WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The Burgwin-Wright House in downtown Wilmington will be hosting a special event on the 79th anniversary of D-Day on Tuesday.
On the 79th anniversary of D-Day, the Burgwin-Wright House will be inviting guests into the historic home to see how it was used as Lord Cornwallis Lounge for Officers of the Armed Forces during WWII. Using rare photographs taken of the house during the war, guests will get to walk through and see how it was staged for officers who came through Wilmington. After walking through the home, guests can convene in the visitors center to hear an insightful lecture from beloved local historian Wilbur Jones about how the war effort impacted Wilmington and places like the Burgwin-Wright House.
The event called “How WWII Impacted Wilmington and the Burgwin-Wright House” is happening on Tuesday from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Burgwin-Wright House at 224 Market Street.
Burgwin-Wright House Assistant Museum Director Hunter Ingram said the house is Wilmington’s oldest and largest historic site. They focus on the Colonial history of Wilmington, but the house is 253 years old. Ingram said it has incredible history throughout the eras and WWII is one chapter we don’t often get to talk about. With the recent designation of Wilmington as the country’s first WWII Heritage City thanks to the efforts of Wilbur Jones, Ingram said they thought it would be a great way to bring attention to the house’s contributions to the war effort.
There are some other events happening at the historic home as well. The Summer Craft Market is on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the gardens with 32 vendors. Then, on Wednesday, they will host an Outlander-themed river cruise with Wilmington Water Tours around the new season of their podcast, “Outlander in the Cape Fear.” The podcast tells the real Wilmington history seen in “Outlander” and they returned with new episodes this week. Ingram said they will have new episodes throughout the summer as “Outlander” airs on Starz.