Enduring mystery: The fire that destroyed Hemenway Hall

50 years ago, on May 16 and 17, 1971, a fire destroyed Hemenway Hall in downtown Wilmington. The New Hanover County Board of Education building, built in 1915, was formerly Hemenway School. The cause of the fire remains a mystery, but the anniversary opens a window to a time of great unrest in Wilmington.