five Presidents
Visited Wilmington
The list includes four presidents
of Hie United Stoles — Washing¬
ton. Monroe. Polk and Fillmore
— and also Jefferson Davis,
president of the Confederacy.
Bi; DORIS GOFRCII
ALTHOl’GH almost every town in
North Carolina can point to a
/
\ tree or rock where President
George Washington sat or ate while
visiting within its city limits. Wil¬
mington can do a little better than
that. Not only did President Wash¬
ington visit that port city, but so did
Presidents James Monroe. James K.
Polk. Millard Fillmore, and Confed¬
erate President Jefferson Davis.
President Washington’s visit was
the most spectacular and the details
in connection with his trip there have
been preserved.
The fir.-t President arrived in the
North Carolina city on April 24. 1701.
At a distance of some six miles from
Wilmington he was met by a commit¬
tee of prominent citizens and also by a
large number of the “Gentlemen of the
Town."
Elaborate Reception
A procession was formed on enter¬
ing Wilmington. First came four
dragoons on horseback blowing trump¬
ets. Then came the President and his
aide-de-camp. Major Jackson, fol¬
lowed hv the High Sheriff of New
Hanover County with the committee
np|K>iutcd to attend on the President
during his stay.
Next eame a troop of the famous
bight Horse Cavalry, followed by the
“Gentlemen of the Town” ami the
President's equipage and attendants.
On entering the city a round from
the batteries, four guns, was fired iu
honor of the President's arrival.
There was a slight mix-up («cause
the original plans called for General
Washington’s staving at Dorsey’s
Tavern, hut due to the fact that his
quarters were evidently not ready, he
was escorted to the homo of Mrs. John
Quince on the southeast corner of
Front and Dock streets where he
stayed during his visit.
General Washington entertained a
few friends on the night of his ar¬
rival iu Wilmington at a supper at
Dorsey’s Tavern. While he was at the
tavern, he noticed the fiat taste of the
drinking water and asked one of the
tavern hosts if lie didn’t notice the un¬
pleasant ta.-te. The host evidently took
the remark as an insult and curtly re¬
plied, “I wouldn’t know. I haven’t
drunk any of it in twenty years.’’
On April 25 a dinner and hall were
given for the President. He himself
reports that 62 Indies were present and
described them as being lovely. Bon¬
fires were built all around the city
and the ship Maria of Boston, which
was in the harbor at the time, was
gaily decorated with lights.
Washington’s Comments
The President must have been well
pleased with his visit because in his
diary he wrote:
“Wilmington has some good houses,
pretty compactly built — the whole
under a hill, which is formed entirely
of sand. The number of souls in it
amount by enumeration to about
1,000.
“Wilmington, unfortunately for it,
has a mud bank — miles below, over
which not more than ten feet of
water can be brought at common tides.
Yet it is said vessels of 250 tons have
come up. The quantity of shipping
which load here annually amounts to
about 12,000 tons. Exports are naval
stores and lumber; some tobacco, corn,
rice ami flax seed and port.”
On leaving Wilmington, President
Washington stopped by Bclvidero, the
plantation of General Benjamin
Smith in Brunswick County. There lie
was met at the dock by thirteen beauti¬
ful young ladies, dressed in white,
representing the thirteen colonies.
The young Indies preceded him to the
mansion, strewing tlowers in the path
over which he walked.
The second President to visit Wil¬
mington was President James Monroe,
fifth president of the country. He ar¬
rived in Wilmington on April 12,
1819, and on April 23, 1819, the Ra¬
leigh Minerva carried this account of
his visit :
“The Presidential cortege was met
about twelve miles from town on the
old Newborn Road, somewhere near
Scott’s Hill, and escorted into the City
by the Wilmington Light Horse, a
volunteer organization under the com¬
mand of Colonel Cowan. The entrance
into the town was made on Market
Street, the boundary then being on
Fifth. They then proceeded down
Market to Front and up Front to the
Wilmington Hotel, where the usual
formalities of a grand reception were
tendered the President.
Guest of Robert Cochran
“Hi* Excellency was the guest while
here of Robert Cochran, Esq., who
resided on Second Street, between
Chestnut and Mulberry and John C.
Calhoun, the Secretary of War and
his lady, received the hospitalities of
Dr. A. J. DcRosset, sr., at the brick
house now standing on the corner of
Market and Third streets. It was on
Thursday that the President arrived
here, and on Friday, accompanied by
Judge Murphey, he paid a visit to
Wrightsville. On his return he par¬
took of a dinner with the citizens at
the Wilmington Hotel and the next
day left this place on the steamer
Prometheus for Fort Johnston, from
which he proceeded to Georgetown,
S. C.”
Thirty years later another president
eame to Wilmington. On March 8.
1849, the Wilmington Commercial
carried this account of the visit of
President James K. Polk, who was
a native North Carolinian:
“The Ex-President, Mr. Polk and
Lady and Niece, together with Mr.
Secretary Walker and Niece, and Mr.
Graham, Solicitor of the Treasury,
and Lady, reached our town at 10
o’clock in the morning. Their arrival
was heralded by the booming of can¬
non, the ringing of bells and fioating
aloft of banners and streamers from
stalls, housetops, and mastheads. The
Magistrate of Police, Colonel James
T. Miller, the Committee of Arrange¬
ments, and a large concourse of citi¬
zens were ready at the railroad to re¬
ceive the Ex-President and suite, and
they were greeted by Colonel Miller
in a brief and cordial address, to which
the Ex-President warmly responded.
The whole suite was then escorted, ac¬
cording to the program heretofore pub¬
lished, to Mrs. Swann's boarding-
( Continued on page twenty-five)
io