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

Wm. B. Meares House

Built 1826

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 23, 2024

1. Wm. B. Meares House Marker

Inscription. Built by Hon. Wm. Belvedere Meares as family residence. Occupied by Union troops as hospital April 2-July 5, 1865. House was located S/E corner of Front & Chestnut Streets. Moved to this address and rebuilt 1889 by F.W. Kerchner.

Erected by Historic Wilmington Foundation, Inc.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • War, US Civil. 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 1826.

Location. 34° 13.775′ N, 77° 56.894′ W. Marker is in Wilmington, North Carolina, in New Hanover County. It is in the Historic District. It is on South Front Street south of Nun Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 416 S Front 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

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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: Forshee-Sprunt House (a few steps from this marker); Thomas H. Smith House (within shouting distance of this marker); Charity-Prescott House (within shouting distance of this marker); John J. Fowler House (within shouting distance of this marker); Sprunt House (within shouting distance of this marker); Fowler-Pastis House (within shouting distance of this marker); McClammy-Powell House (within shouting distance of this marker); Residence of Edward B. Dudley (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wilmington.

Also see . . .
1. Story of a House. When William Belvedere Meares (1787-1841) built his Greek Revival brick residence

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 23, 2024

2. Wm. B. Meares House Marker

in 1826 on the present site of the downtown post office, it was one of the showplaces of Wilmington. (William Irvine, Salt magazine) (Submitted on December 22, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

2. 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 22, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

3. 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 22, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

4. Meares, William Belvidere. William Belvidere Meares, lawyer, planter, and politician, was born in Spring Garden, New Hanover County, to Jane

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Meares, a spinster. His father was Henry Hyrne Watters, a prominent planter who acknowledged his paternity, helping raise young Meares and giving him a large plantation when he was twenty-one. (Eugenie W. Carr, Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, 1991; via NCpedia) (Submitted on December 22, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

5. Colonel F.W. Kerchner. Kerchner purchased the home from Edward and Margaret Bridgers, who sold their property to the US government for a new post office but reserving the right to remove the home built upon the land. This home was built by noted contractor of that period, Robert B. Wood. (Cape Fear Historical Institute) (Submitted on December 23, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Credits. This page was last revised on December 23, 2024. It was originally submitted on December 22, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 433 times since then and 78 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 22, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.