Not long after the founding of the Beaufort Historical Association in 1960, then president Dr. John Costlow asked Miss Elizabeth Merwin to design a plaque to mark houses over 100 years old. The goal was to encourage interest in the townsfolk in preserving and promoting the significance of their historic homes. Classically trained in heraldry, Miss Merwin created a watercolor design—the same design in use today.
Many had been skeptical of the project as Dr. Costlow placed the first plaque on the Duncan House on the west end of Front Street
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| Thomas Duncan House |
Producing the plaques eventually involved many people. Ben Jones cut a tin template to facilitate drawing the pattern on wood. Dr. Costlow traced and cut them out at the Duke Marine Lab on Piver's Island Ann Street
In March 1963, the association announced that plaques were in place on 20
buildings, including the Duncan House, the 1796 Courthouse, the Old
Jail, Carteret Academy and Purvis Chapel. Others included the Nelson,
Easton, Caleb Bell, Hatsell, J. Davis, Beveridge, Morse, Piver, Gibbs and Langdon Houses. *See full list at the end of this post.
As more and more plaques were added, a few were done with a mellow gold and brown border to distinguish those houses from the 100-year-old ones. These few, having now ‘come of age’, may eventually be repainted with the traditional blue and silver border or owners may choose to leave them ‘as is’ due to their uniqueness. The one to your right is one of those with different coloration - displayed on the John Wolfe House on Orange Street.
A record of the significance of the plaque is recorded, but not documented, in Ruth Barbour’s "History of the Beaufort Historical Association." A research-only copy is available at the Beaufort Public Library. The below information is paraphrased with more details and images added:
- The border of the shield-shaped plaque is made up of a blue and silver checked border signifying fair play. This compony (Heraldry adjective) border was taken from the Duke of Beaufort’s coat of arms which displays a single row of squares with alternating color.
- The Red Rose of Lancaster at the bottom of the plaque represents the
- The gold menhaden at the top signifies “Fish Town," --the translation for what the Coree Indians called Wareiock--the name by which Beaufort was known in the early 1700s. *
- *UPDATE: More research shows no documentation that "Fish Town" is a translation of Wareiock or Cwarioc, nor did a Coree village exist on the acreage that would become Beaufort. However, many years after Beaufort was established in 1713, the small village could have easily been referred to as "Fish Town" by those unaware of the actual name of the town. In fact, Cwareuuock, the reference to the Coree tribe on earliest maps included the Algonquian ending -euuock, roughly translated "people of" or "land of"--thus, the name Cwareuuock, on those early maps, referred to "Cwar," Core, or Coree territory. (Blair A. Rudes, UNC Charlotte, The First Description of an Iroquoian People) Until about 1706, the Coree occupied the peninsula and coastal area south of Pamlico Sound and the Neuse River, including what is now Carteret County. In Colonial Beaufort, historian Charles L. Paul wrote. "Before white settlers entered the area, the Coree had two villages. One of these was located on the north side of the Straits of Core Sound which separates Harker's Island from the mainland . . . The other village was located on the west side of Newport River."
- *UPDATE: More research shows no documentation that "Fish Town" is a translation of Wareiock or Cwarioc, nor did a Coree village exist on the acreage that would become Beaufort. However, many years after Beaufort was established in 1713, the small village could have easily been referred to as "Fish Town" by those unaware of the actual name of the town. In fact, Cwareuuock, the reference to the Coree tribe on earliest maps included the Algonquian ending -euuock, roughly translated "people of" or "land of"--thus, the name Cwareuuock, on those early maps, referred to "Cwar," Core, or Coree territory. (Blair A. Rudes, UNC Charlotte, The First Description of an Iroquoian People) Until about 1706, the Coree occupied the peninsula and coastal area south of Pamlico Sound and the Neuse River, including what is now Carteret County. In Colonial Beaufort, historian Charles L. Paul wrote. "Before white settlers entered the area, the Coree had two villages. One of these was located on the north side of the Straits of Core Sound which separates Harker's Island from the mainland . . . The other village was located on the west side of Newport River."
NOTES:
1) Sophia Merwin and her daughter, Miss Elizabeth Merwin, lived in the “Jennie Bell” house (306 Ann) for many years. (Widow Jennie McRacken Dill married widower William J. Bell. Jennie's daughter Sophia Dill married Nathan Merwin.) 
2) The Red Rose of Lancaster is the county flower of Lancashire. Rosa gallica officinalis is a small shrub producing richly fragrant, semi-double, rosy crimson flowers with prominent yellow anthers. The "officinalis" denotes the plant is used as an herbal remedy. The rose was first adopted as a heraldic device by the first Earl of Lancaster and became the emblem of Lancashire following the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. This ancient rose is recorded as being in cultivation in the 800s. It was used as a medicine and perfume in the court of Charlemagne in the ninth century A.D. Its petals were noted to retain their fragrance even when dried.
3) Beaufort has only one double-plaqued house. One plaque denotes The Allen Davis House circa 1774, home to the Davis family for over 100 years. The other is for Major General Ambrose Burnsides - Union commander of North Carolina troops during the Civil War. Burnsides had several headquarters in North Carolina and, though undocumented, it has been said that he used this home from 1861 to 1873, during the Federal occupation of the area.
March 1963 - First 20 Beaufort buildings to receive historic plaques
(Many dates have since been updated for accuracy.)
DUNCAN 1790 -105 Front St.; DAVIS 1821 - 127 Front St.
NELSON 1790 - 201 Front St.; MORSE 1771 - 215 Front St.
EASTON [HENRY] 1771 - 229 Front St.; SABISTON 1857 - 307 Front St.
CARTERET ACADEMY or Beaufort Female Institute 1854 - 505 Front St.
CALEB BELL 1770 - 817 Front St.; GIBBS 1851 - 901 Front St.
BUCKMAN 1845 - 114 Ann St.; BEVERIDGE 1841 - 123 Ann St.
PETER PIVER 1750 - 131 Ann St.; DAVIS 1817 - 201 Ann St.;
MACE 1832 - 619 Ann St.; WILLIS 1820 - 700 Ann St.
HATSELL 1827 - 117 Orange St.; LANGDON 1764 - 135 Craven St.
CRAMER 1796 (Courthouse moved to Restoration Grounds)
PURVIS CHAPEL 1820 - Broad/Craven
COUNTY JAIL 1829 (moved to Restoration Grounds)
NELSON 1790 - 201 Front St.; MORSE 1771 - 215 Front St.
EASTON [HENRY] 1771 - 229 Front St.; SABISTON 1857 - 307 Front St.
CARTERET ACADEMY or Beaufort Female Institute 1854 - 505 Front St.
CALEB BELL 1770 - 817 Front St.; GIBBS 1851 - 901 Front St.
BUCKMAN 1845 - 114 Ann St.; BEVERIDGE 1841 - 123 Ann St.
PETER PIVER 1750 - 131 Ann St.; DAVIS 1817 - 201 Ann St.;
MACE 1832 - 619 Ann St.; WILLIS 1820 - 700 Ann St.
HATSELL 1827 - 117 Orange St.; LANGDON 1764 - 135 Craven St.
CRAMER 1796 (Courthouse moved to Restoration Grounds)
PURVIS CHAPEL 1820 - Broad/Craven
COUNTY JAIL 1829 (moved to Restoration Grounds)
*Author's Note: Please check these links to read more about the legislative act to establish Beaufort and a more accurate date for the Duncan House.
