Burgwin-Wright Presents...: Recent Episodes
Burgwin-Wright House
Burgwin-Wright Presents... explores the riveting stories of North Carolina's Cape Fear region through the history of one of its oldest Colonial historic sites – the Burgwin-Wright House and Gardens in Wilmington. Focusing on history that spans the formation of the American Colonies to the modern day, Burgwin-Wright Presents... will explore the fact vs. fiction within the stories that have defined the Cape Fear region for three centuries.
When Raleigh was still in its infancy, Haywood Hall was already making history. The stately home built in 1800 was home to four generations of its namesake family, which helped guide the state's capital through its first two centuries. Now, it is one of the most beloved Federalist homes in the state.
As part of our ongoing podcast series, "Burgwin-Wright Presents... North Carolina's Great American Treasures," we are opening the door on the history of Haywood Hall, with programming coordinator and historian Nicole Ackman.
For more information about Haywood Hall House & Gardens, visit HaywoodHall.com. You can also learn more about the Burgwin-Wright House at BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
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Historic homes carry a tremendous amount of life and stories, but so too do structures that we don't rest our heads in. The Oval Ballroom, a structurally significant stunner in the heart of Fayetteville, is one such building. For 200 years, the perfect oval has stood as an architectural marvel that has enraptured guests and even The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
As part of our ongoing podcast series, "Burgwin-Wright Presents... North Carolina's Great American Treasures," we are visiting the history of Oval Ballroom with the help of Anne Highsmith, a member of the North Carolina Dames' Cumberland Committee; and Cassandra McMillion, president of Heritage Square Historical Society.
For more information about Oval Ballroom and booking a tour through Heritage Square Historical Society, visit heritage-square.org. You can also learn more about the Burgwin-Wright House at BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
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"This was a civil war as much as it was a revolution." That's how Kings Mountain National Military Park ranger Robert Holmes describes the battle fought on the ridge in October 1780. It was personal, and it was a pivotal moment for the American Revolution, one that will serve as the backdrop for the series finale of the "Outlander" TV series on Starz.
For this episode, we are talking with Robert about the lead up to the Battle of Kings Mountain, the major players including the Overmountain Men and the consequences of the bloody clash. Robert also talks about how "Outlander" fans can literally walk some of the places that Jamie Fraser would have seen during the book and TV series' events, and discusses why it would have been appropriate for the men of Fraser's Ridge to be present for this all-important battle.
For more information about Kings Mountain National Military Park, please visit www.nps.gov/kimo. And to learn more about the Burgwin-Wright House and how to support the house, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
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Tucked away in the metropolitan area of Charlotte, Historic Rosedale is a snapshot of early 19th century North Carolina with a 1815 home and reconstructed blacksmith shop that allows visitors to step back in time. Historic Rosedale is among the properties preserved by the National Society of the Colonial Dames in the State of North Carolina, who raised $1 million to restore it to its original grandeur. What is the history of Rosedale and how did a volcanic eruption a world away nearly destroy its legacy?
As part of our ongoing podcast series, "Burgwin-Wright Presents... North Carolina's Great American Treasures," we are visiting the history of Rosedale with the help of Deanna Witte-Walker, Executive Director of Historic Rosedale in Charlotte.
For more information about the Historic Rosedale, visit HistoricRosedale.org. You can also learn more about the Burgwin-Wright House at BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
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At the heart of the 1766 Moravian settlement of Salem sat a residential home that was not unlike its neighbors. However, over the past 250 years, Fourth House, as it is known, has become a torch bearer for the residential way of life in the historical community. Now part of Old Salem's living history site, Fourth House helps tell the story of a colonial life, the vestiges of which can still be seen in the surrounding area today.
As part of our ongoing podcast series, "Burgwin-Wright Presents... North Carolina's Great American Treasures," we are visiting the history and the legacy of Fourth House and its place among the properties owned by The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of North Carolina. This special series will feature a new episode each month through 2026, in honor of America's 250th!
This month's guest is Johanna Brown, Chief Curator and Director of Collections, Archaeology and Research at Old Salem Museums and Gardens in Winston-Salem.
For more information about the Old Salem Museums and Gardens, visit OldSalem.org. You can also learn more about the Burgwin-Wright House at BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
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After years of talking about "Outlander's" impact on North Carolina and the Cape Fear region, we are thrilled to welcome the author and architect of the series herself, Diana Gabaldon, to the podcast! During this conversation, Diana shares when she first learned that North Carolina would be so important to her Scottish story, her writing process, and what it is like to be approaching the end of her series with a 10th and final book.
As the "Outlander" TV series begins its own final season on Starz, we are so grateful to Diana for joining us to celebrate the intertwined histories of her books and our region.
Learn more about everything Diana is doing at her website, DianaGabaldon.com. And for more information about the Burgwin-Wright House and to learn how to support the house, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
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In the heart of Raleigh stands the Joel Lane Museum House, a remnant of the colonial era before the state, the county or the city were formed. The stories of Joel Lane, his family and those enslaved on his plantation tell of a pivotal moment in American history, and the house offers incredible insight into life at the dawn of North Carolina.
As part of our ongoing podcast series, "Burgwin-Wright Presents... North Carolina's Great American Treasures," we are visiting the history and the legacy of the Joel Lane House and its place among the properties owned by The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of North Carolina. This special series will feature a new episode each month through 2026, in honor of America's 250th!
This month's guest is Joel Lane Museum House director Lanie Hubbard, who joins to talk about using Joel Lane's history, as well as those of his family and enslaved workers, to share early American history, as well as the role of the Dames in saving it nearly a century ago.
For more information about the Joel Lane Museum House, visit JoelLane.org. You can also learn more about the Burgwin-Wright House at BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
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In celebration of America's 250th birthday, the "Burgwin-Wright Presents..." podcast is honoring North Carolina's Great American Treasures, the historic properties saved and supported by The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of North Carolina.
Each month in 2026, the podcast will visit one of these properties to tell its history and explore how the North Carolina Dames became involved in preserving its legacy for future generations. To begin this special series, we are starting at home –– or rather the Dames' headquarters –– with a look at the 20th century history of the Burgwin-Wright House and how the Dames defied the odds to save it from demolition on the brink of World War II.
Our returning special guest Christine Lamberton, the museum director for the Burgwin-Wright House and Gardens, shares why the Dames made it their mission to rescue the house and restore it to its colonial glory, and how they faced war, the Great Depression and big corporations to do it.
For more information about the Burgwin-Wright House and to learn how to support the house, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
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Wars were fought on the battlefield, but they were won in the shadows. Spies and counterintelligence efforts on both sides of the American Revolution were a key component of the war, and led to seismic shifts in power as America fought for its independence.
Joining the show to talk about the life and legacies of colonial spies is Cheney J. Schopieray, Curator of Manuscripts for the William L. Clements Library at the University of Michigan, which is home to the Sir Henry Clinton Collection.
Additional resources mentioned in the episode:
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For more information about the William L. Clements Library at the University of Michigan or to connect with our guest, visit https://clements.umich.edu.
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To see the "Spy Letters of the American Revolution" online exhibit, visit https://clements.umich.edu/exhibit/spy-letters-of-the-american-revolution/
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For a look at the original July 17, 1777 "quill pen" letter from British Army Commander-in-Chief William Howe to John Burgoyne, featured in "Outlander" Season 7, visit https://clements.umich.edu/exhibit/spy-letters-of-the-american-revolution/stories-of-spies/howe-goes-his-own-way/
For more information about the Burgwin-Wright House and to learn how to support the house, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Cover art design by Rachel Ross.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
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As the "Outlander" story moves around the American Colonies during the Revolutionary War, we take a moment to return to the homefront to talk about what Wilmington would have looked like during the war. The town's port made it an invaluable commodity during the conflict, but how did its citizens fare as fighting raged on? What impact did the revolution have on Wilmington's ascension as a jewel in North Carolina's crown?
Joining the episode is Jack E. Fryar, a historian and author of the new book, "When the British Came: Revolution in the Cape Fear, 1765-1782." Fryar is the publisher behind Dram Tree Books, the extensive local history catalogue for which can be found at DramTreeBooks.com.
For more information about the Burgwin-Wright House and to learn how to support the house, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Cover art design by Rachel Ross.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
One of the most formative events in the "Outlander" story happens far from the Cape Fear region back in Scotland when thousands took up arms against the British throne in the Jacobite Rising of 1745. But what brought Scotland to war with its monarch? What did it mean for the average Scot, and how did it impact the American Revolution decades later?
This episode, we are joined by Professor Murray Pittock, a historian and author with the University of Glasgow in Scotland to talk about the age of the Jacobites and how that uprising left scars that would be brought to the American Colonies on the eve of its own war.
For more information about the Burgwin-Wright House and to learn how to support the house, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com. For more information on Murray Pittock and his published works, you can find him at https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/critical/staff/murraypittock/.
Cover art design by Rachel Ross.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
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Return to the world of “Outlander” with a deep dive into the realities and risks of battlefield medicine. As the series moves through the Revolutionary War, historical medicine interpreter Charles Brett discusses how physicians, nurses and healers were the saving grace of those wounded in battle or ravaged by the diseases that plagued regiments from battle to battle.
For more information about the Burgwin-Wright House and to learn how to support the house, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Cover art design by Rachel Ross.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
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Battleships bear witness to the worst side of the human condition. They share in the triumphs of war and bear the scars of defeat in equal measure.
It is no wonder that the Battleship North Carolina, the most decorated American vessel from World War II, garners a lot of interest for its ghost stories. But are they true?
Joining the episode to answer that question is Danielle Wallace, the programs director for the Battleship North Carolina.
For more information about the Burgwin-Wright House and to learn how to support the house, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Cover art design by Rachel Ross.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
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When you see an old home from outside its iron gates, your mind makes up stories of what could possibly be hidden behind the front door. In many cases, that air of mystery conjures stories of ghosts and unexplained occurrences.
At the Bellamy Mansion, life-long residents just out of reach led locals to wonder if the antebellum home at Fifth and Market Street may have more residents than those among the living. Decades later, those stories persist, but are they true?
Joining the episode to talk about the house's history is Leslie Randle Morton, the associate director of the Bellamy Mansion Museum of History and Design Arts.
For more information about the Burgwin-Wright House and to learn how to support the house, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Cover art design by Rachel Ross.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
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Thalian Hall Center for the Performing Arts has been an icon of Wilmington since it first opened its doors in 1858. From world-class productions on its stage to vitally important work done inside the city hall under the same roof, few structures have been as consequential to Wilmington's history as Thalian Hall.
But a century and a half of indelible experiences has also left behind stories of unexplained presences and ghostly helping hands.
Joining the episode to talk about this haunted history is Shane Fernando, the CEO of Thalian Hall Center for the Performing Arts.
For more information about the Burgwin-Wright House and to learn how to support the house, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Cover art design by Rachel Ross.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
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Poplar Grove Plantation has seen progress sweep past it on all sides since it first started producing peanuts in the late 1700s. Over the past two centuries, it served as a home and a haven for the Foy family, and has become an important vessel for talking about Gullah Geechee history in the Southeastern United States. But has all that life spawned any ghost stories on the site?
Joining the episode to talk about the history, evolving narrative and haunted happenings of Poplar Grove Plantation is executive director Caroline Lewis.
For more information about the Burgwin-Wright House and to learn how to support the house, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Cover art design by Rachel Ross.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
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A house isn't a home without the stories and experiences of the families that live under its roof. But lives leave behind more than just stories.
In the case of The Latimer House, some reckon with the tremendous loss associated with its namesake family by telling stories of children lingering in the windows and racing across the floors long after they are gone. But is it true? And what does the Latimer House teach us about life and death in the 19th century?
Joining the episode to talk about history and hauntings is Dr. Ginger Davis, the executive director of the Latimer House, the Lower Cape Fear Historical Society and the Ida B. Kellum Archives.
For more information about the Burgwin-Wright House and to learn how to support the house, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Cover art design by Rachel Ross.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
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The origins of the Cape Fear region as we know it began at Brunswick Town, the first permanent settlement established in 1726. It wouldn't survive past the Revolutionary War, but its few decades of life have inspired tales of life and loss, success and failure –– all of which fuel the ghost stories that continue to live on its shores.
Joining the episode to talk about the sightings at Brunswick Town and the ways in which these haunted tales get started is Jim McKee, the site manager of Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site in Winnabow.
For more information about the Burgwin-Wright House and to learn how to support the house, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Cover art design by Rachel Ross.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
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The Wilmington Railroad Museum tells the story of the Cape Fear's century-long history as a pioneer of the railroad in the United States. But it also tells the stories of the people who kept the lines running, who gave their blood, sweat and tears to the job. It is those real experiences that have helped inspire ghost stories at the museum, which sits on the former site of the Atlantic Coastline Railroad.
Joining the episode to talk those persistent stories and the misinformation associated with the railroad industry is Wilmington Railroad Museum director Holli Saperstein.
For more information about the Burgwin-Wright House and to learn how to support the house, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Cover art design by Rachel Ross.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
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This season on Burgwin-Wright Presents..., we are chasing down the Haunted Tales of the Cape Fear and talking about the history behind these persistent stories. What gives a good ghost story its credibility?
There's no better place to start than at home with the Burgwin-Wright House. With museum director Christine Lamberton, we look at how the dual history of the city's first jail and its grandest Colonial home has come to inform centuries of spooky encounters and what they say about the house's history.
For more information about the Burgwin-Wright House and to learn how to support the house, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Cover art design by Rachel Ross.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
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For the mid-season finale episode, we are retracing our steps to Brunswick Town and the Battle of Moores Creek Bridge to talk about what audiences are missing when they don’t see these landmark Cape Fear Colonial sites depicted in the “Outlander” TV series.
Joining the episode are two returning guests –– Jim McKee, site manager for Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site, and Jason Howell with Moores Creek National Battlefield.
This podcast is sponsored by Durable Restoration Company and Fraser's Ridge Homecoming, presented by Outlander North Carolina.
For more information about the Burgwin-Wright House and to learn how to support the house, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Cover art design by Rachel Ross.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The "Outlander" story travels up north in the thick of the American Revolution and witnesses fighting in places like New York. But would the war, the fighting and the experience of living through a revolution look differently in New York versus North Carolina?
And how did 13 separate colonies come together to fight for the same cause when they did not yet have a shared identity? Hint: it wasn't easy.
Joining the episode is Dr. David Houpt, an assistant professor of history at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
This podcast is sponsored by Durable Restoration Company and Fraser's Ridge Homecoming, presented by Outlander North Carolina.
For more information about the Burgwin-Wright House and to learn how to support the house, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Cover art design by Rachel Ross.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
During the Colonial era, traveling between North Carolina and Virginia almost certainly required engagement with the Great Dismal Swamp, a million-acre natural wildlife habitat that remains a central part of the East Coast’s ecology today. A character in “Outlander” finds out firsthand the dangers of the thick wilderness during the American Revolution. But what is the history of this natural wonder and what is it like working with in it today?
Joining the episode is Chris Lowie, who has served as the manager of the Great Dismal Swamp Wildlife Refuge in Suffolk, Virginia for 17 years.
This podcast is sponsored by Durable Restoration Company and Fraser's Ridge Homecoming, presented by Outlander North Carolina.
For more information about the Burgwin-Wright House and to learn how to support the house, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Cover art design by Rachel Ross.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Healing is a core tenet of who Claire Fraser is in "Outlander," but what was medicine and healthcare really like in the Colonial era? From surgery to medicine to home remedies, surviving in a time before modern practices took work and the right knowledge.
Joining this episode is Charles Brett, a volunteer medical interpreter at Tryon Palace in New Bern, who shares the challenges of medical care 200 years ago –– and what methods and instruments they pioneered that we still use today.
This podcast is sponsored by Durable Restoration Company and Fraser's Ridge Homecoming, presented by Outlander North Carolina.
For more information about the Burgwin-Wright House and to learn how to support the house, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Cover art design by Rachel Ross.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In the Season 7 premiere of "Outlander," Claire Fraser finds herself in the crosshairs of Royal Governor Josiah Martin, who is battling for control of Fort Johnston on the Cape Fear River in the opening months of the American Revolution.
Joining this week's podcast is local historian and author Chris E. Fonvielle Jr., who guides us through the intertwined history of Martin, the final royal-appointed governor of North Carolina, and Fort Johnston, the fiery fate of which will mark the beginning of the end of British control in the colony.
"Outlander in the Cape Fear" will air new episodes every two weeks this summer!
This podcast is sponsored by Durable Restoration Company.
For more information about the Burgwin-Wright House and to learn how to support the house, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Cover art design by Rachel Ross.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
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And we're back!
The new season of "Outlander in the Cape Fear" begins with a single question: What would it have been like to travel on the Cape Fear River 250 years ago like Claire and Jamie Fraser?
Joining the episode is Doug Springer, the co-founder and captain of Wilmington Water Tours, who talks about how the river has changed as development took hold in North Carolina and just how different an experience it would have been when the river was the only way in and out.
"Outlander in the Cape Fear" will air new episode every two weeks this summer!
This podcast is sponsored by Durable Restoration Company.
For more information about the Burgwin-Wright House and to learn how to support the house, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Cover art design by Rachel Ross.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Have you ever heard of the Suicide Club in Colonial Wilmington?
If you haven't, you aren't alone. But according to Louis T. Moore, the strange and grim story would have sent shockwaves through a young Wilmington and reveals the intricacies of the culture of religion at the heart of the American Colonies.
Joining the episode is Dr. Jamie Brummitt, an associate professor of philosophy and American religion at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
Be sure to come grab your copy of Louis T. Moore's "Stories Old and New of the Cape Fear Region," on which this season is based, in the Burgwin-Wright House gift shop today!
This podcast is sponsored by Durable Restoration Company.
For more information about the Burgwin-Wright House and to learn how to support the house, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Cover art design by Rachel Ross.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Wilmington is known for many things, but perhaps one of its most unique features is its historic performing arts center that doubles as city hall.
The harmonious convergence of entertainment and government inside an iconic building has been among the Cape Fear's most impressive traits over the past century and a half. But how did it happen? And how is it all connected to what some say is the oldest theater association in the United States?
Joining the episode is Travis Gilbert, the executive director of the Historic Wilmington Foundation and a member of The Board of Trustees for Thalian Hall.
Be sure to come grab your copy of Louis T. Moore's "Stories Old and New of the Cape Fear Region," on which this season is based, in the Burgwin-Wright House gift shop today!
This podcast is sponsored by Durable Restoration Company.
For more information about the Burgwin-Wright House and to learn how to support the house, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Cover art design by Rachel Ross.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Do you think you could spot a con artist in the Colonial era? It might have been harder than you think in the days before lightning-fast technology.
In 1771, Sarah Wilson was certainly counting on it when she impersonated a member of King George III's family in the American Colonies. She traveled through Wilmington and New Bern in her march south, scamming unsuspecting colonists who jumped at the surprise opportunity to host royalty. But what do we really know about this Colonial con woman? And how did her scheme fall apart?
Joining the episode is Matt Arthur, a former staff member at Tryon Palace in New Bern and currently the professional development manager with the American Association for State and Local History.
Be sure to come grab your copy of Louis T. Moore's "Stories Old and New of the Cape Fear Region," on which this season is based, in the Burgwin-Wright House gift shop today!
This podcast is sponsored by Durable Restoration Company.
For more information about the Burgwin-Wright House and to learn how to support the house, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Cover art design by Rachel Ross.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Battle of Moores Creek Bridge is a storied moment in American history, but many people learn about the lesser-known battle through the heroic feat of a woman who didn’t fight in it. Polly Slocumb is said to have rode her horse into the night of February 26, 1776 to save her husband from dying in the battle after dreaming of his demise.
Her legend is iconic, but it’s also littered with details that don’t line up with fact. Who was Polly Slocumb and can we chase down her legend 200 years later? Joining the episode is Chris E. Fonvielle Jr, a local historian and author of books such as “More Curious Tales from Old Wilmington and the Lower Cape Fear,” which features a chapter on Polly’s story.
Be sure to come grab your copy of Louis T. Moore's "Stories Old and New of the Cape Fear Region," on which this season is based, in the Burgwin-Wright House gift shop today!
This podcast is sponsored by Durable Restoration Company.
For more information about the Burgwin-Wright House and to learn how to support the house, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Cover art design by Rachel Ross.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In Colonial America, a duel at ten paces could defend something the law couldn't – a man's honor. But history doesn't look fondly on those who chose to serve justice with a bullet.
Especially in the case of two young men in the British Navy in 1765, who fought a vicious and bloody duel at Brunswick Town over a woman – during a moment of growing unrest for the Cape Fear. Joining the episode to talk about the Simpson/Whitehurst duel is Jim McKee, the manager of Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site in Winnabow.
Be sure to come grab your copy of Louis T. Moore's "Stories Old and New of the Cape Fear Region," on which this season is based, in the Burgwin-Wright House gift shop today!
This podcast is sponsored by Durable Restoration Company.
For more information about the Burgwin-Wright House and to learn how to support the house, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Cover art design by Rachel Ross.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
When it comes to icons of the Cape Fear, few stand as sturdy as the Old Dram Tree. Although it has long since been lost to progress, the story of the Dram Tree is one that charts the entire developed history of the Wilmington area.
The bald cypress tree served as a "a grim sentinel," as it has been called, for mariners traveling the Cape Fear River all the way back to the pre-Colonial period. But how did it get its name and what happened to it? This episode, we are joined by Jack Fryar, a local historian and publisher of Dram Tree Books, to talk about the facts and fate of the Old Dram Tree.
Be sure to come grab your copy of Louis T. Moore's "Stories Old and New of the Cape Fear Region," on which this season is based, in the Burgwin-Wright House gift shop today!
This podcast is sponsored by Durable Restoration Company.
For more information about the Burgwin-Wright House and to learn how to support the house, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Cover art design by Rachel Ross.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Have you heard of the tunnels underneath Wilmington, where pirates supposedly smuggled their treasure and slaves escaped on the Underground Railroad?
Perhaps the most enduring legend in Wilmington's history is ripe with salacious and fictitious stories, the passages under the city have a far more practical and not-so-flashy origin. On this week's episode, we dispel some of the legends that wind through the tunnels and ponder why they are so popular (and potentially dangerous) centuries later. Joining the episode is Jon Schleier, executive director of the Public Archaeology Corps, which excavated one of the passages named Rock Spring in 2017.
Be sure to come grab your copy of Louis T. Moore's "Stories Old and New of the Cape Fear Region," on which this season is based, in the Burgwin-Wright House gift shop today!
This podcast is sponsored by Durable Restoration Company.
For more information about the Burgwin-Wright House and to learn how to support the house, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Cover art design by Rachel Ross.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What did Christmas look like for the enslaved people of Colonial Wilmington? While no holiday celebration was guaranteed, the port city's streets were often a stage granted to enslaved communities for a display of their culture known as John Kuners or John Canoe.
With the help of special guest Dr. Tara White, an assistant professor of history at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, this episode looks at why slave owners allowed these traditions to take place and how the enslaved used them to assert their individuality and power within an institution that didn’t give them much of either. In the episode, we explore why the holidays were a time of negotiation between slave and enslaver, and how the John Canoe celebrations became so associated with Wilmington.
Be sure to come grab your copy of Louis T. Moore's "Stories Old and New of the Cape Fear Region," on which this new season is based, in the Burgwin-Wright House gift shop today!
This podcast is sponsored by Durable Restoration Company.
For more information about the Burgwin-Wright House and to learn how to support the house, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Cover art design by Rachel Ross.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The new season, "Burgwin-Wright Presents... Cape Fear Legends & Lore," begins with a story right in our backyard – the myth of Cornwallis Headquarters in Wilmington.
During the American Revolution, did Lord Cornwallis, commander of the British army, stay at the Burgwin-Wright House will he was in Wilmington in 1781? The house has been known for centuries as "Cornwallis Headquarters," but is it true? We explore the fact and fiction of the legend with guest Bert Dunkerly, historian and author of such books as "Redcoats on the Cape Fear."
Be sure to come grab your copy of Louis T. Moore's "Stories Old and New of the Cape Fear Region," on which this new season is based, in the Burgwin-Wright House gift shop today!
This podcast is sponsored by Durable Restoration Company.
For more information about the Burgwin-Wright House and to learn how to support the house, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Cover art design by Rachel Ross.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
For the new season of "Burgwin-Wright Presents...," we are cracking open the chapters of Louis T. Moore's "Stories Old and New of the Cape Fear Region" for a season titled "Cape Fear Legends & Lore."
First published in 1956, the seminal local history book is a collection of legends and traditions that have defined the Cape Fear region since the Colonial period. Each episode this season, we will revisit a chapter in Moore's book to examine what's fact and what's fiction.
Before we launch the new season on Nov. 22, we wanted to introduce our listeners to Louis and why we are doing this season in this special Prologue episode.
New episodes of "Cape Fear Legends & Lore" will premiere every other week through the spring of 2023. We hope you'll join us for this new journey through local history, guided by the work of one of its greatest storytellers.
Louis T. Moore biographical information courtesy of LouisTMoore.com by Susan Taylor Block.
This podcast is sponsored by Durable Restoration Company.
For more information about the Burgwin-Wright House and to learn how to support the house, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Cover art design by Rachel Ross.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
"Burgwin-Wright Presents... Outlander in the Cape Fear" explores the history of Colonial North Carolina through its depiction in the book and TV series "Outlander."
For this special Halloween episode, host Hunter Ingram reads a compelling and chilling ghost story written in 1898 by noted Cape Fear historian James Sprunt entitled "A Colonial Apparition." Pulling from the true history of Scottish Highlanders who immigrated to North Carolina in the Colonial period, the story tells of the Steamer Wilmington's snowy encounter with the supposed ghosts of two Highlanders killed along the Cape Fear River during the Revolutionary War.
Initially read before The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in the State of North Carolina (NSCDA-NC) in 1898, this special reading was coordinated by the Burgwin-Wright House, which is owned and operated by the NSCDA-NC.
This podcast is produced by Burgwin-Wright House and Gardens, Wilmington's largest and oldest historic site. For more information about the Burgwin-Wright House and to learn how to support the house, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Cover art design by Rachel Ross.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
"Burgwin-Wright Presents... Outlander in the Cape Fear" explores the history of Colonial North Carolina through its depiction in the book and TV series "Outlander."
On this week's season finale, we look to the future of the "Outlander" story with a visit to Moores Creek National Battlefield, the site of an early American Revolution battle defined by the involvement and sacrifice of Scottish Highlanders on the Loyalist side. How did the Scottish brand of war translate to the American fight for freedom? And how did the Battle of Moores Creek Bridge forever change North Carolina history?
This week's guest is Jason Howell, park historian and historic weapons supervisor for Moores Creek National Battlefield in Currie, NC.
This podcast is produced by Burgwin-Wright House and Gardens, Wilmington's largest and oldest historic site. For more information about the Burgwin-Wright House, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Cover art design by Rachel Ross.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
"Burgwin-Wright Presents... Outlander in the Cape Fear" explores the history of Colonial North Carolina through its depiction in the book and TV series "Outlander."
On this week's episode, we look at the involvement of American Indian tribes in the Revolutionary War. In the "Outlander" story, characters have long interacted with tribes like the Cherokee and Mohawk, but what is the true history of Indigenous Americans in North Carolina before the war and how involved were they in the war that would give birth to an independent America?
This week's guest is David La Vere, a professor of history at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and author of such books as "The Tuscarora War: Indians, Settlers and the Fight for the Carolina Colonies."
This podcast is produced by Burgwin-Wright House and Gardens, Wilmington's largest and oldest historic site. For more information about the Burgwin-Wright House, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Cover art design by Rachel Ross.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
"Burgwin-Wright Presents... Outlander in the Cape Fear" explores the history of Colonial North Carolina through its depiction in the book and TV series "Outlander."
On this week's episode, we are jumping into the future for a look at the current culture of Scottish heritage in North Carolina. The story of the Scots in America begins in the early 1700s, before Claire and Jamie Fraser arrive in 1767 in the "Outlander" story. The immigration of those Highlanders put down roots that have flourished into a thriving present-day community that celebrates its ancestors through Scottish Societies and events like the Port City Highland Games on May 14.
This week's guest is Bob McLeod, a board member and former co-president of the Scottish Society of Wilmington. For more information about the Scottish Society of Wilmington, including how to join, visit WilmingtonScots.org.
This podcast is produced by Burgwin-Wright House and Gardens, Wilmington's largest and oldest historic site. For more information about the Burgwin-Wright House, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Cover art design by Rachel Ross.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
"Burgwin-Wright Presents... Outlander in the Cape Fear" explores the history of Colonial North Carolina through its depiction in the book and Starz TV series "Outlander."
On this week's episode, we mine the many pop culture lives of Stede Bonnet, known as the Gentleman Pirate. How did someone with such a non-threatening nickname go on to inspire the vicious Stephen Bonnet on "Outlander" and HBO Max's new comedy series "Our Flag Means Death." Who was Stede, why did he leave his entire life behind to be a pirate and what happened in his eventful two years on the sea?
This week's special guest is Jeremy Moss, the author of "The Life and Tryals of the Gentleman Pirate, Major Stede Bonnet." For more information and to buy Jeremy's book, visit his website at authorjeremymoss.com.
This podcast is produced by Burgwin-Wright House and Gardens, Wilmington's largest and oldest historic site. For more information about the Burgwin-Wright House, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Cover art design by Rachel Ross.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
"Burgwin-Wright Presents... Outlander in the Cape Fear" explores the history of Colonial North Carolina through its depiction in the book and TV series "Outlander."
On this week's episode, we delve into a recent season six episode of “Outlander” with a look at the life and legacy of Flora MacDonald, a Scottish heroine after the Battle of Culloden whose notoriety carries her into the storm of the American Revolution. Who was Flora, what is the legend around her, what brings her to North Carolina and how does she become emblematic of the impossibly difficult decision of where to place one’s allegiance?
This week's guest is Kimberly Sherman, a lecturer in history at Cape Fear Community College and the University of North Carolina Wilmington. She is also a co-owner in Ghost Hill Press.
This podcast is produced by Burgwin-Wright House and Gardens, Wilmington's largest and oldest historic site. For more information about the Burgwin-Wright House, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Cover art design by Rachel Ross.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
"Burgwin-Wright Presents... Outlander in the Cape Fear" explores the history of Colonial North Carolina through its depiction in the book and TV series "Outlander."
On this week's episode, we are traveling to Burlington to revisit the consequential Battle of Alamance in 1771, a bloody confrontation between the Regulators of North Carolina's Colonial backcountry and Royal Governor William Tryon. It is often called the first battle of the American Revolution, but is that true? In the "Outlander" story, it has major ramifications for the Frasers, but what did the real Regulators want and why was Tryon so desperate to end their uprising?
This week's guest is Jeremiah DeGennaro, site manager for Alamance Battleground State Historic Site in Burlington.
Learn more about Alamance Battleground at historicsites.nc.gov/all-sites/alamance-battleground.
This podcast is produced by Burgwin-Wright House and Gardens, Wilmington's largest and oldest historic site. For more information about the Burgwin-Wright House, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Cover art design by Rachel Ross.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
"Burgwin-Wright Presents... Outlander in the Cape Fear" explores the history of Colonial North Carolina through its depiction in the book and TV series "Outlander."
On this week's episode, we take a trip to New Bern to get a peek at life of Royal Governor William Tryon, a complicated man who granted Jamie and Claire Fraser a new chapter in North Carolina in 1767. In real life, he was a controversial governor who stirred tensions in the colony on the eve of the American Revolution and built himself a palace that nearly ignited an early start to the war.
This week's guest is Susan Griffin, a historical interpreter for Tryon Palace in New Bern and the co-creator of the state historic site's "Outlander"-themed tour.
Learn more about Tryon Palace at TryonPalace.org.
This podcast is produced by Burgwin-Wright House and Gardens, Wilmington's largest and oldest historic site. For more information about the Burgwin-Wright House, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Cover art design by Rachel Ross.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
"Burgwin-Wright Presents... Outlander in the Cape Fear" explores the history of Colonial North Carolina through its depiction in the book and TV series "Outlander."
On this week's episode, host Hunter Ingram joined by special guest Matthew Roberts, the showrunner, writer and executive producer of the "Outlander" series on Starz.
During this special conversation, Matthew recalls his research trip to North Carolina ahead of the show's fourth season to get an understanding of the state's identity before they started depicting it on the popular series. He also speaks to the fraught process of having to choose what historical events from Gabaldon's series and what fans may seeing the coming seasons.
This podcast is produced by Burgwin-Wright House and Gardens, Wilmington's largest and oldest historic site. For more information about the Burgwin-Wright House, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Cover art design by Rachel Ross.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
"Burgwin-Wright Presents... Outlander in the Cape Fear" explores the history of Colonial North Carolina through its depiction in the book and TV series "Outlander."
On this week's episode, we are taking a page from the fourth season of "Outlander" by looking at the brutal Colonial justice system that earned a reputation for "cruel and unusual punishment" in the American Colonies.
Through the events of the series, we will look at what crimes and punishments would have been commonplace 250 years ago, as well as examine what the port town of Wilmington would have looked like when Claire and Jamie Fraser arrived in 1767.
This week's guest is Christine Lamberton, museum director for the Burgwin-Wright House and Gardens in Wilmington – the home of the city's first jail compound.
This podcast is produced by Burgwin-Wright House and Gardens, Wilmington's largest and oldest historic site. For more information about the Burgwin-Wright House, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Cover art design by Rachel Ross.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
"Burgwin-Wright Presents... Outlander in the Cape Fear" explores the history of Colonial North Carolina through its depiction in the book and TV series "Outlander." On this week's premiere episode, host Hunter Ingram is joined by Jim McKee, site manager for the Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site, to explore the real Scottish Highlander immigration through Wilmington and Brunswick Town in the 1700s.
This podcast is produced by Burgwin-Wright House and Gardens, Wilmington's largest and oldest historic site. For more information about the Burgwin-Wright House, visit BurgwinWrightHouse.com.
Cover art design by Rachel Ross.
To learn more about Brunswick Town, visit historicsites.nc.gov/all-sites/brunswick-town-fort-anderson.
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Welcome to the new podcast series, Burgwin-Wright Presents...! Each season, Burgwin-Wright Presents... will debut a new series focusing on a topic that explores the history of North Carolina's Cape Fear region through one of its oldest Colonial historic sites – the Burgwin-Wright House and Gardens in Wilmington.
Our first season, titled "Outlander in the Cape Fear," will uncover the real North Carolina history depicted in the beloved historical fiction book and Starz television series "Outlander." Using the adventures of Claire and Jamie Fraser as a guide, we will talk about the fact laced within the fiction of author Diana Gabaldon's series with historical experts from across the Cape Fear.
New episode drop Thursdays starting March 3. But get a taste of what Burgwin-Wright Presents... will have to offer with this prologue to our story. See you soon!
Support the podcast and donate!: https://www.burgwinwrighthouse.com/donate1
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.