|
|
A Brief History of Washington
As early as 1585, the first
English explorers visited the area that would become Washington. However,
it wasn't until the 1690s that the first settlements appeared. In 1705,
Bath, located 15 miles to the east of present-day Washington was founded
and became the first town in North Carolina. The region went by a number
of names until 1712, when the county was named Beaufort after Henry Somerset,
Duke of Beaufort.
The settlement that would be
called Washington appeared in the 1770s, when James Bonner started a town
on his farm, which bordered the Pamlico and Tar Rivers. First called Forks
of the Tar, the name was changed in 1776 to Washington in honor of General
George Washington, making the Original Washington the first town to be
named after our First President.
Washington played a strategic
role during the War for Independence. With the ports of Savannah, Charles
Town, and Wilmington under British siege, the Continental Army relied
on Washington as a supply port. After the war, the town grew in importance
as a commercial and cultural center due to its prized location on navigable
waterways. Washington soon established itself as the economic center of
Beaufort County and its agriculture, fishing, and commerce trades. Near
the end of the Eighteenth Century, the County Seat of government was relocated
from Bath to Washington, since it had a more central location in Beaufort
County, which was and still is split in two by the Pamlico-Tar River.
Washington fell to Federal
troops early during the War Between the States, consequently stifling
the town's role in that war. The war left Washington devastated. Federal
forces set fire to naval stores they were forced to leave behind as they
vacated Washington under threats from the Confederate Army. The fire swept
across the town destroying most of Washington's early buildings of historical
and architectural significance.
Residents rebuilt the town
only to see it destroyed again by fire on September 3, 1900. A faulty
stove flue sparked flames which consumed much of the city's rebuilt central
business district. Much of the downtown area's late Victorian commercial
architecture was rebuilt in the decade after this second fire and still
remains as one of the most intact and historically and architecturally
significant commercial downtown areas in eastern North Carolina.
In 1969, Washington undertook
a major renovation project and witnessed the construction of Stewart Parkway,
a road and park parallelling the waterfront area. This project included
the construction of a 1,500 foot long walkway and bulkhead along the Pamlico
River designed for both pedestrian and boat traffic. In 1978, the Washington
Historic District was established and placed on the National Register
of Historic Places, encompassing more than 600 properties in the central
business district and residential areas on both sides. Structures in the
Historic District date mainly from the late 1800s and early 1900's, but
include several structures dating from the late 1700s and early 1800s,
which were able to survive the two tragic fires. A period of downtown
revitalization which began in the early 1990s continues today. New and
exciting shops and restaurants continue to operate and open in the historic
downtown area, overlooking the Pamlico River. In 2002, the City of Washington
completed the Renaissance and Stormwater Management projects, that expanded
boater and pedestrian access to Washington's waterfront, enhanced parking
and traffic flow, and created a stronger tie between the waterfront, the
Historic District and downtown.
Today, Washington maintains
an important position in Eastern North Carolina. As a City of approximately
10,000 people and a greater community of approximately 26,000 residents,
Washington remains the economic, cultural, recreational, and medical center
of Beaufort County and of several other counties as well. The rivers,
although no longer vital to the shipping trade, supply a valuable recreational,
ecological, and aesthetic resource. With the renewed interest in historic
preservation and downtown revitalization, Washington is a city that truly
lives up to its motto: "Pride in the past, faith in the future."
Revised March
2002
|