History with ‘Hud’: Remembering the deadly Wilmington Yellow Fever outbreak of 1862

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — March 13th marks five years since an emergency declaration was issued in 2020 for the unfolding COVID-19 outbreak. But it’s far from the only deadly virus to impact the Port City over the years.

Wilmington was hit by a Yellow Fever epidemic in 1862 which caused half the city’s population to flee inland and would ultimately kill more than 600 people of Wilmington’s 10,000 person population – though the numbers were likely even higher, as African-American casualties went underreported.

There’s conflicting accounts as to how the disease first arrived to Wilmington. Stories circulated the virus was brought to the Port City in early August aboard the ship Kate ship from the Bahamas, which was having a Yellow Fever outbreak at the time. But a government investigation by Dr. W.T. Wragg indicated there were several Yellow Fever cases in the city before the ship ever arrived.

Whatever the cause, Wagg, like most doctors of the time, didn’t understand Yellow Fever was transmitted by mosquitos. Local newspapers reported on the swarms of annoying mosquitoes, but doctors never connected it to the spread of the Yellow Fever virus, instead believing “bad air” caused the disease. Wilmington certainly had its share of bad air at the time.

The streets and yards were filled with heaps of trash and other hazardous waste material rotting in the sun. The problem was made worse by the ongoing Civil War, with drainage systems not maintained because workers had been diverted to wartime fortification efforts.

For anyone who contracted Yellow Fever, there was no vaccine and limited effective therapies. Roughly 15 percent of cases progressed to the virus attacking the liver, leading to yellow tinted skin. Patients who reached this stage often vomited black liquid, making this one of the the most feared 19th century diseases – with 43 percent of Wilmington residents contracting the virus dying.

As the virus spread many local retail businesses closed and the city’s pharmacies shut down when the pharmacist got sick or died. This led to the supply chain for all kinds of goods, including food, to collapse.

Deaths began to rapidly increase into late September. This sent panicked citizens who could afford to leave town to pack their belongings and flee to towns in the Piedmont or mountains. Wilmington became a virtual ghost town, with thousands of people leaving. Though not all were welcomed to surrounding areas, with many hotels outside of the Cape Fear quarantined against Wilmington residents.

But the departure of so many people and the ongoing epidemic proved a positive thing for some residents. Fewer white people meant less security for slaves, leading to opportunities for escape to other parts of the country.

However, those left behind who couldn’t leave were dealt the brunt of the epidemic.

At the height of the deadly outbreak in mid-October, as many as 15 people per day were dying, with 111 people succumbing to the disease in a single week around October 24. Residents recalled watching corpse-filled wagons rolling down Market Street on their way to Oakdale Cemetery. More than 400 victims were placed in hastily dug graves over the course of several weeks on a grassy slope at the public grounds of the cemetery, now known as Yellow Fever Hill.

The Yellow Fever outbreak continued until the first few frosts in November killed off the mosquito populations and brought and end to the disease and death.

Today, Yellow Fever deaths in the United States are practically unheard of, thanks to vaccines and modern day practices. Although COVID left its mark five years ago, with hundreds of local residents dying, the overall conditions and health of the Cape Fear have drastically improved since the major outbreak more than 160 years ago.

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.