Written by local historians Bill Reeves and Beverly Tetterton

The port of Wilmington, founded in 1739 on the east bank of the Cape Fear River, was originally sited on high, barren sand hill with fresh water creeks flowing into the river. On the waterfront, the earliest docks were built to serve the tall sailing ships coming into port from Europe, the West Indies, and other American cities.

Water Street, on which this restaurant now stands, was first constructed by placing interlocking planks along the marsh. Later, a permanent foundation of ballast stones, sand, planks, and asphalt was lain to create the present day street. Early businesses along Water Street included commission merchants, warehouses, saloons, sailor’s boarding houses, a printing shop and an icehouse. Adjacent alleys were crowded with tenements and small shops.

Today’s Water Street Restaurant, or Quince building, was constructed in 1835 as a peanut warehouse for Wilmington’s Quince family. From peanuts to marine supplies to Civil War contraband, the Quince building has housed a variety of goods and services during its 160 years.

From 1851 until 1882, Cronly and Morris Auctioneers occupied the property, supplying residents with a variety of goods and keeping commerce alive during the lean years of the Civil War. As one of the confederacy’s active ports, Wilmington was a popular destination for the blockade runners, enabling Cronly and Morris to sustain a brisk business with goods supplied by the navigational masters.

Following the Civil War, the area’s reputation for unruliness continued to thrive. Just one block east of the Quince building, on what is now Front Street, lay Paradise Alley. Here, sailors and strumpets reveled in within Wilmington’s red light district.

Today, the city’s more “colorful” elements have faded into history. Yet, Water Street Restaurant continues to overlook one of North Carolina’s  most active deep water ports. Huge cargo ships, barges, tugboats, paddlewheels, sculls, and pleasure boats regularly pass within a stone’s throw of the shore, providing a spectacular backdrop to this unique waterfront community.