Pastor who witnessed Wilmington race riot to be honored with marker

A pastor who witnessed the 1898 Wilmington race massacre and wrote a first-hand account of his experience will be honored with a historical marker.

Reverend J. Allen Kirk was a pastor of the Central Baptist Church, the oldest African American church in Wilmington.

After escaping a white mob led by a U.S. congressman and former Confederate officer, Kirk published his account of the riot.

As many as 300 Black citizens of Wilmington were killed on Nov. 10, 1898, 30 years after the civil war. Many more fled the community and never returned.

Many call the riot the only successful coup d'etat in U.S. history as armed whites drove out the Black government-elected officials during reconstruction and took control of the city. A mob of men also marched to a building hosting the city's Black-owned newspaper and set it on fire.

The marker will be unveiled next week. The church still stands on Red Cross Street.