Historical marker unveiled to commemorate 1898 Wilmington coup

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - A historical marker to remember the coup of 1898 is in place ahead of its unveiling next month, according to state officials.

The Daily Record, a black-owned newspaper, was burned by a white mob on Nov. 10, 1898.

“Editor Alex Manley had written an editorial that incensed white men and led to the attack on the publication and violence that left an untold number of African Americans dead. The event marked the climax of a white supremacy campaign of 1898 and a turning point in the state’s history that led to Jim Crow segregation,” the release from the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources says. “Manley and numerous blacks had fled the city in anticipation of violence. The mob invaded the newspaper office, a fire broke out and the top floor was consumed. Violence spread to other parts of the city. The white Republican mayor resigned under pressure, as did the city council and other officers. Waddell then took the office of mayor in what is considered the country’s first successful coup d’état.”

The sign was revealed on Nov. 8 at noon in front of the old armory building on the North Side of Market Street between Fourth and Fifth Streets.

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