Even though Leigh Carter was born and raised in Wilmington, she didn’t learn about 1898 until well into adulthood — the process of working through what that meant for the community in the present day led to plans for the museum.
Carter hopes it will be a place where people can do some processing, and healing, of their own.
"If we can provide really optimal conditions for people to take this story in, have a personal experience, personal reflective experience with it, then sort of, you know, where they feel called to participate. In this chapter of this story will come to them, and sort of what is required for further healing we imagine coming from that place,” she said.
Carter noted that it's early days for the museum design and there aren’t any architectural renderings yet. But the general plans for the museum include exhibits, interactive media, and personal stories revolving around “the history of the 1898 massacre and coup, its victims, and its legacy,” and will offer guided tours and self-guided experiences, according to the museum website.
Slated to open in 2028, 130 years after the coup and massacre, the museum will be located on North Third and Davis streets, adjacent to the 1898 Memorial on the north side of downtown Wilmington.
“It did seem to call, in a way. It was sort of conspicuously available. And, you know, it was hard to imagine anything else being in on a piece of property that special, that wasn't somehow related to this history and that part of town,” she said.
The property was gifted by the Elizabeth L. Carter Foundation. The Museum has an ambitious long-term fundraising goal of between $60 and $70 million — which Carter hopes to raise through private donations, grants, and community support.
The Museum project has also brought on lead consultant William Buster, formerly the CEO and president of the New Hanover Community Endowment. Buster has a long history of leading philanthropic efforts and guiding public-private projects.
Right now, Carter hopes people will show their interest, and sign up for updates as the project progresses.
“This is an open invitation for folks to reach out with us, with curiosity, enthusiasm, energy, all of the above,” she said.
You can find more about the museum here. More information on how to support the museum — including donations, and volunteering — is available here.
