Washington County is known as ‘Bear-olina’

Completing our journey through the eight counties that comprise North Carolina Senate District 1, we’re crossing the Albemarle Sound from Chowan County into Washington County by way of N.C. Route 32 – on the Albemarle Sound Bridge.

It’s one of the longest bridges in the state – a span of approximately 3.5 miles.

 

The “entering Washington County sign” says: “Welcome to Bear-olina. Where traffic ends and adventure begins!”

 

Some folks believe there are more black bears in Washington County than there are people. And they might be right. They grow big old bears here. Some exceed 800 pounds. 

Plymouth, the county seat, which was built on the banks of the Roanoke River, is being promoted as a “base camp for all your wildlife excursions.”

 

Tom Harrison of the North Carolina Black Bear Discovery Center in Plymouth is a ‘bear-ologist.” He tells visitors that eastern North Carolina black bear sows “den up for a short time and give birth to their cubs in January, but the bears don’t really hunker down for the winter.” 

“Our bears do experience metabolic changes that are an indication of hibernation,” Harrison explained. “Their heart rate slows down, their metabolism slows down, and they will sleep for periods of time during inclement weather.” 

Washington County celebrates the North Carolina Black Bear Festival in Plymouth every year on the first Saturday in June. (Great graphics!)

 

Visitors also enjoy the Port o’ Plymouth Museum, which is housed in a historic 1923 Atlantic Coast Line train depot. The facility documents Plymouth’s Civil War history. The centerpiece is the 1864 Battle of Plymouth and the “Civil War’s most successful ironclad ship” – the CSS Albemarle. 

A 63-foot replica of the 158-foot vessel floats in the Roanoke River. Another attraction is the exact-size replica of the old 1866 Roanoke River Lighthouse and an associated maritime museum in Plymouth. 

The late Harry Thompson, who was the museum curator, commented: “Lighthouse enthusiasts rival Civil War enthusiasts in their passion.” He envisioned Plymouth as “the first stop on a tour of North Carolina lighthouses.”

 

Also within Washington County is Somerset Place, a North Carolina Historic Site bordering Lake Phelps, located near Creswell. The property was one of the Upper South’s largest plantations, active from 1785-1865. 

In 1939, Somerset’s main house and six adjacent structures were incorporated into the newly formed Pettigrew State Park. In 1969, these buildings and the immediate grounds were brought under the umbrella of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

 

Thanks largely to the efforts of author Dorothy “Dot” Spruill Redford, Somerset Place “has transformed the interpretation of slavery in North Carolina,” creating a model of inclusiveness. 

The idea to run passenger ferries between the river harbor towns along the Albemarle Sound was first floated in 1997 by Estelle “Bunny” Sanders, the former Mayor of Roper, a small town in Washington County. 

Harbor Towns Cruises was officially launched in the summer of 2023 as a nonprofit organization to link the Albemarle Sound communities of Plymouth, Edenton, Hertford, Elizabeth City and Columbia with passenger ferry service.

 

The service has gotten off to a flying start, and it’s vitally important to Plymouth and the waters that are known locally as the “Braided Delta,” where the Roanoke and Cashie rivers and a few other creeks appear to crisscross.

 

“We are going to be running tours of the Braided Delta,” said Peter Thomson, CEO of Harbor Towns. “That area is (tree) stump city. We are going to have a local pilot show us where we can actually go. He will know where we can tour safely.”