New Hanover County Public Library Digital Collections
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Launching of the SS Zebulon B. Vance
No full textCrowds gather around the slip of the S.S. Zebulon Vance on 6 December 1941 for the vessel's christening and launching into the Cape Fear River. Named for the state's legendary Civil War and Reconstruction governor, the Vance represented the first of 125 Liberty ships built in Wilmington during World War II. The Vance measured 441.5 feet long and was 56 feet wide at the beam. Its gross tonnage of 7,177 drew 27 feet of water; powered by a 2,500-HP engine, the Vance could reach a running speed of 11 to 14 knots. The ship had quarters for 44 officers and enlisted men but "none for passengers." Construction costs were estimated at $1.5 million. For most of the war the Vance served as a freighter. It survived floating mines and a near miss by a torpedo and took part in the invasion of North Africa. Near the war's end the Vance was converted into a hospital ship and renamed the USS John J. Meany
SS Zebulon B. Vance Prep
No full textPrep work is conducted a few hours before the launching of the SS Zebulon B. Vance at the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company in Wilmington, NC
Second and Orange Street USO Club
No full text"Kahn & Jacobs architects, New York City; Lt. Leslie N. Boney, Jr., supervising architect; A.R. Abrams Co., Atlanta, GA contractors
Federally-funded recreation center (Type A) built in the International style and leased to United Services Organizations, Inc. Hosted 2,388,000 members of armed services and civilians in WWII. Purchased by the city 1946 for a community center. Site of opening ceremony of the first Azalea Festival, 1948. Renamed 2005 for Hannah
Solomon Block (1913-2009), member of City Council, mayorr pro tempore, civic leader and pioneer preservationist. Renovated 2007-2008, John Sawyer Architects, for public use.
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Churchill Cottage
No full textSummer beach cottage built for Colin Francis Churchill (1900-1972), native of Siler City, NC, engineer; and wife, Mildred Dorset (1906-1985). Remained in family until 1933. Painted as The Beach Cottage in 1981 by Claude Howell
Jimmie I. Metts on Front Street
No full textPhotograph of Jimmie I. Metts.
The black and white photograph is labled "Hep Cat! Zoot Suit, Drape Shape!!" and shows James Isaac Metts walking down Front Street in Wilmington, NC.
Metts (1910-1990) was the grandson of the Civil War General James Isaac Metts. He went to Isaac Bear School as a boy. He died in Wilmington, and is buried in St. John's Memorial Garden. His daughter, Helen Metts Styes, works for the New Hanover County Public Library
Former Director of Nurses at James Walker Memorial Hospital
No full textThe former Director of Nurses from JWMH, 1940-5
Class of Nurses, James Walker Memorial Hospital School of Nursing, 1940-50(?)
No full textClass of nurses from James Walker Memorial Hospital School of Nursing, 1940-50(?
Dedication, Historic Marker at Fort Fisher, 1940-50?
No full textDedication, historic marker at Fort Fisher, 1940-50
William D. McCann
No full textBlack and white head shot of Mr. McCann in U. S. Navy uniform used in online obituary.
William D. McCann (1932-2013) was born in San Francisco, CA, and passed away in Wilmington, NC. He served in the United States Navy during WWII. In 1974 he saved the life of a fellow worker who was trapped underwater in an excavation ditch. For his heroic actions he was presented with the American Red Cross Ceritificate of Merit, the highest award given by the Red Cross, by then President RIchard Nixon