The Spirits of Port City

History and hauntings intertwine on theatrical tours, where chilling stories keep the city’s legends alive

By Jen Reed

As twilight spills over Wilmington’s brick-lined streets, a hush seems to fall over the centuries-old buildings. Footsteps echo. Shadows flicker. And then, the stories begin.

At first glance, Wilmington is a Southern postcard—moss-draped oaks, antebellum homes, cobblestone alleys. But peel back the layers of paint and plaster, and a different city emerges: one brimming with tales of tragedy, mystery and lingering spirits. Every night, residents and visitors alike follow storytellers down darkened streets in search of what lies beneath the surface.

Ghost tours have become a signature experience in Wilmington, from haunted pub crawls and graveyard walks to true-crime strolls and overnight investigations aboard the USS North Carolina. But their appeal lies in more than just jump scares or glowing orbs. These stories endure—are even craved—because they offer something richer: a visceral, goosebump-inducing link to the city’s complex and often hidden history.

And few have told that history with more flair—or more local love—than the guides at the Black Cat Shoppe, home of Wilmington’s original ghost walk. Dressed in 19th-century garb and armed with lanterns, these storytellers lead groups down some of the city’s oldest streets, mixing theatrical delivery with well-researched tales that date back centuries. Their stories include haunted mansions, eerie graveyards and even ghastly true crimes.

One of the most chilling stops on the tour involves the story of a local man who, in the early 20th century, was found murdered in his boardinghouse after a dispute over money. His body was discovered in a trunk beneath the floorboards, and some say he never left. Residents of the building—now a commercial space—have reported flickering lights, phantom footsteps and even the sound of dragging along the floor late at night.

The Black Cat Shoppe tour also dives into the darker corners of the city’s maritime past, recounting stories of drowned sailors who never reached shore and widows who waited in vain at the foot of Market Street. It’s theatrical, yes—but grounded in real places and names that can be found in the city’s archives.

These stories blur the line between performance and history in the best way possible, making history come alive for curious guests of all ages.

Haunted, But Human

For those seeking a deeper layer of meaning in these ghostly tales, local historian and UNCW professor emeritus Chris Fonvielle offers a complementary view.

A lifelong student of the region’s past, Fonvielle has spent decades researching the roots of local legends, which he explores in his books “Curious Tales from Old Wilmington and the Lower Cape Fear” and its sequel. He’s quick to note that he appreciates the role ghost tours play in drawing attention to Wilmington’s rich history—even if their versions of events lean a little more theatrical.

Fonvielle acknowledges the real value in entertainment-based tours. He believes guides—particularly those with the Black Cat Shoppe—are skilled storytellers who help keep Wilmington’s ghostly lore alive in a way that captivates and engages the public.

“My interest, as a historian, was to dig beneath the embellishments and explore what really happened—or what likely happened—based on the available records,” he says. “All of these legends contain some element of truth. But over the years, they get passed around, reshaped and sometimes ‘discombobulated,’ as I like to say. Stories like that of Samuel Jocelyn are powerful because they speak to something universal, even if the historical reality is more complicated.”

The Grave That Won’t Rest

The story of Samuel Jocelyn Jr. is one of the most enduring in Wilmington’s haunted lore—and it’s featured on nearly every ghost tour in the city, including those led by the Black Cat Shoppe.

In 1810, Jocelyn, a young man of status, was found dead near Greenfield Lake and quickly buried in the graveyard of St. James Episcopal Church. The legend claims he wasn’t actually dead but merely unconscious, and that he awoke in his coffin and tried to claw his way out. According to lore, his screams were heard too late, and when the grave was opened, scratch marks were found inside the lid.

It’s a terrifying image—one that has made the St. James graveyard a chilling stop on many a nighttime tour.

But Fonvielle’s research into the story offers another possibility, just as heartbreaking. Archival records suggest that Jocelyn may have taken his own life, possibly due to heartbreak or a personal crisis. In the early 1800s, suicide carried enormous social and religious stigma. His burial may have been rushed not because of a mistake, but because his family wished to avoid scandal or deny the reality of what happened.

But the power of the Jocelyn story isn’t diminished by knowing the truth. If anything, it’s deepened. Instead of a ghost scratching at his coffin, it’s about a real young man facing something so overwhelming that he saw no other way out. That’s haunting in a very human way.

Today, his grave still sits behind a wrought-iron gate in the St. James Cemetery. People leave coins and flowers. Some claim to feel cold spots or hear soft tapping. Whether it’s myth, memory or something in between, Samuel Jocelyn’s story continues to stir the imagination.

Lights, Legends and Lost Souls

Wilmington’s haunted reputation doesn’t stop downtown. The tale of the Maco Light, for example, stretches to a now-silent railroad crossing west of town. The light was said to be the lantern of Joe Baldwin, a brakeman who lost his head in a rail accident in the 1800s. For more than 100 years, travelers swore they saw a floating light swinging up and down the tracks—searching.

Even after the tracks were removed in the 1970s, reports of the mysterious light persisted. Some called it a ghost. Others suggested natural gas, optical illusions or swamp conditions. President Grover Cleveland even heard the tale during a whistle-stop visit in 1889. Whether real or imagined, the Maco Light became one of the most famous ghost stories in the South—and it still glows in the imagination of Wilmington’s residents today.

Ghost Ships and Guns Below Deck

For the truly brave, Wilmington’s most immersive paranormal experience lies across the river, aboard the USS North Carolina. Moored on the Cape Fear since 1961, the World War II battleship operates as a museum by day—and by night, as one of the most famously haunted spots in the state.

Paranormal groups like Haunted Rooms and Night Shift Paranormal host overnight investigations on the ship, where cold spots, phantom voices and shadowy figures are common visitor claims. Some believe the ship is still guarded by the spirits of sailors lost in battle—heroes who never stopped keeping watch.

And while ghost stories may lure people aboard, it’s often the deeper weight of history that lingers. It has been said you can’t help but feel something when you’re down there in the engine rooms or standing at the guns. Time and again, visitors have remarked that “there is something, or someone, on the ship. And whether it’s supernatural or not, it feels sacred.”

Why We Keep Coming Back

True-crime tours, such as those offered by Triangle Walking Tours, have recently added a new layer of intrigue to Wilmington’s haunted offerings. Rather than focusing on ghosts, these walking tours detail unsolved murders, scandals and even Prohibition-era smuggling operations that once defined parts of the city. They highlight how fear, justice and secrecy shape our local identity just as much as heroism or celebration.

And that, ultimately, is why ghost tours remain so compelling.

They’re not just about fear—they’re about memory. They bring forgotten voices to life. They invite us to imagine the people who once walked these same streets, with worries, dreams and secrets of their own.

Whether through theatrical lantern-lit tours or carefully researched volumes by historians, these stories create connection—between the past and the present, between myth and reality, between each other.

Because here in Wilmington, history doesn’t rest in peace.

Planning Your Own Ghostly Encounter

For the curious, several companies offer ghost and history tours throughout the year:

• Black Cat Shoppe Ghost Walk – Wilmington’s original and most theatrical walking ghost tour.

• Haunted Wilmington – Offers ghost walks and haunted pub crawls.

• Triangle Walking Tours – True-crime tours and historically grounded storytelling.

• Haunted Rooms / Night Shift Paranormal – Investigations aboard the USS North Carolina and sites like Bellamy Mansion.

• Burgwin-Wright House – Hosts seasonal “Haunted Tales of the Cape Fear” events.

Just don’t forget to look behind you – some stories don’t stay buried.