Wilmington, North Carolina, USA
1854 - Wilmington
Wilmington, a city, port of entry, and capital of New Hanover county, North Carolina, is situated on the left or E. bank of Cape Fear river, just below the entrance of its N. E. branch, 34 miles from the sea, 135 miles S. E. from Raleigh, 180 miles N. E. from Charleston, and 416 from Washington. Lat. 34° 11' N., Lon. 78° 10' W. It is the largest and most commercial place in the state, the business and population having been greatly increased by tho construction of the Wilmington and Raleigh railroad, which extends N. to Weldon, on the Roanoke river, 162 miles, and forms part of the great highway of travel North and South. The city has about $500,000 invested in this work, which cost $2,500,000, and is now in excellent condition. Another railroad has recently been opened from Wilmington to Manchester, in South Carolina, where it connects with the Camden Branch railroad. The length of this line is 156 miles, and the cost $1,800,000, of which $500,000 were subscribed by the citizens of Wilmington. A plank-road is extending from this city towards Onslow county. The town contains 3 banks, with an aggregate capital of $1,150,000. Five or six newspapers are published here. More than 20 steam engines are employed in the manufactories of this place, among which are seven steam saw mills, and 2 planing mills, with a capital of $275,000, producing annually about 30 mil lion feet of lumber; 3 rice mills; 10 turpentine distilleries, working about 25 stills, capital estimated at $100,000; and several machine shops. Four mail steamers keep up a daily communication with Charleston, and 9 steamboats and 20 towboats ply from this port to Fayetteville. The whole number of steamboats on the river in 1852 was 19.
It is expected that the extensive deposits of coal in Chatham county, will, by means of the Deep river improvement, now in progress, find an outlet here, and open a new source of wealth. The shipping of the district, June 30th, 1852, according to the custom house returns, amounted to an aggregate of 8385 tons registered, and 7093 tons enrolled and licensed. Of the latter, all was employed in the coast trade, and 2985 tons in steam navigation. The foreign arrivals for the year were 304, (tons, 101,353,) of which 159 (tons, 55,731,) were by American vessels. The clearances for foreign ports were 208, (tons, 39,267) of which 139 (tons, 26,206) were by American vessels. The foreign and coastwise arrivals for 1852, exclusive of the Charleston steamers and North Carolina coasters, were 753. During the year ending June 30th, 1852, 4 schooners, with an aggregate burthen of 474 tons, were admeasured. In 1819 a great fire occurred, which consumed about 200 buildings, and property valued at $1,000,000. Population in 1830, about 3000; 1840, 4744; in 1850, 7264, and in 1853, about 10,000.
A New and Complete Gazetteer of the United States: Giving a Full and Comprehensive Review of the Present Condition, Industry, and Resources of the American Confederacy ... Thomas Baldwin (of Philadelphia.) Joseph Thomas January 1, 1854 Philadelphia : Lippincott, Grambo & Company 1854.
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