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

Henry Russell Savage House

1848; 1909

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 23, 2024

1. Henry Russell Savage House Marker

Inscription.
Italianate style house built for Henry Russell Savage (1799-1861), native of Connecticut, cashier of Bank of Cape Fear. Residence of the Bacon family from 1881-1891. Henry Bacon was engineer of "The Rocks", the construction that closed New Inlet, and father of Henry Bacon, architect of the Lincoln Memorial. Remodeled in 1909 in Neoclassical Revival style by Percy Reece Albright (1866-1936), Vice-President of Operations, Atlantic Coast Line Railroad.

Erected by Historic Wilmington Foundation, Inc.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Architecture. 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 1848.

Location. 34° 14.022′ N, 77° 56.762′ W. Marker is in Wilmington, North Carolina, in New Hanover County. It is in the Historic District. It is at the intersection of South 3rd Street (Business U.S. 17) and McLaine Alley, on the right when traveling south on South 3rd Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 114 S 3rd 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,

and in the Tidewater.

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: Henry Bacon (a few steps from this marker); Edward Savage House (within

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shouting distance of this marker); Woodrow Wilson (within shouting distance of this marker); St. John's Lodge (within shouting distance of this marker); Zebulon Latimer House (within shouting distance of this marker); James Gibbons (within shouting distance of this marker); Elizabeth H. Bridgers Mansion (within shouting distance of this marker); Louis Toomer Moore (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wilmington.

Also see . . .
1. Henry Bacon’s Rule, About 1840 to 1850. Henry Bacon [Sr.] supervised the building of an apron dam (known locally as the Rocks) at New Inlet in the 1870s and 1880s. New Inlet, which formed in the 18th century, caused the mouth of the river to silt up, decreasing the navigable channel, and restricting traffic size. The Rocks dam closed New Inlet. (Cape Fear Museum) (Submitted on January 2, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

2. Bacon, Henry, Jr. Young Henry's interest in engineering and architecture must have been stimulated by his father's work. His later understanding of the engineering

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 24, 2024

2. Henry Russell Savage House Marker

problems of anchoring the Lincoln Memorial in fill land reclaimed from the Potomac River and his success with this difficult problem probably owe much to his knowledge of the work of Henry Bacon, Sr., on the Cape Fear River. (Tony P. Wrenn, Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, 2017; via NCPedia) (Submitted on January 2, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

3. 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 January 2, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

4. 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 January 2, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Henry Bacon, Jr. (1866-1924) image. Click for full size.

via N.C. Department of Cultural and Natural Resources (Public Domain)

3. Henry Bacon, Jr. (1866-1924)

The Lincoln Memorial designer also was architect of two well-known Confederate monuments in North Carolina: The Monument to the Women of the Confederacy in Raleigh and Wilmington’s Confederate Monument. The latter was removed from its original location at South 3rd and Dock Streets by the City of Wilmington in 2021.

Credits. This page was last revised on January 3, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 27, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 299 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 27, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 3. submitted on January 2, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.