History with ‘Hud’: Marking nearly a century since a beached whale attracted 50,000 visitors
WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, NC (WWAY) — This week makes 97 years since a large whale washed ashore on Wrightsville Beach, causing quite the commotion from locals and visitors alike. In total, more than 50,000 people turned over a number of days to view the animal up close.
A Wrightsville Beach year-round resident was the first to stumble upon the 54-foot sperm whale during a morning walk. It didn’t take long for word to spread like wildfire. The Wilmington Morning Star called it an “opportunity of a lifetime to see one of these huge monsters”.
As more and more people showed up, thanks to recent transportation increases from Wilmington to Wrightsville Beach, crowds gathered to take pictures with the whale and – in the case of numerous children – on the whale.
But the warming weather began to take its toll on the decaying animal, and an awful smell began to fill the air. Due to the smell and overall safety concerns, crews began to devise a plan to get rid of the sea animal, attempting to haul it at least 20 miles to sea.
Weighing in at nearly 110,000 pounds made this no easy task, with a tow company unable to get the carcass to budge. The whale spent weeks on the beach before Herbert Brimley, curator of the NC Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh, saw the chance for an education tool from the animal’s remains. He worked out a deal with the mayor to have the whale hauled up to a friend’s property in Topsail Beach, using chains and lots of digging to free the whale.
By late April, the whale was disassembled with the bones being transported to the state’s capital for preservation. The reassembly process began towards the end of 1929, and by early 1930 the full skeleton was on display for all to see at the museum.
Brimley originally wanted to name the skeleton “Wrightsville”, but his friends gave the whale the name “Trouble”, which ultimately stuck.
Trouble the whale’s bones were brought down for renovation in 1998 when it was discovered asbestos was within the bones as part of the restoration decades prior. The issues was quickly resolved, and the whale remains hanging from the ceiling of the museum to this day.
While beached whales aren’t unheard of, one of this size is fairly rare. More than nine decades later, residents and visitors still talk about the day ‘Trouble’ arrived to town.
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.
