Beaufort High School 1885

The old Beaufort High School was first operated by Ann Street Methodist Church and was a tuition school. The building was originally located on the Carteret County Courthouse grounds, facing Turner Street. Purchased for $1250 in 1907 by the town of Beaufort, the building was moved a short distance to the south side of Broad Street. Images on this post are from a 1960s architectural study done by NC State University. Much more below...
 

Broad Street Location circa 1966
 Click an image below to open "light box" and view all.

In The Story of the Methodist in the Port of Beaufort, Amy Muse wrote in 1941:

“In 1885 a Committee of Citizens leased lots 136, 144 and 152 on the northwest side of the Court House Square which had been ‘reserved for an Academy by an Act of the General Assembly in 1816.’ They agreed to pay an annual rental of $6.00 and were to erect upon it a school for white children, the building to cost not less than $1,000. The following were on the Committee: Thomas Thomas, B.L. Jones, W.F. Dill, William Sabiston, J.B. Davis, N.W. Taylor, S.M. Buckman, S.J. Moore, Sarah A. Davis, J.B. Jones, J.C. Davis, W.B. Duncan, B.J. Bell, T.D. Noe, N.L. Carrow, M.R. Geffroy, F. Borden Mace, J.D. Davis, W.S. Chadwick, R.W. Bell, James R. Bell and R.W. Bell Sr.

“This school was built facing Market Street, now Turner, and for fifteen years was operated as the Beaufort High School. In 1900, the Methodists leased the land for ten years with the privilege of renewing for fifty years and operated it as a Methodist school. The records do not show just what the transaction was, but the Methodists seem to have come into possession of the building at this time. A member of the original Committee, with whom I talked, said that those of other denominations who were on the Committee sold their interest in the building to the Methodists who were already in the majority. He says the money received by the Episcopalians was put into St. Paul’s School, and he thinks that the Methodists likewise gave their part in it to their church. As there was no real estate transaction involved, no deed was required. 

“Two years before this St. Paul’s School had been founded, and it existed until ‘Miss Nannie’ Geffroy’s death in 1936. In all walks of life and in all denominations are those who were educated there. It was this school which competed with that operated by the Methodists. Apparently the Methodists had some difficulty in selling their school to all of their people, for the Beaufort Bulletin, paper of the school and also of the town, states in one issue, ‘The Episcopalians of Beaufort have their church school and without exception member of that church patronize their own school. This is as it should be. The Methodists of Beaufort have their church school…yet some of our good Methodists patronize the other school. This is as it should not be.’ Incidentally, Misses Grace Duncan and Bernice Hornaday were authorized agents for the paper—price twenty-five cents per year.

“The Methodists never exercised their privilege of renewing their lease for fifty years. Instead in 1907, after operating the school for only seven years, the Church sold a strip of land on Broad Street, back of the A.M.E. Zion Church to the town for $1,250 ‘also that certain school house building now standing on the public Court House Square in the said town of Beaufort and commonly called the Beaufort  High School Building.’ The trustees signing the deed were T.M. Thomas, C.P. Day, T.W. Lindsay, H.C. Jones, C.L. Duncan, B.J. Jones, Charles L. Abernethy and W.L. Arrington.

“The town offices were then in a little building on the east side of Craven owned by Mr. Winfield Chadwick—the ‘lock up’ downstairs, the Town Hall upstairs. The old school building was moved across the [Broad] street to the strip of land purchased by the town where, with the removal of the cupola and a few other changes that grew out of the fire that burned the western end shortly after it was acquired, it stands today as our Town Hall.”  

1908 Sanborn Map

Another View of Broad Street Location

The Man and Family Behind "Shackelford's Banks"

John Williams Shackelford
(1844-1883) 
4th G-Grandson of
Francis Shackelford

Moseley's 1733 Map
noted "Shakelford" on
the west side of North River. 

Roger Shackelford, the immigrant, was born in 1629 in Old Alresford, Hampshire, South East England. He fled England in 1658 with French Huguenot Edward Palmer, who had received a headrights grant of 400 acres in the Virginia Colony. (In the headright system, one received 50 acres of land for every emigrant one sponsored to America.) Roger Shackelford married Mary Palmer about 1660; she was on the headrights grant.

Of the many sons of Roger and Mary Shackelford, John and Francis Shackelford, born in Essex County, Virginia, but made their way to Carteret County by 1708.

Francis Shackelford, born about 1675, married Sarah Virginia Lewis about 1700. They lived in Essex County, Virginia until they relocated to Carteret County, where he died about 1722.

John Shackelford was born about 1668 and died in August 1734 in Carteret County. John married Ann Livingston about 1695, at least the second marriage for him.  
In 1708 John and Francis were granted land on the west side of North River. Moseley's 1733 map inset noted "Shakelford" plantation in this area.

In 1713 John Shackelford and Enoch Ward purchased 7000 acres referred to as the “Sea Banks” from John Porter. The two men divided the property in 1723. Shackelford’s western part was later noted on maps as “Shackleford Banks,” the spelling still used today, unlike the family surname or the spelling in Shackelford’s last will and testament.

John Shackelford served in the Militia during from 1712-1733. He is recorded in the Colonial Records, January 9, 1712. "…in ye Garrison at Shackelfords plantation praying Liberty to plant Corne on ye said plantation. Ordered that ye afsd Garrison to have liberty to plant Tend & Gather Corn on ye Said plantation dureing the time they Keep Garrison there as afsd." John was appointed to see "Every ship drawing eight feet of water anchoring at the Banks and Shackelford Banks to charge three shillings six pence per foot."

Shackelford was recorded on the Vestry Book of St John's Parish Vestry Roll from April 1723 thru May 1733. His son, John Shackleford Jr., served in 1747 with the militia when the Spanish invaded the town of Beaufort. John Jr, had four sons to serve in the North Carolina Revolutionary forces.

John Shackelford's Last Will and Testament, dated March, 29, 1734, probated September 1734:

To daughters, Mary, Elizabeth and Ann, a gold ring each at the price of ten shillings. Daughter, Sarah, wife of Joseph Moss [Morse] four cows and calves, and liberty to my son-in-law to build a house and shop in the Island Land whereon I now live.

I give liberty to the aforesaid Joseph Moss to whaile off the Banks he paying yearly to My Beloved wife Ann Shackelford during her life and no longer the rent of two barrels of oil for his share of one half of one single boat and to have liberty of no more boats or part of my boats.

To Grandson, John Roberts, two Cows and Calves at the decease of my wife Ann. To grandson William Roberts two Cows and Calves. Daughter Hannah three Cows and Calves. The large Cedar Cubbard and round table in the outer room. Two pewter dishes, three pewter plates, one feather bead blanket and rug. One pair of cotton sheets, one small iron pot and iron skillet.

After the death of my beloved wife Ann I give my son John all the remainder of goods and Chattle both resale and personal provided my son John does not die without issue, in such case I bequest my estate to my son James and his heirs forever also Island called Carrot.
Witness: Samuel Chadwick, Ephraim Chadwick. Clerk of the Court: Jas. Winright. (Virginia Colonial Abstracts, Vol. 4, by Beverly Fleet, Outer Banks of North Carolina by David Stick, UNC Press, page 33.)

The name Shackelford began to disappear from Carteret County after 1792. Many moved to Onslow and other counties.

US Senator John Williams Shackelford (1844-1883), above, of Richlands, Onslow County, was the 4th G-Grandson of John Shackelford’s brother Francis Shackelford (1665-1722).
Information gathered from various sources including Colonial Records and ancestry.com.

1844 Map

1857 Map

Horses of Rachel Carson Reserve

Photo contributed by Reserve volunteer, Robin Newton. Horses are from the same social group or "harem." Left to right: Sugargoot (lead stallion), Trilobite (subordinate stallion), and Beth (female) in the background. 

 _______________________________________________________________________

Horses may have been on the barrier "islands," just south of Beaufort, as early as the mid-eighteenth century when "Carrot Island," just east of town, was made up of many marshes. "Carrot Island" was noted on Moseley's 1733 map of Beaufort. "Horse Island," now part of the Rachel Carson Reserve, was noted on an 1851 Sketch of Beaufort Harbor, administered under the US Coast Survey Office. The island most likely got its name because there were horses there, whether wild or put there to graze. 

Sketch of Beaufort Harbor - US Coast Survey Office - Ordered 1844, Completed 1851

On early maps, there were only a few low marshes and shoals across from the small Beaufort village. In writing of Revolutionary times, Jean B. Kell wrote, "there was no island in front of the town. Carrot Island was at the east end of town starting above Fulford Street where the Hammock house stands. Except for a small “bunch of bushes” on what was known as the 'Island of Marsh' at the west end of town, there was an unobstructed view of the Inlet and the Banks on either side." 

In the early 1900s the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers began dredging the mouth of Taylor's Creek, using Carrot Island and Town Marsh as dredge material deposition areas. Before the dredging, these islands were essentially all tidal marsh with some elevated hammock land.

A Beaufort resident, Dr. Luther Fulcher, placed horses on the Reserve's islands in 1947. Livestock was also taken over to the islands to graze. With the resident's passing, the horses remained and became feral, reverting from domestication back to the wild. More - An Interview with Cap'n Claude.

During the 1940s, marine biologist and conservationist Rachel Carson did research at what is now the site named in her honor. The Rachel Carson Reserve includes Town Marsh, Bird Shoal, Carrot Island, Horse Island and Middle Marshes.

In 1977, Beaufort residents, civic organizations and environmental groups worked together to prevent the development of a resort on what is now the Rachel Carson Reserve. The N.C. Chapter of The Nature Conservancy purchased 474 acres of Carrot Island that year. The State of North Carolina acquired Town Marsh, Carrot Island, Horse Island and Bird Shoal in 1985, with the addition of Middle Marshes in 1989.
 

Smooth Cordgrass 
Spartina alternaflora

These feral horses became the property of the state when the land was purchased in the 1980s. There are currently 33 horses on the reserve - including one foal born August 2012. There are seven social groups and two bachelors. (updated 2/4/2013). The main food supply for these feral horses is Smooth Cordgrass - Spartina alternaflora. The primary source of water is from holes the horses dig.


Despite the harsh conditions the horses have thrived on the reserve. During the late 1980s and early 1990s the population exceeded capacity. This led to massive malnutrition and several deaths. Since the horses are considered a cultural resource, management action was required using a birth control program. This coupled with natural mortality helped the population get near the target number of 30 horses.   

The reserve's staff from the Beaufort office oversees the horse management. Individual horses are identified, photographed and maintained. Each horse is tracked for births, general health, social habits and eventually death. Beyond the birth control program, the horse population is treated as a wild herd.

The wild horses, that live on and roam the Rachel Carson Reserve, are beautiful and powerful animals. To many, they represent freedom and wildness for all to enjoy. However, to protect the horses as well as visitors, it is important to give these majestic wild animals their space. Watching them from at least 50 feet, preferably more, will help the horses retain their wild nature and keep visitors out of the way of fighting stallions or a mare protecting her foal.

Town Marsh Nature Trails
• Two nature trails can be reached at the northwest beach on Town Marsh. Both trails pass through man-made upland as well as natural marsh habitats.
• Trail lengths and difficulty:
Outer Loop Trail - 1.1 mile, easy, trail only accessible at low tide and may be muddy.
Inner Loop Trail - 0.9 mile, easy.
• Bird Shoal, a 1.5 mile stretch of beach, is a short walk from the southern-most point of both trails.

Carrot Island Boardwalk
• The boardwalk near the eastern end of the site can be reached by boat. It is directly across from the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission boating access area at 2370 Lennoxville Road, Beaufort.
• The viewing platform overlooks North River Channel, providing scenic views of Middle
Marshes and Shackleford Banks. This is an excellent place for birding and learning about the estuary environment through interpretive signs.

Rules and Tips for Visitors
• The trails and boardwalk are open year-round.
• Do not remove or disturb plants or wildlife and do not feed the wildlife or horses.
• To protect natural features, please stay on designated trails and leave nothing behind except your footprints.
• Camping, fires and littering are prohibited.
• Leash and clean up after your pets. It is the law and unrestrained dogs are susceptible to potentially fatal horse kicks.
• While observing feral horses, keep a safe distance away (at least 50 feet).
• Canoe and kayak launches are at designated areas along Front Street.
• There are no facilities. Plan ahead and be prepared for changing conditions on this exposed and remote site.

This post was compiled from research by Mary Warshaw and information provided by Rachel Carson Reserve site manager Paula Gillikin. Horse images courtesy Rachel Carson Reserve.

John Rumley Family

Gray’s 1877-82 Map of Beaufort  noted much of Marsh Street was owned by the Rumley family. The lot at the southeast corner of Queen and Ann streets was owned by Mrs. Rumley.

John Rumley (1780-1815) was the son of William and Nancy Rumley, born in Beaufort about 1750. John Rumley and Sarah Gibble (1786-1860) were married 31 Mar 1805. Sarah Gibble was the daughter of Dederick Gibble III (1766-1830) and Mary Easton, daughter of Col. John Easton.

John and Sarah had four sons and two daughters.
1.    Henry E. Rumley (1805-1860) was noted as a cooper; he died in Forks Washington County, Virginia.
2.    Bryan Hellen Rumley Sr. (24 Jun 1809-abt.1857) was a “mariner.” He married Brancy Hatsell of Onslow County 16 Mar 1832. They had six sons and three daughters.
3.    James Rumley (1812-1881), clerk of court, never married.
4.    Sarah (1815-bet1850-70) married George Washington Styron 8 Nov 1843. They had five sons.
5.    John Rumley (abt1818-bef1900), Methodist minister, first married Susan Fulford (1841-1909); they had four sons and two daughters. He later married Mary Whitehurst.
6.    Emeline G. Rumley (1821-1877) married Bryan Hellen 21 Dec 1842. Bryan was the son of Isaac Hellen. Emeline and Bryan had four sons and four daughters.

James Rumley

Clerk of Court and Judge of Probate Court

James Rumley Diary 1862-1865

James Rumley was born 24 Nov 1812 and died 16 Dec 1881.

James Rumley 1812-1881
NC Archives & History

• 1840 Carteret County Census noted James with four in his household—two of whom were slaves.
• 1860 Census: James 47, (aunt?) Abigail Gibble 70 and niece Mary Rumley 24.
• 1870 Census: 57 Clerk of Superior Court, niece Mary 33. Nearby on Marsh: John Rumley 55, County Register, Sallie 25. Also nearby on Marsh:  Brancy Hatsell Rumley 54 (widow of Brian H. Rumley), Bryant 28, California 20, Dedrick 19, Emily 16.
• 1880 Census: Designated on Marsh Street. Near Live Oak were Brancy (Hatsell) Rumley 68, Brian 38, California 27, Emma 25. Nearby were James Rumley 67 Judge of Probate and niece Mary 43.

Bayard Wootten Photo

Bayard Morgan Wootten Photographic Collection
Coast: Beaufort, North Carolina, circa 1904-1954
Digital North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives
Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

William Van Buren Potter House circa 1903

Marsh Street Porch

Grandson of William Jackson Potter, William Van Buren Potter (1875–1962) was the son of James Hollister Potter Sr. and Nannie Murray Potter. Like his father and two of his brothers, William Van Buren Potter was in the wholesale fish business.
 
James Hollister Potter Sr. built this home for his son as a wedding present when William married Zilphia Cox Darden on July 17, 1903. William and Zilphia had two children—William Hollister Potter (1909–1997) and Alice Darden Potter born in 1905. William Hollister Potter married Eulalie Wallace. Alice Darden Potter married Harold Webb.
 
It has been said the house was built in part from materials salvaged from a Swedish shipwreck off of Portsmouth, Virginia. Ship’s masts are still visible underneath the house.
 
Legend has told of a freed slave who worked for the Potter family prior to the Civil War. His apprenticeship in carpentry resulted in not only becoming a skilled craftsman but an accomplished woodcarver. His artistry embellished much of the house, especially the handsomely-carved staircase in the foyer.
 
The 1997 Ruth Little Survey described this Queen Anne gable-and-wing corner home as “a two and one-half story, five-bay house with plain siding, pedimented front dormer and tall exterior brick chimneys. The wing has a two-story cutaway bay with paneled bracketed dados and pedimented gable with sawnwork bargeboard. It has 2/2 sash with molded caps and bracketed sills. The one-story east porch that faces Marsh Street still has its original turned posts, railing and a spindle frieze with sawnwork brackets.”
 
ARTIST’S NOTE: As I was working on the painting, someone related an interesting “interaction” that took place at this house. As the story goes, Zilphia Potter had a parrot; her friend and neighbor also had a parrot. The ladies frequently chatted to each other across Marsh Street. Before long, the parrots began mocking their owners by doing the same—a believable story that friends and neighbors must have passed across other streets of Beaufort.

William Jackson Potter House circa 1830

GRANDFATHER: William Jackson Potter was born 31 Oct 1801 in Anne Arundel, Maryland and died 11 Dec 1886 in Core Creek, Carteret County. He married Elizabeth Harris Davis, daughter of builder James  Davis; the couple had ten children.  William came to Beaufort as a brick mason to help build Fort Macon. He was buried in the Old Quaker Cemetery. His house is now occupied by the Ann Street Inn.

FATHER: William and Elizabeth's son James  Hollister Potter Sr. was born 18 Dec 1847 and died 17 Sept 1938 in.  J.H. Potter married Nancy Murray about 1871 and had twelve children, of whom seven died young.

Porchscapes, The Colors of Beaufort 

Three Centuries of History Woven Through Art and Words

Carteret County during the Revolutionary Period

by Jean B. Kell

For the best account of the times, this narrative has been transcribed in full from the first edition 1975 “author’s presentation copy.”   

Carteret County during the American Revolution 1765-1785

The Revolutionary period in Carteret County dates from March, 1765, when the British Parliament passed the fateful Stamp Act. The Stamp Act provided that official stamps be purchased and affixed to a variety of legal documents, including ship’s clearance papers and bills of lading.

Reaction and protest in the colonies was immediate and strong. It was certainly so in Carteret, where the effects of the Stamp Act could not fail to be felt. Shipping was the main business of its citizens, for every commercial activity depended on it. Naval stores were produced for shipping. Skins of deer and other animals were prepared for transportation to distant markets. Grain, corn, rice and other farm products were grown and fish caught and salted, no only for home consumption but to be traded for the necessities and luxuries of life.

Anything that concerned the sea affected the people of Carteret County. So when word was received that the British had closed the port of Boston, Carteret Countians joined with their fellow Americans in proclaiming that “the cause of Boston is the cause of all.”

The first record of activity growing out of these new concerns of the people of the County details the election of delegates to the First Provincial Congress, held in New Bern on August 25th, 1774. William Thompson and Solomon Perkins are listed as delegates from Carteret, but there appears to be some error in this. Solomon Perkins was from Currituck County, and it is believed that his surname was listed by mistake as that of the Carteret delegate. Solomon Shepard had been a Carteret representative to the Governor’s Assembly, along with Thompson, and was probably the second delegate to the Provincial Congress as well.

Thompson and Shepard took part in passing the resolutions of the Congress. When they returned to Carteret they brought word of the congressional resolves that after January 1st, 1775, no British or East India goods, except medicines, would be imported into the Colony, that the people would not purchase such articles, and that unless American grievances were redressed before the first of October, 1775, the people of North Carolina would cease exportation of tobacco, tar, pitch, turpentine and similar goods. They would, further, “not suffer East India tea to be used in their families” after September 10th, 1774. Any person in the province who refused to comply with these resolutions would be considered an enemy of his country.

Word of these resolves and others was quickly spread throughout the County. The resolve to the effect that King George the Third was rightful King no doubt gave hope that differences would soon be overcome, and that the delegates chosen to represent the Colony at the general Congress, to be held in Philadelphia, would help bring about reconciliation with Britain. A plan for committees to be set up in each county to enforce the measures taken was also resolved. FULL TRANSCRIPTION

How Gallant's Point and Gallant's Channel Got Their Names

1709 Map by John Lawson

North of Albemarle Sound - Moseley's 1733 Map

John Galland and his sister Penelope were the step children of Governor Charles Eden. (Originally, the name was most likely spelled Golland.)

John, born about 1698, and his sister Penelope, born about 1695, were the children of John Galland (abt. 1677-1704) and Penelope Belchier (abt. 1677-1716).

In 1705, after the death of John and Penelope’s father, their mother Penelope Belchier Galland married Charles Eden, who became the second governor of colonial Carolina in 1713.

Penelope Belchier Galland Eden died 4 January 1716. About 1719, Governor Eden built “Eden House” on Salmon Creek near Chowan River and the “Town on Queen Anne’s Creek.” Charles died of yellow fever in 1722; shortly afterward, the town was renamed Edenton in his honor. At this time, John Galland would have been about 24 and his sister Penelope about 27, then married to William Maule. MORE...

Mattie King Davis Gallery - Research on the House

The Mattie King Davis Gallery, on the Beaufort Restoration Grounds, is plaqued "Rustell house c.1732." ►

Maurice Davis in History of the Hammock House and Related Trivia, and Mamre Wilson in Beaufort, North Carolina, both wrote of William Dennis' wife Sarah Cogdell Rustull, widow of Richard Rustull Jr., inheriting a small house and outbuildings on Lot 13, Old Town, in the settlement of the estate of Richard Rustull Jr.

Signature and seal from the will of Richard Rustull Jr.

However, according to researcher Andrew C. Wells, the 1739 will of Richard Rustull Jr. (proven 1747) does not bequeath any property in Old Beaufort Town. ►

1980 Photo in Kell book

In her book, The Old Port Town, Beaufort, North Carolina, historian Jean Bruyere Kell (1909-2004) referred to the house as the Jechonias Pigott House circa 1831, "a house originally on Front Street facing the water, later moved to Craven Street and then to its present location." (Shipbuilder Jechonias Pigott (1774-1856) married Cinderella Chadwick in 1798.)

The 1882 Gray's Map of Beaufort noted two structures on lot 13; Jane Pigott owner. MORE...

RAIL BUS

Photo from April 29, 1999 issue of the Beaufort Gam 
(scanned from Beaufort NC by Mamre Marsh Wilson)

"Norfolk Southern Rail Bus"
from Beaufort Scrapbook by Nancy Duffy Russell
Written April 18, 1999

Many recall the early steam engine trains of Beaufort either because of seeing them, riding them, or looking at pictures of them, but who can recall the rail bus?

The rail bus came to Beaufort in 1935, 1936, and 1937. Nathaniel Hancock Russell, the Norfolk Southern Railroad engineer who brought the first passenger train to Beaufort, was also engineer on the rail bus.

In North Carolina, the Norfolk Southern used two rail buses. One was named the Sir Walter Raleigh and the other one was called the Carolinian. It was the Carolinian that came to Beaufort after departing from Goldsboro. The Sir Walter Raleigh went from Raleigh to Norfolk. The Carolinian came to Beaufort five days a week, and on weekends it went from Beaufort to Marston (now Chocowinity)* and made a connection to Norfolk.

Allan Paul with the Rail Division of the N.C. Department of Transportation, who provided the picture of the rail bus, stated that the rail buses were used for economic reasons during the Depression because they were more economical to operate than the locomotive-hauled trains. The buses took fewer personnel to operate, and the cost of coal and water was eliminated. According to Mr. Paul, Norfolk Southern Railroad was a poor company, and the only way for this system to continue passenger service was to use rail buses. By 1930, regular passenger service was antiquated and worn out, and wooden passenger cars like the ones shown in the pictures of the first train to Beaufort in 1906, were still being used.

In the December 20, 1934, issue of The Beaufort News a front-page article stated that the Norfolk Southern Railroad would run rail buses. According to this article, rail buses were approximately 57 feet long, would seat 52 passengers, and carried a 12-foot mail and baggage compartment. They were built of Core Ten Steel and aluminum alloy, and the cars were lighter than steam cars of about the same capacity. They were said to be luxuriously fitted and provided with every necessary convenience. The January 3, 1935, issue of The Beaufort News stated that the gasoline-operated rail bus had an engine (located under the car) similar to automobile engines. Rail buses were said to have comfortable seats, were heated, had ice water coolers (with those cone shaped thin paper cups), and toilet facilities. The cars were two-toned in color – the lower section painted dark green and the upper portion a buff color. The front door was used for train personnel, freight, and mail storage, and the rear side doors were used for passengers. The rail buses had an engineer, conductor, and porter.

The exact cost of the fare to ride the rail bus is not known, but according to a Norfolk Southern ad in the April 8, 1937 issue of The Beaufort News the railroad company announced reduced fares for train travel – one and one-half cents per mile and half-fare for children under twelve years of age.

The Beaufort News reported that many were on hand to greet the rail bus and that many people appeared at their doors and waved as the rail bus sped along the track. It was stated that children were especially delighted to see this new train, and many rode the car to Morehead City on its return trip to New Bern.

John G. Jones, Beaufort, when asked about the rail bus, recalled riding on the initial trip to Morehead City with Betsy Russell (Sisson), Carolyn Wheatley (Davidson), Sara Potter (Ellington), Albert Chappell, and Macon Snowden. Louise H. Nelson vividly recalled the train and remembered it did not run for a long period of time. When questioned about the rail bus, Eric Moore instantly replied, "It was painted green." Tommy Russell, whose father was engineer, relates many stories associated with the rail bus days.

The Beaufort News, January 3, 1935 issue, forecast the decline of rail services to Beaufort when it declared that if patronage justified the car, it would be a permanent feature of the service; otherwise, it would probably be discontinued. Sources are not available to validate an exact time when the rail bus service was discontinued in Beaufort, but it was thought to be after an accident near New Bern in 1937.

Nancy Duffy Russell

_______________________________

*NOTE: Due to a railroad communication issue, Chocowinity is still sometimes called Marsden. Around 1917, the railway started calling the pivotal location "Marsden", which was easier to spell on a telegraph than "Chocowinity". Marsden was derived from the name of Mr. Marsden J. Perry, a member of a New York financial group that had been back the construction of the Norfolk Southern Railroad. He eventually served as president of the railroad.

Bridges, Trains and Automobiles

Images scanned from Beaufort-An Album of Memories 
by Jack Dudley . Click images to enlarge.

1-B&M Railroad Trestle 2-B&M Warehouse 3-Carteret Quick Freeze 4-Noe Boat Yard 5-Beaufort Bridge 6-Gallants Channel 7-Broad Street 8-Ann Street 9-Grayden Paul Bridge late 1950s 10-Cedar Street-Hwy 70

RAILROAD BRIDGE - Built 1906

Image scanned from Beaufort-An Album of Memories 
by Jack Dudley

On June 8, 1907 Beaufort celebrated the building of a railroad bridge and the first passenger train into town; Nathaniel Hancock Russell was the engineer. Prior to train service Beaufort, visitors who came by train were met at the railroad terminus in Morehead City and brought to town by boat. After the railroad bridge was built across the channel, tracks were laid down the middle of Broad Street - bringing the outside world to Beaufort.
In his book Beaufort-by-the-Sea - Memories of a Lifetime, Neal Willis wrote, "Before the highway was built between Beaufort and Morehead City, the only way from Beaufort to Morehead was by train, boat or to drive around on New Bern Road. Later a ferry ran between the two towns. It carried passengers and three or four cars. The number of passengers varied. It was very popular. Leaving a dock on Front Street twice a day, it ran to a dock on the Morehead waterfront."

Page from Dudley book

What became known as the "Old Mullet Road" or "Old Mullet Line," running from Goldboro to Morehead City, played an important role in the development of Eastern North Carolina. It got its nickname due to the huge quantities of fish shipped over it.

In his Beaufort book, Jack Dudley reprinted an article from The State, June 27, 1953, about "The Old Mullet Line." Hightlights of that article regarding Beaufort include, "Connecting with 'Old Mullet Line' at Morehead and running across Newport River to Beaufort, is the B&M, a tiny, toy-like railroad system, which is the darling of Carteret. With a total mileage of 3.7 miles, it has more miles on trestles and causeways than on land, and on of its greatest problems is the fact that is Newport trestle is the best danged fishing place on any railroad anywhere. This is another success story. Nobody wanted the B&M, and it seemed destined to fold up. A group of Carteret men bought it and leased it to A.[Alan] T. Leary, a veteran railway man. He is one of the most versatile railway presidents you ever saw. With a force of about 15, Leary can and sometimes does help ice cabbage cars, shuttle freight, and turn switches. There is no room for prima donnas on the B&M."

BEAUFORT BRIDGE - Built 1927

Beaufort Bridge Looking West
Linda Sadler - Carteret County Postcards

Beaufort Bridge Looking East - North Carolina Postcard Collection

North Carolina Postcard Collection

Construction photos scanned from 
Dudley's Beaufort - An Album of Memories

The Beaufort Bridge was the first highway bridge to connect Morehead City and Beaufort; it was constructed in 1927 and entered Beaufort on the east end of Ann Street.

With few cars in town, many people hitchhiked to Morehead City. When anyone walked by "Miss Nannie" Geoffroy's porch at the corner of Ann and Moore, they would hear her green parrot squawk, “Morehead?—Going to Morehead?” Interestingly, Jean Kell worked for "Miss Nannie" during the depression; the parrot called her "Ms. Kell."

In the beginning, owners of the first automobiles and residents believed that gas in containers might ignite, therefore, the fuel was kept on one of the barrier islands; when needed, someone would row over to retrieve a container.
Again, Neal Willis wrote, "A Chevrolet car cost about four to five hundred dollars. Gas was 12 cents a gallon and was [eventually] pumped by hand from underground tanks. Motor oil was pumped from a container into pint and quart jars with spouts. There was no antifreeze. Radiators had to be drained at night and filled the next morning."

GRAYDEN PAUL BRIDGE - Built 1957

Photo courtesy OurBeaufortBridge.com

News-Times 
Dylan Ray photo

This bridge, owned by the NC Department of Transportation, is a bascule-type bridge and was constructed in 1957. 

A bascule drawbridge is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances the span, or leaf, throughout the entire upward swing in providing clearance for boat traffic. Bascule is a French term for seesaw and balance, and bascule bridges operate along the same principle.

Bascule-type bridges are the most common type of moveable bridge in existence because they open quickly and require relatively little energy to operate. Bascule bridges may be single or double leaf.

Photo by Brandon Puckett

Old Homes Tour 1989

Below are a few interesting images from a special "Old Homes Tour" section of The Eastern Weekly, Beaufort, North Carolina - June 21, 1989. 
CLICK TO ENLARGE

Beaufort Depot

Franklin Masonic Lodge

Fuller House - BHA Office & Mattie King Gallery

Belcher Fuller House