C a n y o u
remember
the order of
streets
in downtown
Wilmington?
In years past,
Wilmington schoolchildren
memorized
the following story to learn
the order of the streets
downtown. Each italicized
word is the name of an
east-west street in correct
order from north to south:
I came to town with Mr.
Brunswick and he said
Hanover your jewels, but I
gave him a can of Campbell
soup instead. I carried him to
the Red Cross hospital and
they gave me some Walnuts
for Grace but she liked
Chestnuts better, so I gave
them to the Princess.
I had to go to the Market
and I saw a boat Dock. I
thought I would buy an
Orange for Ann but they
had Nun.
I came down by Fifth
Avenue Church and I saw
an old Castle where the
Queen lived. I then went to
see Mrs. Wooster and went
with her to Mr. Dawson’s
store, where we saw Mrs.
Wright and Mrs. Meares
and Miss Marsteller, who
said don’t Kidder, take her
to Greenfield where the
Martin sings.
Cape Fear Memorial Bridge. But it didn’t
stop there. In 1980, the Isabella S. Holmes
Bridge, was named after an influential deputy
secretary of the Department of Transportation
who promoted the $19 million project for her
hometown.
In 1990, the final piece of New Hanover
County’s transportation puzzle fell into place
with the completion of the highly anticipated,
hotly contested, coast-to-coast Interstate 40.
I-40 revolutionized travel to and from New
Hanover County to Raleigh, reducing the trip
to two hours from two and a half or three
hours, and connecting
the outside world with
an ease and convenience
never before known. The
two mayors from either
end of I-40, Don Betz of
Wilmington and Bill Pope
of Barstow, California,
celebrated the opening of
the 2,554-mile highway
in ceremonies at Newton
Grove, where the final
section of the road was
opened, and Wilmington’s
40
WBM april 2011
I-40 East Coast terminus.
The opening of I-40 was one fraught with
doubt and dissention. Headlines in newspapers
across New Hanover County read “I-40 traffic
jamming city’s streets,” “Has I-40 helped local
economy?” and “Heavy traffic: can we expect
any relief in days to come?” Photos show handmade
signs that read “I-40 Go Home!” and
“Turn Around.” Editorials decried the influx
of a “new kind of tourist – the day tripper”
and focused attention on the county’s beach
towns, calling Wrightsville Beach “a parking
war zone.” At Wrightsville Beach, it was said
t
tt
Above: Aerial view of the new Cape Fear Memorial Bridge under construction taken in January of
1968. Courtesy of New Hanover Public Library, Star News archive. Below: I-40 dedication ceremony in
1990. Courtesy of NCDOT.