Bath, North Carolina
| Location | |
|---|---|
| State | North Carolina |
| County | Beaufort |
| Region | Coastal Plain |
| History | |
| Incorporated | 1705 |
| Distinction | Oldest town in North Carolina |
Bath is a town in Beaufort County, North Carolina, on Bath Creek off the Pamlico River. Incorporated in 1705, it is the oldest town in North Carolina.[1] Much of the small town is preserved as Historic Bath, a state historic site.
History[edit]
Founding[edit]
Settlers from Virginia and the Albemarle region moved into the Pamlico River area in the late 1600s. Bath was incorporated in 1705; the surveyor and naturalist John Lawson, author of A New Voyage to Carolina (1709), was among its founders.[1] The town was named after the Earl of Bath, one of the Lords Proprietors of Carolina.
Colonial port and government[edit]
Bath became an early port of entry and, for a time, a center of colonial government. Charles Eden, governor of the colony from 1714 to 1722, lived near the town. Bath suffered during the Tuscarora War (1711–1715), which devastated settlements along the Pamlico and Neuse rivers.[2]
Blackbeard[edit]
The pirate Edward Teach, known as Blackbeard, lived in the Bath area for a time in 1718 after accepting a royal pardon from Governor Eden. He was killed later that year in a fight with a Virginia naval expedition at Ocracoke Inlet.[3]
Decline and preservation[edit]
Bath never grew into a large town. Its role in trade was taken over by other ports, and the Beaufort County seat moved to Washington in the late 18th century. Its small size preserved much of its early character, and in the 20th century the state established Historic Bath to protect and interpret the town's oldest buildings.[2]
Historic buildings[edit]
St. Thomas Church, built in 1734, is the oldest surviving church building in North Carolina.[1] Other historic structures include the Palmer-Marsh House (c. 1751), the Van Der Veer House and the Bonner House.[4]