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The Legend of the Monkey Junction Monkeys

The Legend of the Monkey Junction Monkeys
"Monkey Junction Monkeys, Wilmington, North Carolina" (1985)

The Legend of the Monkey Junction Monkeys

Escaped Circus Act? Side Show?

Location: Wilmington, North Carolina 28412

If you have ever been to Wilmington NC, you may have noticed a particular area of town called "Monkey Junction", where highways 421 and 132 merge (locally known as Carolina Beach Road and College Road, respectively). Just a quick little pit stop on the way to Carolina and Kure Beaches, locals and tourists alike often wonder how this area got its funny little name. 

The Lore

There are more than a couple of stories floating around town and the internet as to how Monkey Junction arrived at its name.

1. References Tregembo Animal Park/Tote-Em-In Zoo.
2. Circus monkeys escaped in the area.
3. Man with an organ grinder had a monkey and sold peanuts.
4. A gas station owner had a few monkeys to entice tourists to stop and spend money.

Historical and Current Maps marking the intersection of Carolina Beach Road and Piner Road over the years.

The Facts

Let's start with the first rumor. Long before Tregembo opened the former Tote-Em-In Zoo in 1952, Monkey Junction was called Monkey Junction. This is simply a rumor brought about by new residents making a justified assumption (especially because the only photo (above) of the "Monkey Junction Monkeys" is from 1985 and clearly at Tote-Em-In), but it's not the real story. Toss it out and move on. (Those poor animals deserve better than that place anyways - don't @ me either, it's common knowledge around here.)

Next, escaped circus monkeys is one I heard a lot as a kid and my family is from here! This may be a mix-up with Topsy, the elephant who escaped in downtown Wilmington back in 1922. But from what my research shows, there is nothing proving monkeys escaped in the Monkey Junction area. It's just local legend sadly (though if you have proof of escaped monkeys in town, please send me the details!)

Now, this next story is a bit harder to both prove and disprove. I only have proof via Facebook comments and we all know how reliable "my daddy said" comments can be. But being a local, I know I also heard this story growing up, so I feel like it may be tied more to the actual origin story, but I cannot confirm nor deny this one fully. But the story goes that a man had a monkey and an organ grinder. He would sell boiled peanuts and you could watch the monkey perform. (Again, if you have proof of this story, please send me the details so I can include them in an update.)

And now, finally, for the story that can be proven. The actual origin story for this fun little tale. Opened in 1939, Jack and Dina Spindle owned a little gas station at the Y-intersection of Carolina Beach Road and Piner Road. The reports conflict if they owned the gas station through the mid-1940s or mid-1970s. It's possible they sold the gas station to the supposed organ player, but I can't confirm that. What can be confirmed is they owned monkeys both big and small that attracted tourists but also soldiers from Fort Fisher (located at the southern tip of Kure Beach). These mischievous soldiers would bring bottles of beer to the monkeys who eventually learned to hold the bottles. Monkeys being monkeys (and drunk) would toss the bottles back to the soldiers and tourists. This was clearly a problem and as the monkeys got more aggressive, they had to be relocated to protect visitors. Nowadays this intersection is home to an Exxon Station as well as a few banks, shopping centers, restaurants, and lots of traffic headed in all directions.



Sources


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Location: Wilmington, NC 28412, USA

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