The Wilmington Coup D'état of 1898

The New Hanover County Public Library Local History Room holds a number of research materials related to the Wilmington coup d'état of 1898. This subject guide gives researchers a general overview of the materials related to this event and how to access them.

"Unearthing 1898" is a three-part series and thorough examination of the tragic events of the Wilmington Coup of 1898, with the help of a host of experts that have researched and written about one of the most singularly defining moments in Wilmington history. These include LeRae Umfleet, lead researcher for the state's commission on 1898 and author of "A Day of Blood;" Jan Davidson, historian for the Cape Fear Museum; Chris E. Fonvielle Jr, local historian and author; Christopher Everett, director of "Wilmington on Fire;" David Zucchino, author of "Wilmington's Lie;" Cynthia Brown, historian of St. Stephen's AME Church; and David Cecelski, historian and co-author of "Democracy Betrayed."

"What The River Knows" opens on Thalian Hall’s mainstage on November 10th, 2022, the 124th anniversary of the 1898 white supremacist massacre. Playwright Alicia Inshiradu has worked on what she calls a "passion project" for more than two decades.

How does this bloody coup, which took place more than a century ago, impact Wilmington, the Cape Fear region, North Carolina – and even other parts of the American South today? Is white supremacy still alive and well in the Port City? David Zucchino is a contributing writer for The New York Times. He won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on apartheid in South Africa, and he’s written three books: "Thunder Run," "The Myth of the Welfare Queen" – and most recently, "Wilmington’s Lie, The Murderous Coup of 1898 and The Rise Of White Supremacy." Coastline is a call-in variety news hour by WHQR. Every week, we’ll look into issues that matter in the Cape Fear Region. Host Rachel Lewis Hilburn will interview expert guests and invite you to join the conversation.

Criminal podcast host Phoebe Judge interviews Wilmington native and historian Cynthina Brown about her great-grandmother, Althalia Howe. Howe grew up in Wilmington, North Carolina in the late 1890s. At the time, Wilmington was called “the freest town in the country” for Black people, and by 1898, Black men had become integral in Wilmington’s government. White Supremacists in the state were determined to stop them, by “ballot or bullet or both.” Author David Zucchino is also interviewed and provides insight from his Pulitzer-Prize winning book, "Wilmington’s Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy."

This page features an in-depth and comprehensive article on the 1898 Wilmington Race Riot by Timothy B. Tyson, published in The News & Observer in November 2006. It explains both the events that led to the riot and the impact it had on national race relations, as well as its continuing legacy.

YouTube video from Vox on the 1898 Wilmington Coup in which a mob of 2000 white men violently expelled elected black and white political leaders, destroyed the property of black residents, and killed dozens, if not more.

1985 oral history interview from the Cape Fear Museum with Mabel Sadgwar Manly and her sister Felice Sadgwar, who was sister-in-law to Alexander Manly through her husband Thomas. This interview covers details of Alexander Manly, the Manly family, and recollections of 1898.

Transcript of the above 1985 oral history interview with the Sadgwawr sisters.

This website, produced at East Carolina University, offers an archival resource for some of the most significant documents, images, and links related to the only known coup d’etat in the history of the United States. Visitors will notice three dropdown menu items, at the top menu bar. Each offers documents related to the “Rising Tension” after the Civil War, “1898” the year of the riot, and the “Legacy” of the riot. Click on any item, and then navigate the subtopics to discover the wealth of archival material available here. Each item contains a few surprises.

Provides interviews and information on the Wilmington Coup of 1898.

Created by the Cape Fear Museum in collaboration with the New Hanover County Public Library and Information Technology department, this map and timeline allows users to explore the context and history of the 1898 coup beginning with Emancipation and ending with the election of the first African American city council member in 1972.

PBS article on the 1898 coup written by Dr. Jan Davidson of the Cape Fear Museum of History and Science, as a tie-in to the PBS Documentary "American Coup: Wilmington 1898."

PBS article on the prosperous socioeconomic lives of Black citizens in Wilmington, North Carolina in the 1890s, as a tie-in to the PBS Documentary "American Coup: Wilmington 1898."