Not too long ago, I wrote about North Carolina’s first town and port, Bath. Established in 1705, Bath was a bustling place where many lived life as they saw fit. Also a pirate haven, Bath had somewhat of a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ mentality. In the early days, it saw success as a port, settlement, and as the first town of North Carolina. But things can’t always stay sunny, and in my research of the town, I also found something unique: Bath might actually be cursed.
On the surface, Bath is a historically charming riverside town. Today, it is deemed somewhat sleepy, yet still a popular destination for boaters and history buffs.
In its earliest days, Bath was a popular port, and all walks of life visited and partied here. It was a pirate haven, so much so the infamous Blackbeard called it home.
Bath, while charming, also had a wild side. It was a place where people chose how they lived, to put it in simple terms - it was a fun, laid back place. Yet, one certain person caught word of Bath's reputation. The traveling evangelist George Whitefield heard of Bath's legacy - and decided to pay a visit.
Whitefield traveled with a coffin to demonstrate that he wasn't scared of the afterlife. To add to that, he also slept in it each night. His sermons, strong and powerful, were said to have a five-mile reach. When he arrived at Bath, he was greeted by townspeople telling him to turn around, that his word wasn't necessary here.
Whitefield was known for his stern sermon describing hellfire and damnation. His sermons were part of the "Great Awakening" that spread through the colonies before the Revolutionary War. When greeted in Bath by locals who told him he'd put that coffin to use if he stayed, he was perturbed. Feeling rather unappreciated, he said, "If a place won't listen to The Word, you shake the dust of the town off your feet, and the town shall be cursed. I have put a curse on this town for a hundred years."
Whitefield, and his coffin, left the town of Bath. Residents moved on with their life and everything seemed seemingly great...that is, until a nearby town seemed to emerge overnight, not only that, it became a more popular port than Bath - leaving boats steering away.
Situated on the Pamlico River, nearby Washington was established in the 1770s and quickly rose to prominence as the most popular trading port. Washington offered easier accessibility, and with that Bath lost much prosperity.
Bath quickly dwindled into a sleepy town on the "backwater." While a few prominent figures lived in the town, Bath retained that reputation well into the 19th century. Whitefield, taking full credit, bragged and spread the story of how had singlehandedly cursed Bath, maybe even using it as a warning.
Is Bath actually cursed? Had you heard this story before? In my opinion, it’s a beautiful place and maybe was always meant to be somewhat quiet. Yet again, North Carolina has plenty of fascinating history, myths and legends.
While the “Curse of Bath” could merely be fiction, the Lost Colony is fact – and archaeologists think they might have finally solved this great mystery.
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