PEOPLE & 



PLACES 



TOP TO BOTTOM, LEFTTO RIGHT: 

 Bath's marina on Bay Creek draws many sailboats. • 

 Bath is North Carolina's oldest town. • The Palmer- 

 Marsh house is near the marina. • The living room at 

 the Palmer-Marsh house is elegantly furnished. • 

 The basement kitchen evokes images of the past. • 

 The Bonner House is surrounded by towering elm, 

 pecan and cedar trees. • St. Thomas Episcopal Church 

 is well preserved. 



Palmer-Marsh home and a sea captain from 

 Massachusetts. 



"The house was named for the second 

 owner, Robert Palmer, and the Marsh family," 

 adds Swain. 



Most of the graves are from the Marsh 

 family, who lived in the house after the Palmers. 



PALMER-MARSH HOUSE 



Stepping inside the two-story, framed house, 

 Swain points out the home's 1 3 front windows 



ffiim that were used by the owners to look 

 out for ships coming into the port. 



"In the 1 700s, there were no 

 other homes across the street to 

 obstruct view of the water," she 

 says. "The ships would come in and 

 dock at the wharfs up and down the 

 waterfront." 



The gable-roofed home has other 

 characteristics that were exceptional 

 for the Colonial penod, including seven 

 fireplaces and a double chimney — 17 

 feet wide and four feet thick at the 

 base. 



In the front room, which was 

 used by Coutanch as an entrance to his 

 store, are the original heart pine floors. 



"Port records indicate that exotic 

 fruit may have been sold here," Swain 

 says. 



Later, the room was used by 

 Palmer as a customs office. 



On the second floor, there are several 

 bedrooms furnished in the colonial period and 

 decorated with a baby bonnet and spinning 

 wheel. 



The main bedroom is large and furnished 

 with a poster bed, desk and large chest of 

 drawers. The mantel is adorned with a sword. 



"The western side of this bedroom had a 

 beautiful view of the creek," says Swain. "When 



Continued 



COASTWATCH 23 



