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

Cape Fear Club

Photographed by J. J. Prats, February 23, 2010

1. Cape Fear Club Marker

Inscription. Founded in 1866; oldest men’s social club in N.C. Guilford F. Dudley, first president. Building here in use since 1913.

Erected 2007 by North Carolina Office of Archives and History. (Marker Number D-71.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Fraternal or Sororal Organizations. In addition, it is included in the North Carolina Division of Archives and History series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1866.

Location. 34° 14.25′ N, 77° 56.856′ W. Marker is in Wilmington, North Carolina, in New Hanover County. It is in Riverfront. It is at the intersection of North 2nd Street and Chestnut Street, on the right when traveling north on North 2nd Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: 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: Hotel Cape Fear (within shouting distance of this marker); Old Jail (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); U.S. Post Office & Federal Building (about 300 feet away); Thomas F. Wood

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(about 400 feet away); Peterson & Rulfs Building (about 400 feet away); Quinlivan Building (about 400 feet away); Park Avenue — Post Office Alley (about 400 feet away); John A. Winslow (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wilmington.

Also see . . . What is the Cape Fear Club?. Article by Ben Steelman for StarNews. “The original club was largely made up of Confederate veterans; the 1868 membership roster listed one former brigadier general (William MacRae), 10 colonels, five majors and 13 captains. From the start it also had ties to the railroad industry. Guilford Lafayette Dudley, elected as the club’s first president, was general freight agaent for the Wilmington & Weldon Railroad. Champion McDowell Davis, longtime president of the Atlantic Coast Line (which absorbed the Wilmington & Weldon), was club president from 1922 to 1926.” (Submitted on March 21, 2010.)

Photographed by J. J. Prats, February 23, 2010

2. Cape Fear Club Marker

Cape Fear Club image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, February 23, 2010

3. Cape Fear Club

Credits. This page was last revised on February 24, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 21, 2010, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,688 times since then and 39 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 21, 2010, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.