A Visit to Bath

I've been going to the Southern Outer Banks for four years now, spending a relaxing summer week walking along the shores of the Atlantic Ocean on Bogue Banks. I've always enjoyed the smallness of the area, the pace far less harried and far less crowded than childhood trips to the Delaware beaches. Not to mention the undulating blues and greens of the water, a very definite change from the steely, murky chill of the ocean further north. 

These trips to North Carolina have rekindled a dormant interest of mine: pirates. While I'm not thinking of donning an eye patch and role-playing as a pirate wench anytime soon, I do find the history of the buccaneers rather interesting. Coastal North Carolina certainly has deep connections to pirates of yesteryear, though none casts quite as large a shadow as does Blackbeard. 

Every summer, I always drive by the legendary seafaring scoundrel's (alleged) home in Beaufort, Hammock House, but only this past month ventured to another of his supposed digs, Bath. 

A sleepy hamlet about an hour from my home base of Pine Knoll Shores, Bath lays claim to being the oldest town in North Carolina (circa 1705). It's not to say historical preservation efforts don't exist in Bath, it's just that there isn't as much in the way of truly old structures as I had anticipated there might be. Another thing I found mildly puzzling was the lack of emphasis placed on Blackbeard and his possible tenure in Bath. 

That being said, one overpoweringly sultry September morning, I made the drive to Bath. The drive was full of quiet two-lane roads and lots of scenic farmland, which I've found to be typical of Eastern North Carolina.  It's a really pretty part of the world.

Beginning my visit, obviously, at the Visitor's Center, I then walked over to the nearby house with the gambrel roof, the Van Der Veer House. It's been restored, though only the first floor is open to visitors. The rooms these days hold Bath-centric exhibits and relics, and there is the odd mention of Blackbeard peppered throughout. It was a darling house, though I wish the upper floor had been open as well.

After that, it was back in the car with air-conditioning going full blast for a few short minutes for the drive over to the Bonner House, my favorite of the handful of Bath homes open to the public. The charming white house is located on what I consider to be the prime piece of land in town. Located on a point where two creeks meet before feeding into the Pamlico, the home is surrounded by natural beauty, kissed by breezes and blessed with calming, scenic creekside views.

The main floor consists of two gracious rooms, the parlor/drawing room and dining room, and one bedroom. As with many historic homes, few of the contents actually belonged to any of the home's families, but the rooms are lovely. 

I couldn't help myself, and I snuck a photo of the dining room (sorry, Historic Bath, but I just loved this house). I found the home cozy and rather lovely. The furnishings were well-chosen and fit the character of the home perfectly. Of special note were the dining chairs, accented with an unusual tulip decoration, the likes of which I haven't seen before. A bedroom accessed from the dining room was converted to accommodate extra family members, according to our guide. 

Upstairs, three bedrooms followed the modern tendency in that the two secondary bedrooms were quite small, while the master was comfortable and roomy. Painted baseboards were a unique decorative touch, as was a splendidly-colored dresser in the master that would be a covetable designer piece in any modern home.

After heading back downstairs, navigating the tricky half-step at the top of the stairs, we ventured out to the kitchen building. Not original, the place was set up with all the kitchen tools one might need in the eighteenth century. A staircase at the side led to what would have been sleeping quarters for house slaves. I took one last look at the creek from the Bonner House's front porch, and one last look at the names of various ladies of the home's families that were etched in the window glass. A house well worth being toured, in my opinion. 

Next, it was back to the Visitor's Center for the final tour of the day, the Palmer-Marsh House. The home, which struck me as something you might see much further north than North Carolina, was built for a gentleman of French/Gaelic blood, and then inhabited by the Palmer and Marsh families. Definitely not the style of house I'd expect in North Carolina.

The hall was large, and the ceilings unusually high. As with the Bonner House, furnishings were not original to the house, but were period. One of the first floor rooms was typical to merchants, in that there was a door opening to the street to allow the master of the house to do business while keeping it away from the main part of the house. 

Upstairs, the bedrooms were all of a good size, another surprising feature of the Palmer-Marsh place. The most unique, and curious, feature of the home was the basement kitchen. In an era where most kitchens were, quite sensibly, kept away from the main house, the P-M House kitchen was in the basement. Not only that but the floor was not finished, and given the area's propensity to have ground water issues with heavy rains the kitchen must have been a terrible place during summer storms. It would have been a hot, muddy mess.

One last drive through the streets, and then it was back to the beach. All told, I'm quite happy to have finally made it to Bath. I just hope they start to cash in a little more on their Blackbeard ties, loose though they may be.  Perhaps someone will do some excavation and discover some Blackbeard site, leading to additional tourist appeal. And appeal for history nerds like me!



Photos copyright Megan Petty