OLDEST TOWN IN STATE
HAS OLDEST CHURCH
Bath, Quaint Colonial Norih Carolina Town,
Fell Asleep Two Centuries Ago—St. Thom
as' Episcopal Church Mecca for Tourists.
(GERTRUDE CARRAWAY.)
Few people know that east Caro
lina has a cathedral. Not a cathe
dral in the narrow sense of the word
as a very handsome edifice built
•elaborately for the seat and throne
of the bishop in the most important
part of the diocese but a real cathe
dral in the broad sense of being the
bishop's own church and parish, his
special charge, of outstanding im
portance and interest.
Oldest Church in State.
This cathedral is St. Thomas'
Episcopal church at Bath, in Beau
fort county, the oldest church in
North Carolina, built in 1734, in the j
oldest town of North Carolina. The
church has been designated as the
direct charge of the Rt. Rev.
Thomas C. Darst of Wilmington,
bishop of the diocese of East Caro
lina, as his only special parish and
•cathedral. j
Rev. J. M. Bynum, who has been
acting as vicar of the church, has
recently moved from Belhaven to
Roanoke Rapids. Rev. Stephen C.
Gardner, rector of St. Peter's
church in Washington, has been ap
pointed by Bishop Darst to succeed
Mr. Bynum as vicar of the church.
Rev. J. A. Vache, candidate for the
Episcopal priesthood, has been 
named by the bishop to hold serv
ices there on the first Sunday after
noon in every other month at 3
o'clock, alternating with a morning
service at 11 o'clock there on every 
other first Sunday.
These services will very likely; (
serve to recreate interest in the his- j 1
toric old parish. Last summer an '
unusually large number of persons j i
attended services there and many | 
more visited the edifice to inspect' 
the interior and exterior. With the • i
opening of the 15-mile paved high- 1 1
way there from Washington many ,
visitors have been there. Increas-' i
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I The New I
| Atlantic I
■ White Flash j
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| GIVE YOUR MOTOR A TREAT. |
1 POWER AND PERFORMANCE YOU HAVE I *
I NEVER EXPERIENCED I:
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Long's Service Station «
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| WEST END 5 c
I FOREST CITY, N. C. I
3 g th
fj
ing numbers are expected this sum
mer.
Pilgrimages will probably be
taken by Episcopalians in the sec
tion at certain times during the
year. At other times, when regu
lar services are not being held,
visitors will be shown around the
buildings by guides that are well
versed in the history of the church.
Even when the church is found
[locked a special guide may be found
in a nearby house to take visitors
on a personally-conducted tour of
the edifice.
j The small brick church is at
tractively situated in a grassy yard
on a hill at Bath. A stone walk
through bordering hedges leads j
through the front yard to the church i
doors. Graves in the yard date
back for many years.
Bricks used in the structure came
from England. The exterior is se
verely simple. There is no steeple.
A few plain brick decorations sur
mount the door. Ivy has crept up
the front and sides and lends much
to the appealing setting of the old j
church. .
Above the narrow front door i-s |
a marble slab, with the name, "S:. '
Thomas' church. Built 1734." f
Higher up is an old brick, with the
inscription, "Bath, 1705. Church, J
1734." This is thought to be an j
original brick and original inscrip- j
tion, removed mysteriously from the
church some time ago and recently
restored to its original position.
Some doubt still remains in the !
minds of some residents as to the'
correct version of the disappearance
of the brick. One theory is that
it was removed by two boys, who
carried it by bicycle to Washington,
where it was sold to a New Yorker,
who in turn disposed of it to a north-
THE FOREST CITY (N. C-) COURIER
ern museum. Upon seeing it there,
a former resident of Bath had it
. returned to the church after a
for its recovery.
The other story is that the brick
was missing for a long time untu
, found and taken to Miss Lida Rod
man of Washington, who had it re
stored to its proper place.
At the right of the front door is
another marble marker, with the
inscription: "Erected by Wm. Wal
ling, Esqr., A. D., 1871. In Memory
. of John Lawson, Joel Martin and
Simon Alderson, Founders of Bath
Town, in the Year 1706."
A similar tablet on the left has
J the wording: "Thomas Boyd. Born
March 7, 1774. Died Near Long-
Acre Bridge, Beaufort County, Janu
,! ary 3, 1864. He Was an Honest
J Man. The Sweet Remembrance of
the Just Shall Flourish When Ht |
Sleeps in Dust."
Original Doors.
The doors of the church are the
original ones, hand-made and
'pegged. The tiles that form the
floor are square, as long and wide
as modern bricks are long. Origi
nally designs were traced on them,
but the passing of many feet has
almost obliterated them. In spots *
there are still faintly visible traces!
of dragon heads, flowers and other
designs.
The church is small inside. On
both sides are old wooden pews,
cut by hand. They are placed on
platforms raised above the floor.
Underneath are graves of early set
tlers, the coffins being said to have
j been packed in as closely as pos
sible. These colonists were buried
| thus inside the church for fear of
! Indians.
■ Wooden markers used to be there,'
telling the names, dates and dis- j
jtinctions of the buried. These were j
j taken up several years ago and j
placed in the church yard. From
there they have been carried away
by souvenir hunters.
Huge hanging lamps are still used
in the church. Electricity has not
been added. On the altar are large
silver candelabra, given to the
church by King George II of Eng
land. These are still in use, but
have been somewhat damaged by
frequent handling. English visitors
stated recently that British museums
would pay large sums for them.
A silver communion cup, said to
have been given the parish by Eng
lish royalty, is reported by the
guides to have disappeared about
thirty years ago. It can not be
located.
On display there, under a glass
case, is an old Bible, given to the
colony in 1703 by Queen Anne of
England. It has been presented to
the church and is kept carefully
under locked cover. The old bell j
that is still rung for services is said
to have been presented by Queen
Anne. Visitors are sometimes permit
ted to pull the old rope and hear the
tones of the bell.
At the right side of the altar is a
tablet with an epitaph. Apparently
the grave has been disturbed. Tradi- ;
tion says that some men some years
ago went to the church at night to
dig up the corpse, probably for [
jewelry. They got out the coffin, ex- ]
amined it and were putting it back, 1
when the wind shifted and began to ]
shriek loudly. Uncanny noises frigh- '
tened the men and they left the place 1
hurriedly, without, finishing their
task of sealing back the grave. c
The plate there reads: "Here Lyes
the Body of Mrs. Margaret Palmer, !
Wife of Robert Palmer, Esqr., One of j
His Majesty's Council and Surveyor
General of the Lands of This Prov
ince, Who Departed This Life Oct. V
19, 1765. Aged 44 Years. After La
bouring Ten of Them Under the Fev
erest Bodily Afflictions Brought on ,
by Changes of Climate and Tho' She
Went to Her Native Land ReceivM
No Relief, but Returned and Bore
rhem With Uncommon Refolution r
md Resignation to the Last." £
Although St. Thomas' church is 0
'he most-important and popular his- t
.oric site in Bath, there are other j,
interesting places there. On June M
19, 1924, a granite boulder was un
veiled there on the main square by
.he North Carolina Historical Com- ft
nission, board of commissioners of
Beaufort county, the North Carolina E
society of Colonial Dames and the j.
nay or and board of aldermen of r
Bath.
v
On the bronze plate, beneath the fi
tate sign and motto, is the follow- f £
ng inscription: SJ .
"Bath, originally the Indian town fi
f Pampticbugh, was settled by white d
nen about 1690 and incorporated in th
705. It is the oldest town in North bi
Carolina. Its first commissioners were yc
ohn Lawson, Joel Martin and Simor de
Llderson. Here was founded in 1700 be
he first public library in the colon v. fr
t. Thomas'- church, built i n 1734. a
> the oldest church i n the state. The all
' general assembly met in Bath in
! 1744 and in 1752."
In 1709 the spot was described as !
"not the unpleasantest part of the
country—nay in all probability it,
will be the center of trade." Tho
prediction has failed to come true.
I as the town is still only a small placa. i
,It is, nevertheless, in a lovely loca-,
. tion and has the charm of old his
toric centers. J
The town usee to be the county
j seat of Beaufort county and many
I prominent personages resided there.
! Governor Hyde lived there arid rec- (
j ords show the purchase of land by,
; his successors Governor Eden.
Tobias Knight, secretary of the j
provfnee and judge of the admiralty, j
also resided in Bath, as did the fam- j
ous pirate, Edward Teach. No proof j
jwas offered for the accusations and j
j the men were not punished, but an [
old inhabitant wrote of these per- j
sons:
I
"Near the mouth of the creek on j
its western bank stood the palace of j
Governor Eden, and from the creek
to the steep bank was cut a sub i
terranean passage through which j
Edward Teach, or Black Beard, in j
complicity with Governor Eden and j
his secretary, Tobias Knight, re- j
i ceived goods captured by Teach on
the high seas and through this pas-'
sage deposited in the cellar of the !
palace. What he did with them has ,
never been known. Outside the pal- j
ace of the governor was a rock
wharf, the stone foundation still re
maining, and buried in the mud just
beyond this wharf is one of Teach's
old cannons."
Teach had a dwelling on Pamlico ,
river about-a quarter of a mile from
the mouth of Bath creek, which
j flows by the town. Bricks are still ,
j evident from its foundations. Re-j
I mains of his reputed ships may also J
]be seen.
Capture of Teach.
In Bath Town it was said that
after a raid in the Caribbean sea. !
he "worked the town, firing indis
criminately upon all, or any, of its
citizens, using such fiery oaths as
never man heard before." As North
Carolinians know. Teach was finally
captured near Ocracoke inlet, in
Pamlico sound, by Lieutenant May- ;
nard of the British navy.
With the capture of Teach's sloop i
i Maynard cut off the pirate's head, it ;
is said, fastened it to his bowsprit i
and sailed up to Bath Town, where'
there was great rejoicing.
Christopher Gayle, chief justice'
of the colony, lived at Bath, as did
John Lawson, surveyor-general un
der the crown, the first historian of
North Carolina and an assistant in j
the settling of New Bern, second '
oldest town ip the province. Law- >
son boasted that his colony was the j j
only one of which he knew that had 1
been founded in peace without!'
bloodshed by the natives.
The first library in the state was j,
brought to Bath by Rev. Thomas ] 1
Bray, founder and secretary of the 1 '
Society for the Propagation of the 1
Gospel. He had been a missionary 1
to the province and had married •
Martha Pollock. His collection of i
books was valued at £IOO. J
The tow n was visited in 1765 by |
George Whitefield, British evangel- j *
ist, who also went to other places !
in the province. His reception at \
Bath was said to have been so cool *
and indifferent that he is reported ■
to have shaken its dust from his !
feet and to have invoked the curses [
of heaven upon the place.
One of the oldest and most inter- ■
esting places in Bath is the old !
Marsh home, built in 1744. The old [
English brick chimney is said to he 1
17 feet broad and 4 feet thick with •
windows in it which opened or «
closets. 1
Family Burial Ground. 1
The family burial ground was i
behind the building. Mrs. Mary |
Evans is among those interred
there her tombstone bearing a 1 !
medallion of the lady herself, sur- «[
rounded by scroll work. In addition i 1
:o her name and dates, a poem tells J'
>f her youthful graces. She is said |!
;o have died of a broken heart after •[
husband had been lost in a! 1
vreclc at sea. ■!
The epitaph on the soapstone 1 !
ombstone follows, the old "f" being !j
Tequently used for "s". I»
Here lies the body of Mrs. Mary J i
Svans, who departed this life ■[
an y 31st, 1758. Aged 19 years, jij
you'd bloom of youth, cou'd uni— J»
erfal love, cou'd tears of parting |J»
riends to pitty. move relentlefs 1 J
ate sure fate had been inclined to ij
pare a maid for other joys de- j"
ign d. But since one common
eath, one common grave awaits «J
he youthful nymph the generous ■■
rave since nought on earth, but 5
ealds to God's decree and heaven 5
eclar'd that short man's joys muft ■'
e let this fair flower cropt in its I*
bloom teach us that life' 3j!
span, that death's our doom, that' "J
1 our hopes on our Redeemer reft s*.
'like her with Him to rise like her
j with Him be bleft."
! Among other interesting old
places to be seen in and around
Bath is the old Ormand estate, jibout
two miles north of the town. There
was another plantation owned by a
bachelor of. the Ormand family
whose wealth aroused the envy of
his slaves. The negroes are said to
! have smothered their master by
throwing a large feather bed over
him while he was asleep. Tradition
says that three of the negroes were
burned at the stake in Bath.
Remains of Old Fort,
j Remains of the old fort, built
! during an Indian massacre in the
! early part of the eighteenth century,
I may still be seen near the southern
1 end of Front street in Bath. There
I was also another fort on Pamlico
| river.
! The first road and the first ferry in
| the province were said to be on the
| way from Bath to New Bern. Old
! residents of the section say now
that they have seen old sign boards
|on the road directing the way to
jCore Point, on the south side of
j Pamlico river, opposite Bath . Tra
j dition says that the Core Point
j road was originally an Indian trail
! leading from Bath to the Swansboro
1 section, through New Bern. Core
i Point took its name from the Core
, Indians.
j Bath and the surrounding section
are just beginning to receive v their I
due share of attention from th 2
. rest of the state. Its historic inter
i
. est, its relics and reminders of past
happenings and its present beauties
iof situation and waterfront are at-
tracting increasingly large numbers !
of visitors. {,
! !i
NO FISHING BEFORE 11TH. j
!'
I ' . !:
j No fishing will be permitted be- j
! fore Thursday, according to an
nouncement from the attorney gen
■oral's office. The season is closed ,
through Jurfe 10th. Many have in- ,
terpreted the law to mean that the J j
tenth day is not included in the clos-
ed season. However, it is held that 7
the season will not open until the !j.
eleventh, and all found fishing on
Wednesday will be arrested. j f
i c
The 150 acres planted to lespedeza
in Currituck county this spring show
a good stand of the legume and in- ! t
dications are that the crop will be- J j
come increasingly popular in the j r
county. I +
f
The Gift for
the Bride j
• The young bride of today has her own \
J ideas of the luxuries and better things in I;
| Life she'd like for herself. And to have ;>
; funds of her own with which to purchase ;!
j them is heridea of the "height of financial !j
self-independence." !|
> l>
I Hence, a substantial SAVINGS AC- jj
j COUNT would be just about the most sen- j!
« sible Wedding Gift you could make her. jj
! Why not talk over this suggestion with us? I;
;• Call tomorrow if you can. i;
INDUSTRIAL LOAN & INVESTMENT BANK j
FOREST CITY, N. C. \

CAPITAL AND SURPLUS SIOO,OOO 5
Investigate our weekly Savings Plan. jj
s
I ■ ■ » ■» ■ ■■■■■■■■»■ _ ■ ■ ■ mJLM
Thursday
MR. JOSEPH Gta?
Ferry Man Claims ,
Friday Afternoot_V S
and
Ferry, J une 8.-_-M r t .
aged seventy-seven, p as »? hGr, «
his home Friday after., J > «
extended illness and much '
He is survived by his widn.
children at home, and on P
! former marriage, Mr. Le e P by a
the Mt. Vernon section ''
was married three times'"law* 7*
Fannie Atkinson.
Funera! services were held c
urday afternqon at Floyd's
church where he became' a 'J?
in early manhood. R ev . T r R
ris conducted the services p a lik
ers were Messrs Broadus
Bert Gordon, Jack Henson,
Gordon, Timmons Dyer and Tho*
Gordon. The girls who bore the
array of flowers were Misses L
venia Scruggs, Lizzie McEntvi
Amy Dyer Ruby Jolly, Hazel Scm*
Marie McEntyre and Mrs. Jack- Hr
son 1 The grave was beautifully COVR.
Ed with the floral offering.
Rev. A. G. Melton preached h
final sermon at Floyd's Creek Sue.
1 day, he read Matthew 24. his sii
ject "The second coming of Christ"
Matt. 24:44, was well discussed
Floyd's Creek is just now without a
pastor.
Mrs. Chas. E. Keeter and daugh
ter, Mrs. Walter Ware and Miss Fay?
Daniel all of Lincolnton. Ga.. ar j
visiting Mr. J. S. Sherlin and family
they all attended memorial service
at Round Hill church at Union Mill
Sunday.
Mr. Wriston Alexander, of Omaha
Nebraska, recently visited his brotl
er Mr. W. P. Alexander. He is nrv
visiting his sisters the Misses Me
anders in Shelby, he expects to 1
here among relatives for some tin
before returning to his western horn
Mr. Alexander is a retired soldii
having seen about thirty years r
ular service. He was a ward ■:•
cer at Ft. Riley, Kansas, at the J .:it
of his discharge.
Italy and France are said to I>J
buildinsr un their navies, with Grent
Britain watching the proc
ready to increase her ov : '
the circumstances, do we : ■ '• -y!