The First
Washington
By Angela Tcrez
Dirk Reynolds may noi be
a native Washingtonian,
but the gray-templed
former Briton knew how
to win a seat on the
town's city council.
He borrowed a pickup truck from pal
1-arry I lervey, owner of the local bed-and-
breakfast. put his friendly black Lab Lucky
in the back, and started driving. Real slow. Soon, folks came
down off their porches to meet I
.иску
and to shake hands with
her owner. Reynolds won the election and has served happily
for two years.
"I knew nothing about running for an election." the retired
chemical company executive says. “I knew you need to go and
talk to people, and you need to be seen."
Whether die tactic was a testament to his or Lucky's skills as
a campaigner. Reynolds declines to say. But it was a testament
to the congeniality of Washingtonians, long known for their
hospitality. That’s not the least of the attributes of this pic¬
turesque town on the Pamlico, often bypassed by travelers en
route to the morc-publici/ed New Bern. Kdenton and Bath,
and still confused with the other Washington some 300 miles
to the north.
Washington may not be a tourist mccca. but for those who
like its relaxed pace, that may be a blessing. Most visitors — as
many as 65,000 — come timing the waterfront Summer Festival
each July. The Chamber estimates about 7,000 people visit at
other times, sometimes using Washington as a good hallway
point between the coast's better-known historic towns.
In warmer months especially. Washington has plenty to keep
a long weekend interesting. There's sailing, fishing and swim¬
ming in the Pamlico River, hiking in nearby Goose Creek State
Park, strolling and shopping on Main Street, taking the self-
guided walking tour of die historic district, and rocking — in
a chair, on a porch, preferably with a tall iced tea in hand and
a cool breeze blowing from the south.
Washington has never had die prominence of Bath (oldest
town in the state) or New Bern (colonial state capital and home
of the luxurious Tryon Palace governor's
mansion). It tmvdie first town in the country
named after George Washington, but Wash¬
ington himself snubbed it when he breezed
by on his famous 1791 Southern tour.
Deciding to shortcut through Halifax,
the closest Washington got to Washington
was a brief stop in Greenville. 20 miles
away. Even then, he reportedly called
Greenville “a trilling place."
In those days, Washington the town was still trying to live
down its original name: Pea Town. That sobering sobriquet was
granted by founder James Bonner, a colonel in the Revolution¬
ary militia and an early plantation owner. Apparendy. peas were
one of the area's major crops.
Residents of New Bern thought the idea of a town trying to
sprout up from a pea patch was amusing. When Washington
merchant John Gray Blount commissioned a French map
maker to draw the town, tin* man used one corner of the doc¬
ument to sketch a picture of Washington in a pea patch.
Washington's residents scoffed at these jokes and proceeded
to build a community of more than 60 families by 1 787. The Gen¬
eral Assembly named it tin- Beaufort County seat, and growth
continued into the next century. Washington's seaport pros-
pered; die primary exports were naval stores, corn and cotton.
Things were peaceful — and profitable — until the outbreak
of war. Washington was occupied by federal troops from March
20. 1862. through April 26, 1864, and had the misfortune of
being burned twice — first by departing Yankees and then acci¬
dentally a few days later, when flames fanned by high winds con¬
sumed most of Main Street. In just four years, the population
was reduced from 3.500 to 500.
Like other towns, however. Washington rebuilt. Money was
donated for a new city hall, two railroads came through, and
by 1888 it had three hotels. In 1913. the James Adams Floating
Theatre — die original "Showboat“on which author Edna Fer-
ber based her famous novel — was built in Washington. The
boat stopped on the Washington waterfront frequently through
die ’20s, and Ferber herself visited in 1925.
The State/July 1991
The general may have
snubbed his namesake,
but Washington doesn't
have to prove itself
anymore.
PK»m by tec Cede. Dkut McBkon
utJUrry Hnvcy
29
