Going to Wrightsville Beach in the early 20th century was like no other attraction in the state thanks to Lumina Pavilion, a grand and glowing venue for dancing, music and merriment. The staple of the coast and the South enjoyed decades of prominence until cars, war and rock 'n' roll brought about its demise.
This week, we revisit the Palace of Light with special guest Madeline Flagler, the executive director of the Wrightsville Beach Museum and History.
Cape Fear Unearthed is written, edited and hosted by Hunter Ingram.
Additional editing by Adam Fish. Recorded at WHQR in downtown Wilmington.
A StarNews Media Production. This season is sponsored by Northchase Family Dentistry.
Sources:
"Wrightsville Beach: A Pictorial History," by Greg Watkins and the Wrightsville Beach Preservation Society
"Wrightsville Beach: The Luminous Island," by Ray McAllister
Cape Fear Museum archive photos
Wrightsville Beach Museum of History exhibit
UNC-TV’s “Lumina: Remembering the Light,” PBS, 1999
Revolution Comes to the Cape Fear
Althea: Queen of the Court
The House Built on Wilmington's First Jail
WASPs, Warships and Wartime Wilmington
Burial Grounds of the Cape Fear
Panic and Plague: The 1918 Spanish Influenza
Wilmington's Trailblazing Women
Highland Charge: Scots in the Cape Fear
BONUS EPISODE: The Fort Anderson Flag
The Bombardment of Fort Anderson
Wrightsville Beach and the Dread God of Fire
The Fateful Fall of Fort Fisher
The Cape Fear Indians
If Ghosts Should Walk in Thalian Hall
The Ghost of General Whiting
Season of the Witch
Ghost on the Water
The Spirits of Poplar Grove
Moonshiners, Bootleggers and the Devil's Brew
The Life and Liberty of Cornelius Harnett
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