In its second century, Wilmington was plagued by a rash of devastating fires that destroyed much of the history it built in its formative years. Why was Wilmington so vulnerable to the scourge of fire and what was lost in the flames? We explore those questions with our guest, local historian Beverly Tetterton, on this episode of "Cape Fear Unearthed," a StarNews Media-produced podcast that digs into the history books of Southeastern North Carolina.

Cape Fear Unearthed is written, edited and hosted by Hunter Ingram.

Additional editing by Adam Fish.

A StarNews Media Production.

Sources:

"Stories Old and New of the Cape Fear Region" by Louis T. Moore

"Chronicles of the Cape Fear River" by James Sprunt

"Land of the Golden River" by Lewis Philip Hall