PlaqueID	0499
Building Name	Vance Alley
Plaque Text	Named for Samuel Vance (d. 1805), merchant, who owned the property on the south side of the alley. His widow, Mary Walker (1768-1820), operated a boarding house here, "a mecca for young immigrants from the North." Inherited by daughter, Jane Vance (1791-1825), consort of Platt K. Dickinson (1794-1867), native of New York, lumber merchant and a founding director of Wilmington & Weldon, the first railroad in North Carolina. In the early 20th century dry goods stores replaced residences along N. Front Street. This plaque was done in conjunction with Wilmington Downtown, Inc.