Historic Beaufort NC, Morehead City, Down East Carteret County Photos by James Piver

Beaufort Area Scenes

Click to enlarge Photo by Patrick Moore

Photos of Historic Beaufort, Morehead City and
Down East Carteret County, NC
by
James Piver

"To those of you who aren’t familiar with Beaufort, North Carolina, it is a small, quaint community by the sea that was first established in 1709 – Fishtowne, it was called.

For hundreds of years residents struggled and gained their subsequent strength and determination by taking the risk of being isolated – most surviving by living, directly or indirectly, off the sea.

Growth was slow, but residents protected the land and built sturdy homes – most constructed by shipwrights - that have survived all the wars and hundreds of hurricanes.

Some larger homes were built by plantation owners who used these town homes to conduct their businesses. The sailing ships of the day were their connection to the rest of the world - for shipping, trading and even sending mail.

Fishermen built small utilitarian fishing cottages. Homes and businesses were handed down from generation to generation. Perhaps this is the main reason that Beaufort, unlike any other coastal NC town, boasts so many of its original homes. Families held onto their heritage.

Today Beaufort is still somewhat of a hidden jewel. It is a place where visitors can take a step back in time, while enjoying the slow pace, the surrounding vistas of a barrier island and the peacefulness of it all.

This ambiance – this sense of place - is what visitors come to experience and what Beaufortites want to preserve." by Mary Warshaw