Sightseeing in Beaufort.....A Mom Day 10/8/2009

This morning we drove into Beaufort so we could do some sightseeing, look in the shops along the historical waterfront and have lunch. We started on the waterfront walking along looking in any of the shops that interested Mom. Once we were done there we drove around Beaufort looking at all the older homes. Beaufort was founded in 1709, and is the third oldest in the state. Originally a Port of Entry and fishing village, Beaufort has a rich maritime history.
One of the better sites we walked through is The Old Burying Ground which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In this peaceful plot of ground, under the boughs of ancient live oak trees, weathered tombstones chronicle the heritage of Eastern North Carolina. As you walk the sandy paths of one of the state's oldest cemeteries, you can almost feel the history each grave has to tell. As early as the eighteenth century, coastal residents were laid to their final rest, many facing east - "to be facing the sun when they arose on judgment morn." The oldest legible date on a grave marker is 1756; however, many of the grave sites are much older. Many earlier graves are simply covered with cypress slabs, shells, or brick. The cemetery was deeded to the town of Beaufort in 1731. We took pictures and you will see in some of them numbered markers in front of the grave stones and they will correspond to the names and historical information below. #1-Captain Josiah Pender (1819-1864) Captain Pender led a group of 50 men who seized Fort Macon a month BEFORE North Carolina seceded from the Union in 1861. #2-Susanna Thomas (1771-1808) Note the headstone's old-style design; the face and back are flat and the edges are straight. The shape represents the gate to heaven. The style was very popular. The inscription uses the old 'f' for the letter 's'. Susanna Thomas was the spouse of Captain Thomas. #7-Reverand Bridges Arendell (1782-1850) Reverend Arendell is one of 6 Ann St. Methodist ministers buried in the Old Burying Ground. At the time of his death he lived in Morehead City. As there was no cemetery in Morehead City at that time, he was brought to Beaufort for burial. #8-Josiah Bell (1767-1843) Josiah Bell and his wife, Mary Fisher, lived on Turner Street in a house now on the Beaufort Historic Site. Like his grandfather, Joseph Bell, he was a civic and church leader. #9-Nathan Fouller (1750-1800) His ancestors are believed to have come to America on the Mayflower. He was honored by the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1987. #19-British Officer (1700's) This is the grave of an unknown officer in His Majesty's Navy who died on board ship while in the port of Beaufort. Not wanting to be buried with 'his boots off' he was buried in FULL uniform and STANDING UP --legend has it that he's positioned to be eternally saluting his King. #20-"Crissie Wright" Common Grave (January 11, 1886) To this day, Beaufort natives still use the expression 'cold as the night the 'Crissie Wright' came ashore.' The sailors who froze to death during that shipwreck are buried here. This tragedy is said to have fueled the creation of the Cape Lookout Lifesaving Station a year later. The story follows:One of the most chilling sea tales you will ever hear had its origins at Cape Lookout. Unlike many other coastal legends, this story is quite true. There are still Beaufort natives who will tell you that their grandparents saw what happened that terrible night in January of 1886. It seems that a fine three-masted schooner, the Crissie Wright, was making her way north along the North Carolina coast when bad weather threatened. The captain decided not to brave the Diamond Shoals in the deteriorating conditions, so he set course for Cape Lookout Bight. As the ship approached the harbor, the main mast brace parted. The stricken vessel drifted helplessly onto the shoals, where it lay broadside and was broached by every incoming wave. The breakers were much too high to launch any lifeboats, so the captain and crew took to the rigging. Meanwhile, most of the residents of nearby Diamond City gathered on the banks to watch the ship's plight. The whalers tried repeatedly to launch their small boats, but to no avail. The would-be rescuers built a huge bonfire on the beach, hoping some of the crew could swim to shore. It was not to be. As the horrified residents watched, the captain and several crew members were swept overboard. The night became bitterly cold. To this day, Beaufort natives still use the expression "cold as the night the Crissie Wright came ashore." The next morning, the waves subsided, and the whalers were able to reach the stranded craft. They found four men wrapped in the jib sail. Three were frozen solid, but one, the ship's cook, was alive. He died a scant year later, never having recovered from his ordeal. #24-Girl in Barrel of Rum (1700's) In the 1700's an English family came to settle in Beaufort. As the daughter grew, she begged to see her homeland in England. Finally, her father agreed to take her with him on a trip to London. Her mother did not like the idea but was finally persuaded by the little girl. The father promised to return his daughter home to Beaufort without fail. After visiting London, the girl fell sick and died on the return voyage. It was the custom to bury at sea, but her father had made a promise. He purchased a barrel of rum from the captain and sealed her body in it in order to bring her home for burial. #25-Captain Christian Wulff (1810-1856) An unusually carved stone was sent from Denmark by a devoted sister to mark the grave of Captain Wulff of the Royal Danish Navy. Wulff had died of yellow fever while in Beaufort and the local ladies who tended him while sick had corresponded with his sister. #27-Captain James Lente Manney (1827-1889) A graduate of Columbia Medical College, Manney went to the California Gold Rush in 1849. He returned (without treasure) to Beaufort and began a medical practice. In 1861, he participated in the militia takeover of Fort Macon. He later became an artillery Company Commander in the Confederate Army. He was captured when the Union retook Fort Macon but was part of a prisoner exchange and returned to Confederate service. He participated in the attempt to retake New Bern, North Carolina from the Union in 1864, and served with General Lee's army at Petersburg, VA in 1865. After the war he returned to Beaufort and reopened his medical practice. The last grave site we saw was that of Captain Otway Burns (1775-1850) Of all the graves at the Burying Ground, THIS one is one of the two must-sees. His tomb is surmounted by a cannon taken from his privateer, 'Snap Dragon'. Historians say he was one of North Carolina's greatest naval heroes in the War of 1812. He received Letters of Marque and Reprisal from the U.S., which had only a small navy. He sailed from Nova Scotia to South America plundering British ships. It is said he captured cargo worth more than $2 Million on one trip alone. He had a $50,000 price set on his head by the British. After the war Burns turned to shipbuilding and later served in the North Carolina legislature. In his later years, and of declining fortune, North Carolina made him a light-ship keeper near Portsmouth Island (below current Ocracoke Island). He died there but was ferried to Beaufort for burial. The town of Burnsville, in the mountains of NC, was named for Otway Burns and a statue of him stands in the center of that town's square.
After finishing the walking tour we finished riving around the town looking at the rest of the historical section. Then we stopped at the Spouter's Pub for lunch. We sat on the porch overlooking the waterfront and had a very nice relaxing lunch. After lunch we stopped at their bakery and picked up some eclairs and a piece of coconut pie for Mom to take back to the coach. Then it was on back for an afternoon of relaxing and watching TV. Well time to close for now so until next time we love and miss you all. Mom & Dad Dori & Dick