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Finding Home

About thirty years ago, as I researched the location for a story that began in the schools where I worked. To be exact, it started in the 4th grade hallways where the “Wall” begins. In this search, I fell in love with North Carolina… Wilmington… Thailian Hall… the Cape Fear River… and the “bridge.” Not the structure made of steel and concrete, the God-created, flesh and blood bridges. I want to take you on that journey and share what I discovered. I have often wondered why North Carolina found a place in my heart. Recently, I discovered the DNA connection. But that’s for the end of the story. In the next few weeks, I hope to show you.

https://www.thalianhall.org/about

Since its construction in 1855-1858, the City Hall/Thalian Hall building has had the unusual distinction of serving as both the area’s political and cultural center. Listed on the National Register for Historic Places, Thalian Hall is the only surviving theatre designed by John Montague Trimble, one of America’s foremost 19th-century theatre architects. It was built at a time when Wilmington was the largest city in the state. The new building housed the town government, the library, as well as an “Opera House”, seating 1,000 people, which was 10% of the population of the Town.

Wilmington had been a center of theatrical activity since the end of the 18th century. With the building of Thalian Hall, Wilmington became a major stop for national touring artists. During the Civil War, Thalian Hall was in almost constant use as a place of amusement. The theatre was under the control of the 4th Thalian Association for the first two years of its operation until financial difficulties forced their dissolution.

I needed a location for the story I wanted to tell. The place had to have survived the War Between the States. Some people call it the Civil War. Others call it the War of Northern Aggression. I call it the War Congress Could Have Stopped–if they would have done their job. The location had to be somewhat unchanged. Thailian Hall for me was one of those “magical spots” in life where I felt at home and had skills of excitement at the same time. It not only survived… it thrived. It entertained, educated, and helped people block the fear of a war raging around them. Wilmington 1861, the largest city in North Carolina, a city of commerce, a port deep enough for cargo ships, and in the middle of a war it remained untouched until almost the end.

You will want to if you haven’t seen this architectural treasure, Thailain Hall.

Next…The Wall

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