Historic District in Wilmington in New Hanover County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Willard-Biggs House

c.1890

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 23, 2024

1. Willard-Biggs House Marker

Inscription. Queen Anne style house built as investment property for Martin Stevenson Willard (1858-1933), native of Washington, NC, founder of Carolina Insurance Company; and wife, Elizabeth Gettig Oliver (1857-1914). From 1931 to 1980, residence of Jessie Ione Biggs (1891-1988), native of Scotland County, Tileston Public School teacher. Her brother-in-law, Charles Hazard Foard (1897-1973); and wife, Louise Biggs (1893-1980), native of Scotland County, resided in the house beginning in 1939. Foard, a WWI veteran and civil engineer, was known for his compilation of shipwreck charts for the Cape Fear River and nearby ocean.

Erected by Historic Wilmington Foundation, Inc.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), and the North Carolina, Historic Wilmington Foundation series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1890.

Location. 34° 13.912′ N, 77° 56.773′ W. Marker is in Wilmington, North Carolina, in New Hanover County. It is in the Historic

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District. It is on Ann Street west of South 3rd Street (Business U.S. 17), on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 213 Ann St, Wilmington NC 28401, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Coastal Plain and on the Cape Fear Coast.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Tidewater,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Morse-Willard-Rhodes House (here, next to this marker); Wiggins House (a few steps from this marker); Gooding-Lawton-Grant House (within shouting distance of this marker); Parsley House (within shouting distance of this marker); Munson-Bessellieu (within shouting

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 23, 2024

2. Willard-Biggs House Marker

distance of this marker); Coin-Rodgers House (within shouting distance of this marker); Barry House (within shouting distance of this marker); Latimer-Waddell House (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wilmington.

Also see . . .
1. Wilmington Historic District (PDF). National Register of Historic Places nomination for the district, which includes this property and was listed in 1974. (Prepared by Survey and Planning Unit, North Carolina Division of Archives and History; via North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office) (Submitted on December 13, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

2. Wilmington Historic District Boundary Expansion and Additional Documentation (PDF). National Register nomination that expanded the district in 2003. (Prepared by Sherry Joines Wyatt and L. Robbie King; via North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office) (Submitted on December 13, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

3. Martin Stevenson Willard. Biography and family history. (Biographical History of North Carolina from Colonial Times to the Present, Vol. VI, Ed. Samuel A. Ashe; via Google Books, 1906)

Martin Stevenson Willard (1858-1933) image. Click for full size.

Biographical history of North Carolina… , Samuel A. Ashe (1906) via Google Books (Public Domain)

3. Martin Stevenson Willard (1858-1933)

As a state legislator, he wrote the bill that created the North Carolina Department of Insurance and the State Fire Marshalls office. He also was a New Hanover County commissioner and member of the county's health board.

(Submitted on December 13, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Credits. This page was last revised on December 13, 2024. It was originally submitted on December 11, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 143 times since then and 9 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 11, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 3. submitted on December 13, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.