Wilmington to hold wreath-laying ceremony commemorating 1898 massacre

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The City of Wilmington’s Commission on African American History and New Hanover County will hold a wreath-laying ceremony next month to commemorate the 128th anniversary of the 1898 Wilmington Massacre.

The ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 9 a.m. at 1898 Memorial Park, located at 1018 N. Third St. in Wilmington.

On Nov. 10, 1898, a white supremacist mob carried out a violent attack against Wilmington’s Black community and overthrew the city’s elected government.

The events are recognized as the only successful coup d’état in U.S. history. The violence also included the destruction of The Daily Record, a Black-owned newspaper.

The exact number of people killed during the massacre remains unknown.

The wreath-laying ceremony will take place at the memorial park established to commemorate the events of 1898.

In the event of rain, the ceremony will move to City Council Chambers at the Skyline Center, located at 929 N. Front St.

For more information, contact Penny Spicer Sidbury, Wilmington’s city clerk and staff liaison for the Commission on African American History, at 910-341-7816.