The Wilmington morning star. [volume], October 12, 1947, SECTION B, Page 10-B, Image 26

About The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990

Image provided by: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Library, Chapel Hill, NC

                
.Tiny, Ancient Town Of
Bath Recalls History Of Pirate
*
i LEGEND HEARD
; BY TOURISTS
i FROM CHILDREN
By AYCOCK BROWN
BATH, Oct. 12. — Too many
tourists by-pass Bath which is
one of North Carolina’s most his
toric towns — and the oldest.
'' When the Colonial Assembly
met at the house of Captain Johr
“■Heckenfield on Little River back
in the month of March, 1705, one
„of the matters of business taken
up was the incorporation of the
;Town of Bath. Thus this town,
hardly more than a village, be
■ came the first town ir
.,fhe colony.
Nearest runnerups for “oldest
town” honors are New Bern.
...founded in 1710 and Edenton.
which in name. succeeded
.^Queen Anne’s Towne, in 1722,
Down on the Carteret Coast the
• following year the community of
Fish Towne became known as
-Beaufort.
Bath today is hardly no larger
ithan it was 242 years ago. The
North Carolina Guide book gives
the town a population of 361.
That was from the census of
1930. The corporate limits if ex
pended today would prob
,'abiy give two or three hundred
additional persons to swell the
population because the section is
a thickly settled farming area.
Located on the shores of Bath
_and Back Creeks, a few of the
residents who do not farm for a
living, or work at the sawmill
here, set their nets for rockfish
and croackers in waters,
on which once sailed the priri -
pal vessels trading with me
"colony and also the ship of ships
of Edward Teach.
Teach, according to tales
’handed down, was quite an im
portant person locally back in
his day. He was especially popu
lar, so the stories go, with the
'Colonial Governor Eden and the
colony’s secretary one Tobias
'Knight. Most of the folks living
along the coast and in the Bath
-area of that early 18th Century
period did not associate socially
with Edward Teach. To them,
he was a bewhiskered desperado
whom they called “Blackbeard
the Pirate.”
• The Guide Book says,
f 'd most of the natives here
will tell you the same thing be
cause Bath residents really know
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4. QUOTED IN “SHOW BOAT.” Only showboat experience
Edna Ferber, author of the best selling novel and play “Show
Boat.” was aboard the James Adams Floating Theater when it was
moored in Bath hack in 1925. With only a change of names she
quoted the epitaon on marker erected to memory of Mrs. Margaret
Palmer, wife of Robert Palmer, Esq. verbatum in her book. This
marker designates the burial place of Mrs. Palmer inside historic
St. Thomas church. <A11 Photos by Aycock Brown)
.— -.. ;: a; . ,
3. RECTOR OF ST. THOMAS PARISH. Rev. Alexander Con
stantine Davis Noe, boi i in Beaufort, N. C'., and one of four
brothers who became Ej: copalian clerics, has been at St. Thor s
church for the past 11 years, first as vicar of Bath and later *
rector. He was formerly rector of a church in Ayden, N. C.
i'll CHURCH IN N. C. There is some question about
whether the Marsh House on Main street or St. Thomas Episcopal
church is the oldest building now standing in Bath. St. Thomas
church is the oldest house of worship standing in North Carolina
today. It was erected in 1734, but was partially destroyed during
a hurricane several years ago. Today under the guidance of its
eector the old church is being restored.
the history of their town, that
Charles Eden was governor of
the province from 1714 until his
death in 1722 maintained his
capital here.
It was during that period that
Blaekbeard the pirate also made
his headquarters in this section.
Any school child you encounter
an the streets today when asked
about Blaekbeard will point
across the forks of Bath and
Back creeks and say: “That is
Plum Point, and that is where
Blaekbeard lived, when he was
not on the high seas capturing
skips, looting the cargoes and
killing the crew.”
This base of operations for the
pirate on Plum Point was across
the creek from the governor’s
palace. It was within easy row
ing distance with a skiff.
We visited the former site of
me vjovernor s palace and saw
remnants of brick foundations,
said to have supported the pal
ace and also near the creekside
Adi at could be described as a
one-time entrance to a subter
ranean passage from the water’s
edge to the palace cellar.
According to legend the under
ground passage was built in or
der that Blackbeard may smug
gle his loot ashore to share with
Eden and Knight. A more plaus
ible explanation would be that
Ihe passageway was built in or
der that the palace oceuapnts
could make a getaway under
cover of darkness via the water
if attackde by the Tusearoras
or any other hostile Indians of
that day.
There are other houses, an
cient structures along the coast
of North Carolina today, which
according to legend had under
ground passageways built for
the convenience of pirates — or
mere logically, for making an
escane from a tribe of attack
ing Indians. Such subterranean
passageways are known to be at
the Old Brick House near Eliza
j beth City and also in at least one
I ancient homeplace in New Bern,
j Xhe bank of the creek at the
j site of Governor Eden’s
I palace is not only steep but to
jdav it is grown up in jungle
like underbrush. If the same sit
uation existed two centuries ago
the alleged complicity between
governor, secretary and pirate
was no easy matter to carry
through in comfort. The charges
against Eden and Knight finally
reached a court of that day with
Knight taking the rap. If they
had shared in the plunder of
their friend Edward Teach, the
courts did not prove it.
Legend says that Biackbeard
came to Bath after having taken
advantage of the offer of pardon
extended by Britain’s king to all
pirates who would agree to dis
continue piracy.
Another legend says that
Blackbeard played court to Miss
Eden, daughter of the governor.
He did not make any headway
because she was in love with
another man. So what did the
cruel Blackbeard do? He captured
his rival, put off to sea, cut off
one of his prisoner’s hands, and
then had the young man thrown
overboard. The hand was sent to
Miss Eden in a silver casket.
She was so heartbroken that she
languished and died. That is the
story as 1 read it in the Guide
Book — and the natives here
vouched for it.
After the foregoing episode in
the lovelife of Blackbeard he
married another girl, reputed.to
have been his 13th wife, and
settled in Edenton. Soon he was
up to his old tricks again—that
of running down ships, stealing
their cargoes and murdering the
crewmen who refused to cooper
ate and come under his com
mand.
The colonists called upon Gov
ernor Eden for aid in ridding the
Province and adjacent waters of
the pirate. He failed to cooper
« .■.W'WSW#™ <•-,-. ••V.WV’flcr. . •■-V. .. > '■«
1. BLACKBEARD WAS HERE. From the shore at the south end of Bath town's Main street
one ean see Plum Point across the bay formed b y the confluence of Bath and Back creek. It was
on Plum Point that Edward Teach the noted pirate called Blackbeard settled temporarily early in
the 18th century. Across the creek was the palace in which Governor Charles Eden and his sec
retary Tobias Knight lived on what is known today as Beasley’s Point. Eden and Knight reputedly
shared the loot of Blackbeard. __
ate. so Governor Spotswood of
Virginia offered a reward of 100
pounds for his capture. It was
then that brave Lieutenant May
nard of the Royal Navy boarded
his ship and started searching
for the pirate. He finally found
the pirate aboard his ship near
Ocracoke Island. In hand
to hand combat, the Royal lieut
enant out-sworded the pirate and
after killing him. cut his head
off. Attaching the head to the
prow of the conquering vessel
the hero Maynord sailed into
Bath Creek and showed off his
[prize. Several of the pirate’s
crew were taken to Williams
burg. given a trial by jury, were
convicted and hanged.
Thus ended the carer oi Black
beard one of the early towns
men of Bath. That was in the
year 1713. Things had become
so hot for Governor Eden in this
section that he moved to Queene
Anne’s Towne from which place
he ruled the province until his
death in 1722 — the same year
that the name of Queen Anne’s
Towne was changed to Edenton
— in honor of a man whom
legend says was on very friend
ly terms a few years previously
with Edward Teach or Black
beard the Pirate.
None of the buildings in Bath
today, date back to the days of
Blackbeard and Eden.
Oldest standing structure is
the Marsh house. The claim
hereabouts is that this house
with its brickend pair of chim
neys was built in 1730. Today it
is a sort of an apartment house
and we were told that three
families li%Te there. It was also
called the Bath Hotel for many
years. The curious chimneys are
17 feet across at the base and
four feet thick. There are two
windows in the chimney which
open on tiled floors on the first
and second stories. The house
has a cemented stone cellar,
eight feet deep with a large oven
fireplace at the chimney base.
The Guide Book says that the i
house may have been built in
1744 instead of 14 years earlier
as others contend. Jonathan
Marsh who acquired the house
for his home was a ship
ping master. There are some old
graves at the back of the house.
If the Marsh house is not the
oldest building now standing —
St. Thomas Episcopal Church
around the block is. This build
ing was constructed in 1734 and
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--
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314 N. Front Dial 5232
is the oldest church standing in the purchase of church furniture
North Carolina today. It is one and charity,
of the oldest in the United The silver chalice obtained the
States same way, mysteriously disap
The building today is not as Peal,e? !n 1905- Therefore silver
candelabra on the alter, present
pretentious as it once was. The e(j ^ church by King George
steeple was destroyed during a II are not displayed except dur
hurricane many years ago. The ing services.
chapel’s bell bears the date 1732, Under the guidance of Rev.
when it was cast in London. It Alexander Constantine Davis
is known as the Queen Anne Noe, rector of the church siiice
Bell, and is believed to have the death of Bishop Cheshire,
been bought by her for the Bath (he W'as the chapel’s vicar be
Church from Queen’s Bounty fore that appointment) is super
money, as she left a fund for vising a restoration program for
St. Thomas Church. Eventually
the chapel, oldest in the State,
may be restored to its original
appearance with the steeple and
interior changed. At that time—
after the steeple has been add
ed, the Queene Anne bell would
be removed trom its o'ace in a
cupola of the tiny wooden vestry
house, would be placed in the
steeple.
During its early history com
municants of the church at death
were buried inside the building.
This was done to prevent the un
friendly Indians from digging up
and defiling the dead.
Tourists and North Caro
linians who have not visited the
oldest town in the state have
something to look forward to if
they go to Bath: the old
est church, its friendly and in
teresting rector, the Rev. Mr.
Noe. the Marsh House, the Buz
zard Hotel, William’s House a«ccl
Bath and Back Creek. The nr _*
adventuresome can find
dent who will take them tJT
site of Governor Eden's
-or to the onetime hangout
Blackbeard on Plum p0;m
The residents here
,, . . " Ul V.pi.
come the visitor .
, . - mo.'
friendly manner — ,or r,t
reception they gave thw '
—:-- -ter
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Electric Service will be interrupted Sunday. Octobei llni
from 7 A. M. till Noon.
This interruption is necessitated in order to put into opera
tion new Dock Street Substation which has been in pro ,
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This new and added facility will materially better your h. i
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