Orton's in Wilmington, NC

Sloppy Pockets

Sloppy Pockets

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Anybody play out of or know anything about Orton's pool room in Wilmington, NC? I just found out my youngest boy works just a few doors away from there. He says it's the oldest pool room in the US. It also supposed to be haunted.:eek:

He doesn't play, despite my continual urging, so if anyone goes into Nick's Diner on N. Front St. and can drag his young ass into Orton's and give him a few pointers, I'd really owe you big time. His name is Curt. If nothing else, try the cheesecake. He makes it for them (old family recipe), and it's to die for. ;)
 
Dirty, run-down, lots of rough characters. Take him cross town to Breaktime Billiards. All Diamonds, both 9 footers and BB. Better crowd, mostly serious players, but very friendly. :wink:
 
West Point 1987 said:
Dirty, run-down, lots of rough characters. Take him cross town to Breaktime Billiards. All Diamonds, both 9 footers and BB. Better crowd, mostly serious players, but very friendly. :wink:
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They have GC's in addition to Diamonds at Breaktime. I think a total of @ 28 tables IIRC (and perhaps a 3C?). Very nice hall w/ food and bowling alley, in a sfae environment on College Rd @ 10 blocks north of UNCW.
 
West Point 1987 said:
Dirty, run-down, lots of rough characters. Take him cross town to Breaktime Billiards. All Diamonds, both 9 footers and BB. Better crowd, mostly serious players, but very friendly. :wink:
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Well, I can't take him anywhere down there since I live over 800 miles north of him in upstate NY, but thanks for the lowdown on the place.

I'll tell him about Breakline, but he didn't even want to play on my home table when he visited last weekend, so any steering coming from the old man will probably not go far. I was hoping some young twenty-something like himself might provide the impetus to get him playing. He never wanted to fish with me, either, but once he got down there he met some guys who fish and now that's all he talks about. Kids... go figure. :rolleyes:
 
Ortorns--isn't that the spot that has the Brunswick that Mosiconi ran over 300 on. If so I remeber that place when roaming around back during the late 70's
 
Chip Roberson said:
Ortorns--isn't that the spot that has the Brunswick that Mosiconi ran over 300 on. If so I remeber that place when roaming around back during the late 70's
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365 to be exact.


You can't talk about Orton's and not mention its night in pool history. Already a legend, pool great Willie Mosconi was on tour, when he stopped at Orton's in Wilmington.

"It was November 13, 1953," Taylor said. "Willie made 365 in a row, which was then the world record. Willie Mosconie still holds that record at 588. "Of course he is deceased."
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http://www.wwaytv3.com/2012/10/31/building-history-ortons-pool-room


Of, course, this same source got Mosconi's world record run wrong by 62 balls, so who knows what he really ran at Orton's.;)
 
Yup, been to Orton's more times than I can count! I moved to Wilmington to attend UNCW after highschool, been here ever since just about - except for a recent and brief hiatus back to NJ.

I used to love the place, but I haven't been there in a while... It used to be more of a bar than a poolroom - Breaktime would be the main pool room in town.

And yes, supposedly Mosconi had a high-run there at some point of 365 balls or so. There's a sign hanging over the pool table he did it on... I used to like to point out that my dad had broken that record on more than one occasion ;)
 
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