History with ‘Hud’: Highlighting the three oldest churches in Wilmington

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Thousands of people across Wilmington gather each Sunday morning at one of the many churches dotting the city. But three of them have been welcoming worshipers much longer than the rest.

St. James Episcopal Church at the corner of Third Street and Market Street has deep roots in the community. Services began in 1729 at a different structure, before Wilmington was even incorporated. Construction on a permanent building kicked off two decades later, but lack of funding delayed the project.

A three-year annual tax was introduced in 1751 to help raise the money, along with a designation of lottery proceeds. With the increased flow of funds, the St. James Episcopal Church was finally completed in 1770, with parishioners switching worship services from the New Hanover County Courthouse.

The new building had large box pews which filled the floor and second story gallery. Members often had to pay for the privilege of sitting in the best one.

But the church would sustain major damage during the Revolutionary War, functioning as a hospital, block house for defense and was even under British occupation for a time.

Instead of renovating the structure, the church was completely torn down in 1839. Philadelphia architect, Thomas U. Walter — who would go on to design the U.S. Capitol dome — was hired to design the church, which used some of the bricks from the original building.

Work didn’t take long, and the new church was completed on March 29, 1840, going undisturbed for two decades until it was again occupied by soldiers, this time during the Civil War.

The structure was a Union hospital for a time after forces entered Wilmington during the end of the war. But repairs were quickly completed after the war in time for services to resume by December of 1865.

The church grew wider in the more than 50 years to follow, now occupying an entire city block of downtown.

Further down Market Street stands the First Baptist Church at the intersection of North 5th Street. It opened its doors in 1808 as Front Street Baptist Church at a house on Front and Ann Streets before relocating to its present spot and receiving a name change.

Land for the site was purchased in 1858, with construction starting in 1860. But the Civil War delayed completion and the building was not dedicated until a decade later in May of 1870.

The sanctuary foundation holds tons of ship ballast discarded from vessels which once crowded the Cape Fear River, with ‘art windows’ installed in 1903.

As with St. James Episcopal Church, the building was once financed by renting pews out, ranging from $5 to $500 per year, based off size and location. Renters could use them for worship, prayer and even business meetings. Evidence of the original pews is still visible.

Outside, the tallest spire of the church stands as the tallest point in Wilmington, at 197 feet. But unlike the structure’s foundation, the spire is not the original. Winds from Hurricane Fran in 1996 blew the steeple to the ground, with it being rebuilt at the original dimensions for around $1 million.

Across town, St. Stephen AME Church began in 1865 at the corner of North 5th Avenue and Red Cross Street.

Its history kicked off during the final months of the Civil War along Front Street during Union occupation of Wilmington. When a White minister assigned to the Front Street Methodist Church arrived to his congregation, he found the service already underway, led by a Union chaplain and a church member, both African Americans.

The church members asserted their ownership and attempted to transfer the church to the AME but failed. In May 1865, 642 members withdrew to form a new congregation. Land for the structure was purchased two years later, near a site used for a black cemetery since the 1700s, and quickly gained popularity. By 1880 the congregation had outgrown its original wooden structure, with more than 1,500 regulars.

Many members were carpenters and brick masons, who donated their labor on their days off to build a new church building. Women prepared dinners for volunteers and witnesses recall them toting bricks to the site in their aprons. Construction took 8 years to complete, but the finished product in 1888 featured a four-stage steeple and gas-lit sanctuary.

During the 1898 Wilmington Massacre, trustees of the church stood on the steps pleading with an entourage of white gunmen to leave the people of the community alone. They threatened to shoot down the pastor and officers if a search of the church was not permitted (as it was believed black churches were hiding ammunition). After the church was opened for search and no weapons were found, Women and children seeking protection in the church ultimately fled to Pine Forest Cemetery where they hid for days before peace was restored.

More history would be made their during President Taft’s visit in 1909, when he stopped at the church to make a speech to African-American school children from its steps.

In the more than 100 years since, the three oldest churches in Wilmington continue to grow and thrive.

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.