Wilmington has no shortage of ghost stories, but the one that persists at the Price-Gause House on Market Street is more than just another haunted tale. It's rooted in a time when public executions were held on the land the house now sits on.

This week, we explore the history of Gallows Hill, the ghost story that sprung up in its wake and are joined by local historians Beverly Tetterton and Chris E. Fonvielle Jr. to talk about why it is not the only site where gallows once stood.

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

Additional editing by Adam Fish. Recorded at WHQR in downtown Wilmington.

A StarNews Media Production, sponsored by Northchase Family Dentistry.

Sources:

"Historic Wilmington Foundation Plaque Committee research," by Beverly Tetterton

"MyReporter: Where was Gallows Hill?" by Ben Steelman, Wilmington StarNews

"Land of the Golden River," by Lewis Philip Hall

"Haunted Wilmington and the Cape Fear Coast," by Brooks Newton Preik

"Ghosts of Old Wilmington," by John Hirchak

Various newspapers articles (1795, 1856, 1866, 1880)

Wilmington has no shortage of ghost stories, but the one that persists at the Price-Gause House on Market Street is more than just another haunted tale. It's rooted in a time when public executions were held on the land the house now sits on.
This week, we explore the history of Gallows Hill, the ghost story that sprung up in its wake and are joined by local historians Beverly Tetterton and Chris E. Fonvielle Jr. to talk about why it is not the only site where gallows once stood.
Cape Fear Unearthed is written, edited and hosted by Hunter Ingram.
Additional editing by Adam Fish. Recorded at WHQR in downtown Wilmington.
A StarNews Media Production, sponsored by Northchase Family Dentistry.
Sources:
"Historic Wilmington Foundation Plaque Committee research," by Beverly Tetterton
"MyReporter: Where was Gallows Hill?" by Ben Steelman, Wilmington StarNews
"Land of the Golden River," by Lewis Philip Hall
"Haunted Wilmington and the Cape Fear Coast," by Brooks Newton Preik
"Ghosts of Old Wilmington," by John Hirchak
Various newspapers articles (1795, 1856, 1866, 1880)

StarNews Media Presents "Cape Fear Unearthed," a podcast digging into the history books of Southeastern North Carolina. The weekly podcast will feature stories drawn from the region's persisting legends, historical oddities and mysterious figures that have helped shape its legacy and culture.

Cape Fear Unearthed

Gallows Hill was the site of public executions in Wilmington's 18th and 19th centuries,  but it eventually gave birth to a legendary ghost story that still persists today.

Advertisement