N.C. redistricting ‘joins’ Carteret and Washington counties

North Carolina’s new state senate map has some goofy geography, especially in the eastern section of the state.

The senate’s new 1st District is anchored by Carteret County as the main population center, but legislators have tossed in seven other counties. Three – Pamlico, Hyde and Dare – have similar coastal characteristics to Carteret and share common issues and concerns. 

The other four counties also have water-based economies and are situated on the Albemarle Sound. Consider today’s column much like a travelogue, beginning with Washington County.

 

Measuring from county seat to county seat – Beaufort to Plymouth – the “highway distance” between the towns is about 111 miles. 

Washington County has a population of 11,013, ranking it fifth from the bottom among the state’s least-inhabited 100 counties. In contrast, Carteret has 69,578 people, 39th from the top. 

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 there. Some exceed 700 or 800 pounds. Tourism officials say: “Welcome to Bear-olina. Where traffic ends and adventure begins!”

 Plymouth, which is on the Roanoke River, is being promoted as a “base camp for all your wildlife excursions.” This area is where some of the world’s largest black bears and highest black bear densities are found.

 

Abundant agricultural crops are fringed by extensive forests and swamps, making this an ideal habitat for bears, birds and all kinds of wildlife. 

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 on June 4, 2022, which coincides with National Black Bear Day on the first Saturday of June. 

If you’re going to the festival, also plan to visit 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. Visitors can also tour an exact-size replica of the old 1866 Roanoke River Lighthouse and an associated maritime museum in Plymouth. 

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. 

Just for fun, drive north across the Albemarle Sound Bridge (N.C. Routes 32, 37 and 94), which is about 3.5 miles long, one of the longest bridges in the state. On the other side, welcome to Chowan County, another of the eight counties now in the state senate 1st District.