The Days of Ballrooms
and Beach Cars

Before the days of gas stations and weekend traffic, the best way to get to Wrightsville Beach was the "Beach Car," the electric trolley that ran from Princess and Front streets in downtown Wilmington to what was once the biggest beach attraction south of Atlantic City: Wrightsville Beach's Lumina Pavilion.

Originally known as New Hanover Banks or Ocean View, early developers envisioned the community as the Atlantic City of the South. Somewhat less sophisticated in those days, an 1897 meeting of property owners proposed an ordinance to prohibit cattle running loose. Today, aside from restaurant fare, no trace of cattle can be found.

The trolley began operating in 1902, replacing an older railway train. The route roughly paralleled the "shell road" (now Wrightsville Avenue) and ran along today's Park Avenue, where a couple of the old station shelters still remain. Operated by the Tidewater Power Company, the trolley cars were orange with cream trim, carried 68 passengers each, and made the trip from downtown to the beach in as little as 35 minutes. Five-car trains ran during the height of the season.

In 1903, the Tidewater Power Company purchased an oceanfront lot for $10 at Station 7, the end of the line, where it built the Lumina Pavilion, named for the thousands of incandescent lights that made the building visible from far out at sea. Constructed entirely of heart pine, it was opened on June 3, 1905, and underwent two major expansions in subsequent years. The pavilion featured a vast promenade, bowling lanes, a ladies' parlor, an upstairs restaurant and downstairs lunch service, dressing rooms, slot machines and other amusements, but the gem of the pavilion was its second-floor dance hall. The enormous dance floor accommodated hundreds of dancers, and the high-ceilinged room was festooned with bunting and flags. Some of the era's most famous orchestras and big bands played there, including Kay Kaiser, Guy Lombardo, Cab Calloway, Tommy Dorsey, Paul Whiteman and Stan Kenton. (Wilmington was the biggest city in North Carolina at the time.)

Curiously, a writer in 1910 recalled that opera was favored by Lumina audiences over so-called popular music of the day. Other attractions included dance contests, beauty pageants, beach games such as sack races and water sports, and convention dances. Swimmers could rent bathing suits emblazoned with "Lumina" on the front. An especially unusual attraction was motion pictures. The owners erected a screen about 50 yards into the surf and projected silent movies that could be viewed from seating on the beach or from the promenade. The screen was moved closer when "talkies" appeared.

Manners were carefully observed at the Lumina. Jacket and tie were essential. Cheek-to-cheek dancing? Unacceptable! Mrs. Bessie Martin, the Lumina's permanent chaperon, saw to that. No alcoholic beverages or rude behavior were permitted, either — Tuck Savage saw to that. Some called Tuck a "supervisor"; today we'd call him a bouncer. Admission was free before World War I. After that, the trolley to the beach cost 35¢, which included admission to the Lumina.

The "Beach Car" trolley picks up passengers outside Wilmington, c. 1915.
Photo: Cape Fear Museum, Wilmington, N.C. (981.10.136, Robert Cantwell)