Bath, North Carolina
Encyclopedia
Bath is a town in Beaufort County
, North Carolina
, United States
. The population was 268 at the 2008 census. Incorporated in 1705, Bath was North Carolina's first port of entry. Bath is North Carolina's oldest town, celebrating its 300th anniversary in 2005. Bath is located in North Carolina's coastal plains region.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²), of which, 0.4 square miles (1 km²) of it is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²) of it (65.71%) is water.
of 2000, there were 275 people, 122 households, and 86 families residing in the town. The population density
was 759.0 people per square mile (294.9/km²). There were 150 housing units at an average density of 414.0 per square mile (160.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.64% White, 2.91% African American, 1.09% Native American, and 0.36% from other races
. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.82% of the population.
There were 122 households out of which 21.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.3% were married couples
living together, 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.5% were non-families. 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.73.
In the town the population was spread out with 19.6% under the age of 18, 3.3% from 18 to 24, 21.1% from 25 to 44, 32.0% from 45 to 64, and 24.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $50,625, and the median income for a family was $58,125. Males had a median income of $45,625 versus $23,958 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $23,029. About 8.0% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.8% of those under the age of eighteen and 11.3% of those sixty five or over.
. Three subjects loom large in Bath's history. In chronological order, they are:
Beaufort County, North Carolina
- Law and government :Beaufort County is a member of the Mid-East Commission regional council of governments.Beaufort County is one of the proposed sites for a Navy outlying landing field. This practice airfield would allow pilots to simulate landings on an aircraft carrier...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 268 at the 2008 census. Incorporated in 1705, Bath was North Carolina's first port of entry. Bath is North Carolina's oldest town, celebrating its 300th anniversary in 2005. Bath is located in North Carolina's coastal plains region.
Geography
Bath is located at 35°28′28"N 76°48′32"W (35.474437, -76.808863).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²), of which, 0.4 square miles (1 km²) of it is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²) of it (65.71%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 275 people, 122 households, and 86 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 759.0 people per square mile (294.9/km²). There were 150 housing units at an average density of 414.0 per square mile (160.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.64% White, 2.91% African American, 1.09% Native American, and 0.36% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.82% of the population.
There were 122 households out of which 21.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.3% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.5% were non-families. 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.73.
In the town the population was spread out with 19.6% under the age of 18, 3.3% from 18 to 24, 21.1% from 25 to 44, 32.0% from 45 to 64, and 24.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $50,625, and the median income for a family was $58,125. Males had a median income of $45,625 versus $23,958 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $23,029. About 8.0% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.8% of those under the age of eighteen and 11.3% of those sixty five or over.
History and Legends
Bath was the first nominal capital of North Carolina, but the colony had no permanent institutions of government until their establishment in New BernNew Bern, North Carolina
New Bern is a city in Craven County, North Carolina with a population of 29,524 as of the 2010 census.. It is located at the confluence of the Trent and the Neuse rivers...
. Three subjects loom large in Bath's history. In chronological order, they are:
- BlackbeardBlackbeardEdward Teach , better known as Blackbeard, was a notorious English pirate who operated around the West Indies and the eastern coast of the American colonies....
the pirate, who figured prominently during the town's earliest days. - The curse of Methodist evangelist George WhitefieldGeorge WhitefieldGeorge Whitefield , also known as George Whitfield, was an English Anglican priest who helped spread the Great Awakening in Britain, and especially in the British North American colonies. He was one of the founders of Methodism and of the evangelical movement generally...
. "...the famous Methodist evangelist George Whitfield, who personified the Great Awakening in America, made a visit to the town. Whitfield was deeply troubled about what he called Bath's "deadly sins." In fact, he was so concerned for Bath, he visited the town on four occasions between 1747 and 1762 to preach the gospel. But his calls for repentance fell on deaf ears. On his fourth visit, even the church refused to allow him to preach. T. Jensen Lacy in his book, Amazing North Carolina writes: "Whitfield finally gave up on converting Bath ... Just like the disciples of old, he drove his wagon to the outskirts of town, removed his shoes, shook the dirt from them, and put a curse on the town. He told onlookers that the Bible said people who couldn't get sinners to reform were to do just what he had done, and by shaking the dust of Bath from his shoes, the town would be cursed for its hardness of heart against the Word." Whitfield declared, "I say to the village of Bath, village you shall remain, now and forever, forgotten by men and nations until such time as it pleases God to turn the light of His countenance again upon you." Interestingly, Bath has never prospered. The village has suffered a number of setbacks throughout history. It still remains almost entirely within the same boundaries laid out by its primary founder, John Lawson. It's a sleepy little village on the North Carolina coast, largely "forgotten by men and nations."
- Edna FerberEdna FerberEdna Ferber was an American novelist, short story writer and playwright. Her novels were especially popular and included the Pulitzer Prize-winning So Big , Show Boat , and Giant .-Early years:Ferber was born August 15, 1885, in Kalamazoo, Michigan,...
's novel Show BoatShow BoatShow Boat is a musical in two acts with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It was originally produced in New York in 1927 and in London in 1928, and was based on the 1926 novel of the same name by Edna Ferber. The plot chronicles the lives of those living and working...
, and its subsequent film and Broadway adaptations. Ferber's inspiration came from her time aboard the showboatShowboatA showboat, or show boat, was a form of theater that traveled along the waterways of the United States, especially along the Mississippi and Ohio rivers . A showboat was basically a barge that resembled a long, flat-roofed house, and in order to move down the river, it was pushed by a small tugboat...
James Adams Floating Theatre when it visited Bath Creek during the spring of 1925.
Photographs of Bath
Photographs of Bath, NC.External links
- Blackbeard's Top 10 List when visiting Bath
- Forgotten by men and nations, the Methodist Curse Lives on
- Genealogy information and links
- Genealogy information, links and a bit of history
- Historic Bath and the origins of Edna Ferber's novel Show Boat
- History and links on the North Carolina state site
- History of Bath and additional useful links