but burial space may become available from time-to-time for eligible veterans.
The Wilmington National Cemetery is open to the public daily from sunrise to sunset to allow anyone who wants to reflect on the history and honor the fallen to walk through the neatly-aligned headstones.
Meteorologist Matthew Huddleston (‘Hud’) has always had two major loves – weather and history. While you can watch him talk about weather each morning on WWAY, he looks forward to bringing you a little piece of history each Thursday on WWAY’s website.
To read other History with ‘Hud’ segments, click HERE.
