Volume XI
Number 10
August 7
1943
THE STATE
A Weekly Survey of North Caro lino
Ritttrcd
»>
imnMu muter. June 1. 1933. n lh« Poatofflc* it Rileifli. Norlh Carolina, undar lb* Acl of Uartb 8. 1879.
Early Days of Slopping
It was a thriving' business a liiindriMl years
and more ago. and sailing' vessels enrritnl
on extensive trailing' with the West Indies
and other foreig'n points.
DURING the colonial and ante¬
bellum periods of North Caro¬
lina’s history, the counties of
Beaufort and New Hanover were un¬
doubtedly the outstanding shipping
points in the state. Good ports are
always desirable, but they were par¬
ticularly so in the good old days
when there were no highways or rail¬
roads.
Recently I came across an article
which was written in
НИН
by Miss
Lida T. Rodman, of Washington.
N. C. It has to do with the de¬
velopment of shipping in Beaufort
County and is an interesting account
of the progress of waterway trans¬
portation of by-gone days.
Miss Kodman during practically
all her lifetime was greatly interested
in the history of the coastal regions
of North Carolina. She spent many
years of her life discovering old
records and preserving them. Her
account of waterway transportation
in Beaufort County during the early
days of North Carolina’s history is
well worth reading, and it is submitted
herewith :
Establishing Trading Points
"The first settlements were all
made upon the water course; and
small vessels, mostly from New F'ng-
land at first, passed upon the various
streams to the plantations, exchanging
their commodities at whatever prices
they could extort. For the protec¬
tion of the planters a law was passed
very early in the history of the colony
establishing certain trading points in
Bath County for the sale of foreign
commodities, non-residents being un¬
able to sell elsewhere. The trading
points named for the I’amlico section
Bit IIOIUS (.OERCII
were Bath Town ; Lionel Reading's
plantation on the south side of
Pamlico River, a few miles below
Washington, and the plantation of
Emanuel Cleaves in Hyde precinct.
"Money was very scarce, and a
rate of valuation was fixed l.y law,
certain products being styled staple
or rated commodities. Debts could
be paid in these unless sterling
money was mentioned in the agree¬
ment. Corn, tobacco, port, pitch and
turpentine, tallow, skins, whalebone,
hemp, beef, rice and beeswax were all
staple commodities.
"The peculiar formation of the
coast, with its many treacherous
sandbars, made it necessary to ‘help
vessels over the shoals by lighterage.'
Small Imats called lighters assisted
larger vessels by carrying a part of
the cargo over the ‘swash’ ns the shoal
inside the inlet are styled. Every
encouragement was given to naviga¬
tion. Pilots were appointed by the
Governor for each inlet, and large
fees were allowed in order to induce
good men to undertake the work. The
pilots boarded vessels outside the bar
and brought them in, or in case of
bail weather, communicated with them
by signals.
"The lack of deep water was a
great barrier to the development of
the Pamlico section. However, in
spite of difficulties, a large and en¬
terprising trade was carried on from
the first. In thi> early times piracy
also flourished and helped to dis¬
courage commerce. The most noted
sea-robber of the section was Edward
Teach, or Blackboard. Ho had his
home near Bath, and it is believed
by some that a part of his treasure,
yet undiscovered, lies buried in a
secluded cove in the vicinity of the
old town.
"Ocracoke Inlet was of great value
( Continual on page twenty-four)
THE COVER PICTURE
The picture on the cover
shows a scene in the mountains
near Newfound Gap. Tourists
are often keenly interested in
the sight of large bears crossing
the highway. The animals are
tame, but it’s best not to try
to get too intimate with them.
