Beaufort, North Carolina
| Location | |
|---|---|
| State | North Carolina |
| County | Carteret (county seat) |
| Region | Coastal Plain |
| History | |
| Laid out | 1713 |
| Incorporated | 1723 |
| Named for | Henry Somerset, Duke of Beaufort |
| Population | |
| 2020 census | 4,464 |
Beaufort (pronounced BOH-furt) is a town in and the county seat of Carteret County, North Carolina, on the coast opposite the Rachel Carson Reserve. Laid out in 1713 and incorporated in 1723, it is one of the oldest towns in the state. The population was 4,464 at the 2020 census.[1]
History[edit]
Colonial port[edit]
The town was surveyed in 1713 and named for Henry Somerset, Duke of Beaufort, one of the Lords Proprietors of Carolina. It was incorporated in 1723 and became a port of entry.[2] Its sheltered harbor near Beaufort Inlet made it a base for fishing, whaling and coastal trade.
Blackbeard[edit]
In 1718 the pirate Edward Teach, known as Blackbeard, ran his flagship Queen Anne's Revenge aground near Beaufort Inlet. In 1996 a shipwreck identified as the Queen Anne's Revenge was discovered there, and artifacts recovered from the site are displayed at the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort.[3]
Civil War[edit]
Union forces occupied Beaufort in the spring of 1862 during General Ambrose Burnside's North Carolina expedition. Nearby Fort Macon, guarding Beaufort Inlet, surrendered after a siege in April 1862.[2]
Later history[edit]
Through the late 19th and 20th centuries Beaufort's economy depended on commercial fishing, including the menhaden industry, and on a growing summer trade. The town's historic district preserves many 18th- and 19th-century houses, and the Old Burying Ground contains graves dating from the colonial period.[4]
Natural setting[edit]
Across Taylor's Creek from the waterfront lies the Rachel Carson Reserve, a component of the North Carolina Coastal Reserve, where a herd of feral horses lives on the islands.[2]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ U.S. Census Bureau. 2020 Census of Population and Housing.
- ^ “Beaufort.” NCpedia. State Library of North Carolina.
- ^ North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Queen Anne's Revenge Project; North Carolina Maritime Museum.
- ^ North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office. National Register of Historic Places nomination files.