Becky and I took a little drive down east Saturday and went to the small town of Bath.
North Carolina's First Town.
European settlement near the Pamlico River in the 1690s led to the creation of Bath, North Carolina's first town, in 1705. The town's location seemed ideal with easy access to the river and the Atlantic Ocean 50 miles away at Ocracoke Inlet.
The first settlers were French Protestants from Virginia. Among early inhabitants were John Lawson, surveyor general of the colony and author of the first history of Carolina (1709), and Christopher Gale, first chief justice of the colony.
By 1708, Bath consisted of 12 houses and about 50 people. Trade in naval stores, furs, and tobacco was important, and Bath became the first port of entry into North Carolina. In 1707, a grist mill and the colony's first shipyard were established in the town. A library sent to St. Thomas Parish in 1701 became the first public library in the colony. The parish also established a free school for Indians and blacks.
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| Palmer-Marsh House |
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| Another of the restored houses. This one has a beautiful view of the Pamilico River. |
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| St. Thomas from the Front |
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| The Church is still used for services. |
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| Picture from the garden. |
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