WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) -A ribbon cutting at the Fort Fisher Visitor Center ushers in a new era.
More than one million people visit the historic site annually. Tuesday’s ribbon cutting pays tribute to the work involved in the demolition of the old center and the construction of the new center that’s almost three times as large.
“It was one big mess,” says Site Manager Jim Steele. The visitor center was slated to open in late September but had to be pushed back because of damage done by PTC-8 and the 18” of rain that fell on site.
“Our entire staff was in Raleigh, glued to our phones,“ Steele says. “Our construction superintendent was here and filmed and photographed the whole thing. He said he had never seen anything like it, and that delayed us by about three weeks.”
This opening has been a long time coming. The initial planning for a revamped and larger space started back in 2010. The site closed back in April for workers to relocate the exhibits, artifacts and staff offices to the new, improved space.
“Fort Fisher’s original visitors center was built back in 1965 when they were happy to have 25,000 visitors a year,” says Steele. “Since then we have grown by leaps and bounds so that we had one million visitors in 2021.”
Fort Fisher protected the Port of Wilmington during the American Civil War until it fell to US forces in January 1865. In 1961, the site was designated a National Historic Landmark.
“Relocating the exhibits has been fun and stressful at the same time,” Steele says. “We worked with a professional exhibit designer, but all of our text and storylines were written in-house.”
“The centerpiece of the visitor center is a new exhibit that interprets a full and nuanced history of the site,” the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources website states. “Encompassing centuries of regional history, from pre-colonial times through Fort Fisher’s role in World War II, the ‘Through Their Eyes’ exhibit is built on numerous historical perspectives. Rather than a collection of dates and battles, the exhibit powerfully centers men, women, and children from a multitude of backgrounds, eras, and experiences.”
The visitor center at Fort Fisher State Historic Site will be open to the public Wednesday, Oct. 30, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is free.
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