Beaufort County

by Will Litchfield
Fall 2001

The gorgeous Beaufort County is nestled in the far eastern part of the state of North Carolina. For years Beaufort County had been a retreat for many, letting people escape the hustle and bustle the larger cities North Carolina have to offer. Many escape to enjoy the water and many activities it had to offer. It has six neighboring counties, which are Craven, Hyde, Martin, Pamilico, Pitt, and Washington counties. In the year 2000, the population in Beaufort County was 44,958, with the majority residing in or near the county seat of Washington. Since North Carolina is located in the eastern United States and is centrally located in between the north and the south, it is not surprising that Beaufort County had a moderate average temperture of 41^o Farenheit in January and 79^o Farenheit in July.

The total area of Beaufort County is 958.36 square miles. Astonishingly there is 130.87 square miles of water in Beaufort County, leaving only 827.49 square miles of land. This was a very important factor in the colonization and growth of towns in Beaufort County, and many say the rivers and the creeks that drain into the rivers are the most important asset Beaufort County has. For trade this was very important due to the very poor conditions of the roads or even the non-existence of the roads. The navigational waters of Beaufort County are the Tar River, Pamilico River and the Pungo River. These rivers alone provided many with jobs, which included commercial fishing, the timber business, ship building, and many more. By far the most important industry during the 1890's through the 1950's was lumber manufacturing (Van Camp, Beaufort County 7). Beaufort County had miles and miles of virgin timber and numerous ports through which it could be shipped. This map below shows the many tributaries flowing into the Tar, Pamlico and Pungo Rivers.

Figure 1

Beaufort County is home to the first town in North Carolina, which was built on the location of the Native American village of Pamticough on Old Town Creek (currently Bath Creek). The first settlers arrived around 1690 and the town of Bath was incorporated in 1705 (Van Camp, Beaufort County 10). Bath was also Beaufort County's seat until it was moved to Washington in 1786. There are many historical landmarks in Bath, including the oldest church in North Carolina. St. Thomas Episcopal Church was established by decree of the Church of England in 1701 and was built in 1734. (Van Camp, Beaufort County 10)

Figure 2

Bath was also home to probably the most feared men of the seas, Edward Teach, but he was known as Blackbeard. He and his ship the Queen Ann's Revenge had built a vicious reputation in the West Indies as thieves and murders. He arrived in Bath in 1718 only to pretend to having retired from his old ways of piracy. Blackbeard continued to rob the merchant ships in North Carolina and beyond until he met his fate on November 22, 1718. A savage battle took place in the Pamlico Sound between Blackbeard his crew and Lieutenant Richard Maynard of the Royal Navy. Blackbeard was killed and beheaded and his head was placed on the front of the Royal Navy Ship to show all that Blackbeard was done for. There are still old tales of Balckbeard's hidden taverns located in Bath that still harbor all his looted treasures (Paschal 34-37).

Figure 3

Washington is currently the largest and most populated town in Beaufort County. It is called the Original Washington because it was the first town named after George Washington in 1775. Washington is located at the junction of the Tar River, was it broadens and becomes the Pamlico River (Van Camp,Washington 10).

Beaufort County is where was born and raised. I grew up on West Main Street in Washington, four houses west of the Highway 17 bridge on the water. Growing up I did not realize the historical value of Beaufort County during the settlement and growth of North Carolina. For me it was a boring small town where nothing adventurous ever happened. I took for granted the beauty I had right in front of my very eyes and the history that made what North Carolina and the United States of America what it is today. One day I will return to reside on the beautiful banks of the Tar and Pamlico River to live in beauty and peace.

Works Cited

Van Camp, Louis. Images of America: Washington, North Carolina. Charleston,SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2000.

Van Camp, Louis. Images of America: Beaufort County, North Carolina. Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia Publishing, 2000.

Paschal, Jr., Herbert R. A History of Colonial Bath. Raleigh, NC: Edwards and Broughton, 1955.

Loy, Ursula Fogleman, and Pauline Marion Worthy. Washington and the Pamlico. Washington, N.C.: Washington-Beaufort County Bicentennial Commission, 1976.

Figures

Figure 1:
Pamlico-Tar River Foundation. 18 Nov. 2001 http://www.ptrf.org/map.htm.

Figure 2:
"Bath, North Carolina." The Pamlico/Neuse Region. 18 Nov. 2001 http://www.pamlico.com/bath.

Figure 3:
Blackbeard. 18 Nov. 2001 http://www.blackbeard.com.

Created November 19, 2001
Updated May 26, 2003