Burgwin-Wright House hosting lecture highlighting 1931 glass slides

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A set of slides first compiled in 1931 capturing the history of North Carolina will be the subject of a special lecture at the Burgwin-Wright House and Gardens late this month.

The event will take place May 17th at 6:00 p.m. in the Burgwin-Wright House visitors center.

Assistant museum director Hunter Ingram will present “Sliding Into the Past,” a history lesson nearly a century in the making. In 1931, The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in the State of North Carolina, which owns the Burgwin-Wright House, participated in a national initiative to compile glass slides that document the history of their state.

The slides were part of the NSCDA-NC’s mission of education, preservation and patriotism. However, once they were presented, the slides were stored in a closet at the Burgwin-Wright House and lost to time.

Among the more than 100 glass slides are portraits, photos and maps that tell the history of North Carolina, with a section specifically focused on Wilmington’s Colonial history. The Wilmington section of the slides will be showcased during the lecture on May 17.

Admission is free, but a $10 donation to the historic site is suggested.

“These glass slides are delicate and precious pieces of Wilmington and North Carolina history,” Ingram said. “We are so thrilled to be able to talk about them and take a cue from what the Colonial Dames compiled in 1931. While it is just a piece of this region’s vast history, it provides us a fascinating opportunity to learn from the past and understand how we can better talk about it in the future.”