A Century of Seclusion Ends on Third Street
On Sunday, November 3, 1973, the doors of 126 South Third Street swung open to the public for the first time. After 121 years, the Latimer House—a landmark of Wilmington’s mid-Victorian era—finally welcomed the city inside. The opening, facilitated by the Lower Cape Fear Historical Society, drew a large crowd.
The Merchant Legacy of the Latimer Family
The structure served as the home for three generations of the Latimer family. Zebulon Latimer, a commission merchant who operated a storefront on Market Street, anchored the family’s position in the local economy. His wife, Elizabeth Savage Latimer, was born into the wealthy and prominent Savage family of Connecticut. At the time of her death in 1904 at age 84, she was the oldest Wilmington native.
A Decade of Restoration
The transformation was a slow, deliberate project. The Lower Cape Fear Historical Society acquired the property in 1963, the same year Herbert Latimer Jr.—the third and last Latimer generation to live in the mansion—finalized the sale. This triggered a decade-long restoration. To prepare the home, the society relied on a collection of mid-Victorian furniture that dates from 1850, many acquired through donations or loans from society members.
Visitors Paid Fifty Cents to View the House
Peggy Perdew, an official with the Lower Cape Fear Historical Society, marked the 1973 debut by announcing that public viewings would continue for the next five Sundays. To view the house, visitors paid a 50-cent donation.
Formal Recognition of a Landmark
Coverage in the Wilmington Morning Star on November 8, 1973, underscored the public’s interest in the property’s history.
