A Brief Maritime History of the Oriental Area of Pamlico County . by Wilson Angley • A Brief Maritime History of the Oriental Area of Pamlico County by Wilson Angley 25 August 1987 Research Branch Division of Archives and History • :North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources In July of 1585 Sir Richard Grenville' s expedition sailed southward from the mouth of the Pamlico River am along the eastern shoreline of what • is now Pamlico County. This expedition aH?arently reached a point just be­ low the IOOuth of Broad Creek before turning northeastward toward the lower e m of Portsm:>uth Islam. Algonquian Imian towns then in existence in the present Pamlico County were Secotaoc, near Hobucken, am Pcm:mik, in the vicinity of Maribel. Both of these aboriginal settlements were situated north of the Bay River, a considerable distance from what is now the town of Oriental.1 In the mid-1950s archaeologist William G. Haag comucted an admittedly "cursory examination" of the Neuse River area from New Bern eastward to the Pamlico Soum. No aboriginal sites were identified in the Oriental vicini­ ty; however, Haag ' s survey was far from exhaustive, am he made particular mention of the fact that the north shore of the Neuse, like that of the 2 nearby Pamlico, was very rich in terms of its archaeological potential. '!here can be little doubt that the Neuse River am the creeks in the present Oriental area saw at least intermittent use by Algonquian groups am later by representatives of the Bay River tribe, which emured in the general vicinity until after the TUscarora Wars of 1711-1715. Arrl, imeed, during the 1970s it was reported that Wian artifacts hcrl been located along the shores of Whittaker Creek, which debouches into the Neuse River just east of Oriental.3 In the early years of the eighteenth century, historian am naturalist John Lawson reported that the Bay (or Bear} River Imians could ruster only 4 about fifty fighting men. 'Ibis tribe, however, hcrl been of sufficient importance to attract the diplomatic efforts of Carolina' s proprietary • govermtent as recently as 1699. Moreover, in light of the early shipwreck 2 recently located along the south bank of Greens Creek near Oriental, it • is perhaps significant that the agreement str uck that year with the Iooians had included a provision that they came to the assistance of shipwrecked mariners ar:rl aid in the safekeeping of salvaged cargoes. 5 App:irently, even then it was well recognized that the waters of Pamlico Sourrl aoo the lower Neuse could be perilous urrler adverse coooitions. Eighteenth-century maps of North Carolina give virtually no indication that the eastern shoreline of present-day Parnlico County was settled to any appreciable extent; yet this was precisely the area where settlement of the entire Neuse basin began. Indeed, the present Oriental area has been called the very "cradle of Neuse colonization. "6 'Ihe earliest known set­ tlers of this area included William Powell, 'Ihomas Lepper, Richard Smith, 'Ihomas Yeates, ar:rl Farnifold Green. 7 For many years the present Whittaker Creek was known as Powells Creek, after William Powell; aoo the names of Smith Creek ar:rl Greens Creek still commemorate their associations with Richard Smith ar:rl Farnifold Green.8 It is significant to note that William Powell was a shiprwright by trade at the time of his removal to the present Oriental area about 1703.9 It is at least possible that he continued the construction or rep:1ir of vessels in the new location. Richard Smith, moreover, is several times referred to in early records as "Capt. Richard Smith," although this may well connote a militia rank rather than a maritime occup:1tion.10 'lhe individual most instrunental in settling the present Oriental was, most probably, Farnifold Green, who obtained several large tracts of lar:rl there in the early years of the eighteenth century. In 1707 he received a • proprietary grant for some 1,700 acres of land between Greens and Smith 3 creeks; and it was here that he established his "Green's Neck" plantation. • In another of his several acquisitions of land, he received 640 acres "at Greens Point in Powells Creek in Neuse."11 As a praninent planter in the relatively sparsely settled area, Green was involved in nlllrerous land transactions and held the rank of captain in 12 the Bath County militia. On at least two occasions during the early days of the Tuscarora Wars, Green wrote to Virginia governor Alexander Spots­ wood, informing him of the plight of settlers on the lower Neuse and asking for his assistance.13 Following a renewal of violence in 1712, Green was appointed "Commissary to impress and supply the army with anything that is to be had in Bath County." Particularly needed, a:fP3rently, were large quantities of corn and other provisions to sustain colonial forces.14 It is entirely possible that Green's position as commissary gave rise to a small amount of early vessel traffic to and from his principal plantation on Greens Creek. It may well have been Green's leadership position that resulted final­ ly in retribution against Green himself, his family, and his plantation. In 1714 Indians launched a surprise attack, killing Green, one of his sons, a white servant, and two slaves. Another of his sons was wounded in the at­ tack, and his plantation and home on Greens Creek were laid waste.15 In the will that he had drawn sozre three years prior to his death, Green had provided that the "land in Greens Neck whereon I now live" should devolve to his sons JaJres and Farnifold II. As events unfolded, this land would remain in the hands of his descendants for more than a century to come. 16 It was not until after 1710 arrl the founding of New Bern that the • Smith Creek and nearby Wilkinson's Point areas were finally supplanted as 4 the focal points of settlE!!Ient on the Neuse River. Although the records • are not specific as to the route taken or the roode of transportation employed by the initial settlers of New Bern, it is probable that they proceeded past the mouth of Smith Creek am upriver to their final destina­ tion in small sailboats or shallops provided by Thomas Pollock in the Albemarle.17 These vessels were surely among the first to travel as far upstream as the New Bern area, but they were umoubtedly preceeded by canoes, periaugers, am other assorted craft on the lower Neuse am in the waters of the Pamlico Sourrl. The only vessel rrentioned by narre in connection with the early settle- rrent of New Bern was the sloop Returne, which was purchased for L200 by Baron Christopher de Graffenried' s associate, Franz Ludwig Michael. Plans were, in fact, made during the early days of the fledgling settlarent for extensive use of the Returne in the West Indian trade; am the vessel is known to have made at least one voyage to Bermuda early in 1711, j ust 18 ronths before the outbreak of the '1\lscarora Wars. In addition to the Returne, Graffenried am Michael also acquired a shallop (or barque) for use on the sourrls am rivers of the coastal region.19 Having gained some acquaintance with the comi tions of life i n the coastal region am with the heavy depemence of settlers on trade am transportation by water, Graffenried observed that it was an "absolute 20 necessity to keep shallops am boats upon the rivers. n Although SOJrewhat unrealistic as to its size, Graffenried also acknowledged the need for a larger, ocean-going vessel for use in nore extensive trade: It would be very useful to purchase a ship of about ninety tons burden. A ship with three masts is better than a brigantine, am when it is loaded it must not go deeper than eight feet in the water; • in fact a half foot less rather than more • • • • It trust be sheathed in 5 order to be assured against worms. These worms attack ships at all • tines fran May to September •••• When the ship is loaded arrl draws seven arrl a half, or at roost, eight feet, you can travel with it into the country arrl up into the Neuse. A little ship such as that strongly built of good wood arrl well nailed can always be used; sometitres to transport pork, beef, flour, cask staves, hoops, etc. , to the Barb<rlos; arrl fran there by barter, to take sugar, cotton, rum, rrolasses to Carolina; occasionally to carry Carolina goods to the Madeiras to excha!YJe for wine; to go occasionally, with a load of rice, hides, peltry, tar arrl pitch to Englarrl, to unload the tar, pitch, hides arrl peltry in a harbor in that country, but to bring the rice to Hollarrl arrl sell it; arrl so bring into Carolina all sorts of English goods, as iron ware, wooden stuff, duffles cloth, blankets for the savages, coarse linen, hats, stockings, yhoes, powder, shot, rm.lSkets arrl whatever else would be available. 2 If the recently discovered shipwreck near Oriental proves to date from the early eighteenth century, it is possible that it r epresents the remains of a vessel very similar to the ~:me described contemporaneously by Graffenried as being well suited to the Neuse River trade. The apparent age of the shipwreck has prompted at least some speculation that it might somehow have been associated with the nefarious activities of North Carolina's rrost notorious pirate, Blackbeard (Edward Teach). Follow- ing a brief but profitable period of piracy in the West Irrlies, arrl the daring blockade of the harbor at Charlestown, South Carolina, Blackbeard sailed northward along the Atlantic coastline to the present Beaufort Inlet, where he parted company with Stede Bonnet arrl disbarrled rrost of his follow­ ing of four hurrlred rren.