PEOPLE & 



PLACES 



someone purchased a 

 home in the Colonial 

 period, he owned both 

 the house and the land 

 across the street on the 

 waterfront." 



During part of 

 the 20th century, the 

 home was used as a 

 boardinghouse. 



"Edna Ferber, 

 who wrote "Show 

 Boat," stayed here when she was working on her 

 novel of a floating theatre," she adds. "The last 

 person to live here was a school teacher." 



In 1 959, the state of North Carolina 

 purchased the home and restored it. 



"The third floor was lost in afire here in 

 1989," says Swain. 



The property also has a basement, including 

 a kitchen with a huge fireplace and old kitchen 

 utensils, as well as a cellar that was used to stock 

 wine and root crops. 



"Ballast stone is used throughout the 

 foundation and can be seen from the basement," 

 says Swain. "Capt. Coutanch had a good system 

 for his 100-ton ship the New Bern." 



It would take heavy cargo, including 

 turpentine and pine derivatives, from naval stores 

 to England. On its return, the captain would bring 

 smaller items for him to sell in his merchant's 

 shop, she adds. 



"On these return voyages, the ship would be 

 weighted with ballast stones, which he apparently 

 stockpiled until building his house," says Swain. 



WATERFRONT HOME 



The next stop is the Bonner House several 

 blocks away. It overlooks Bath Bay that runs into 

 the Pamlico River. 



The bay was a good location for the pirate, 

 Blackbeard, says Swain. 



While pretending to abandon his pirate 

 career, Blackbeard established his home on Plum 

 Point and Bath Bay so he could watch all ships 

 coming to and from Bath, she adds. 



Surrounded by towering elm, pecan and 

 cedar trees, as well as dogwoods and figs, the 

 Bonner home was first used as a summer home 

 by plantation ownerjoseph Bonner. 



Inside the home, Swain points out some of 

 its original features — from delicate hand-carved 

 mantels to small blown-glass windowpanes. 



Throughout the house, there are many 

 interesting decorative painting treatments, 

 including layers of paint to imitate wood grain, 



Services are still held in St. Thomas Church in Bath. 



as well as marbelizing 

 or special finishes on 

 baseboards of the 

 upstairs bedroom. 



The next stop is 

 St. Thomas Episcopal 

 Church, built around 

 1734. The church 

 features two-foot- 

 thick solid brick walls 

 laid in Flemish bond, 

 a decorative brick 

 pattern. The building's rectangular floor plan is 

 several feet from being square. The floor is covered 

 with eight-inch square red tile, beneath which 

 lie the graves of settlers — buried in the church 

 following English custom, according to Swain. 



The church owns some interesting artifacts, 

 including a silver candelabra that was reputed to 

 have been a gift from King George II around 1 740 

 and a large silver chalice that arrived in Bath in 

 1 747, according to the Bath Town Guidebook. 



MUSEUM EXHIBITS 



The last stop is a self-guided tour of the Van 

 Der Veer House — which has a gambrel or curb 

 roof with a lower, steeper slope and an upper, 

 flatter edge on each of its two sides. It now serves 

 as a museum. 



One museum exhibit features black and 

 white photographs of the thriving naval store 

 industry in the 19th century that included pine 

 products such as turpentine. 



Photos of modem-day Bath — from boats to 

 street scenes — are also on display. 



The Blackbeard room — which has a 

 painting and story of the magical myth of the 

 pirate's last night in Ocracoke — draws a lot of 

 attention. 



Lt. Robert Maynard of the Royal Navy used 

 two sloops to corner the villainous Blackbeard, 

 according to the legend. After capturing him, 

 Maynard sailed to Bath with the pirate's head 

 hanging from the bowsprit of the ship. 



Though Blackbeard, who is believed to be 

 Edward Teach, has ceased to haunt the streets of 

 Bath, questions about him still fascinate visitors. 



During the late 70s and early '80s, the 

 outdoor drama, "Blackbeard: Knight of the Black 

 Flag," enlivened the town during the summer 

 months, according to Lynn Lewis, Bath's media 

 relations coordinator. 



"The drama is being resurrected for 

 this celebratory year and is creating a lot of 

 excitement." □ 



TRICENTENNIAL 

 EXHIBITS, EVENTS 



Throughout the year, exhibits 

 and lectures will be held to celebrate 

 Bath's Tricentennial. 



Four exhibits will be on display 

 at East Carolina Universit/sjoyner 

 Library in Greenville, including digital, 

 historical, musical and artifact 

 exhibits. 



• Digital Exhibit, runs 

 indefinitely, and features resources 

 connected with Bath's founding and 

 its 250th celebration in 1955. 



• North Carolina Collection 

 Exhibit, runs through July 31 , and 

 features artifacts excavated in 2003 by 

 ECU archaeology teams. 



• Special Collection Exhibit, 

 runs through Aug. 31 , and reflects 

 on Bath's history through maps, 

 documents, photographs, posters 

 and a variety of printed materials. 



• Music Library Exhibit, runs 

 through Aug. 13, and presents the 

 history of the outdoor musical drama, 

 "Blackbeard: Knight of the Black 

 Flag." 



The following events will be held 

 in Bath: 



• June 30-Aug. 1 3, Outdoor 

 Drama, "Blackbeard: Knight of the 

 Black Flag." 



• Sept. 22-25, Maritime 

 Heritage Days, tours of Elizabeth II, 

 Buccaneer Bash, Blessing of the Fleet, 

 picnic and concert. 



• Nov. 12-13, Military 

 Re-enactments, with re-enactors 

 from the Revolutionary War through 

 the Vietnam War. 



For more information about 

 the Bath events, call 252/923-3971 

 or visit the Web: www.historicbathnc. 

 com. For more on the ECU exhibits, go 

 online to: www.lib.ecu.edu/exhibits/. 



24 HIGH SEASON 2005 



