On November 10, 1898, a white supremacist group overthrew Wilmington's multiracial government. They forced many Black residents to flee and killed many others, bringing Wilmington’s thriving, majority Black population into the minority.
Now, a museum in Wilmington hopes to preserve this history.
The Wilmington 1898 Museum for Healing, Education, and Democracy was announced earlier this month. It plans to educate visitors on the history of the country’s only successful coup and provide a space for community reflection.
Leigh Carter is the founder of the museum effort. While the museum isn’t the only effort to preserve Black history in Wilmington, she saw a need for a permanent fixture in the community.
"When I started talking to different members in the community, it was apparent that some sort of ongoing vehicle of truth telling and education was something that was really wanted and needed,” Carter said.
Carter’s background as a therapist and trauma specialist gave her a unique perspective going into the project.
“It's certainly not the only frame, but without a doubt, (the coup) could be described as a community trauma that has not had the tending to that is needed for good healing and relief and recovery from what happened,” she said.
She’s also the founder of the Elizabeth L. Carter Foundation, which donated the land for the museum. It will be built on Third and Davis Streets, near the 1898 Memorial Park.
Carter and four other community leaders make up the museum’s advisory board. William Buster, a career philanthropist and the museum’s lead consultant, assembled the board and is extremely active in moving the project forward.
Carter noted the team is still in the planning stage. Still, the museum hopes to engage visitors through interactive exhibits, like motion-sensitive installations and virtual reality experiences.
Carter said the feedback she’s received about the museum is enthusiastic.
"We're hearing folks say this is really needed,” she said. “We're hearing folks say that they look forward to what kind of growth and change this can facilitate in the community."
The Wilmington 1898 Museum for Healing, Education, and Democracy is expected to open in the spring of 2028 — 130 years after the coup.
