Bath NC Tri-centennial

[CaptainCiaran]

Ye may already be aware that North Carolina's oldest town, Bath, is celebrating its 300th birthday this year. The NC General Assembly will kick off the celebrations on this Tuesday, 8 March, by meeting there for the first time since the 1700s.

In addition to Ocracoke, Blackbeard called Bath home and it was here that Gov. Charles Eden reportedly conducted Blackbeard's marriage to his 14th bride. I be sure that Blackbeard will be well represented in Bath during the 2005 events and perchance ye will want to attend some of the celebrations.

Here are a couple of links to Bath Tri-centennial celebrations:

http://www.historicbathnc.com/

http://www.beaufort-county.com/Bath/bath.html

Yo ho,

Captain Ciaran

[CaptainCiaran]

Blackbeard, himself, addressed the North Carolina General Assembly as they met in Bath on Tuesday, kicking off the first town's 300th birthday.

Here is a link to the news article with a slide show. The 6th photo in those slides shows a superb photo of Blackbeard (who I believe in real life is Ben Cherry, who some of ye will know).

http://www.wral.com/news/4267586/detail.html

[Captain Jim-sib]

Portions of my report from Bath that was sent to NQG:

The main opening ceremony consisted of the NC General Assembly meeting again in Bath. They had not met there since 1752. The General Assembly met in the gym of Bath Elementary School. The K-5 students and teachers, population of about 600, were dressed in colonial and pirated attire. School principal Pam Hodges welcomed the Lt. Governor, President Pro-tem, members of the General Assembly, and guests to the March 8th opening ceremony. The gym has a seating capacity of 1120, and it is estimated that overall attendance was 1200(+/-) with approximately 75 in the “standing room only” section.

The General Assembly read into record proposed bill HR-497 which recognizes the historical and cultural importance of Bath, NC. The bill includes a history of Bath and three sections. Sec. 1 states that the General Assembly honors the town of Bath. Sec. 2 states that the General Assembly honors the citizens of Bath. Sec. 3 states that a certified copy of HR-497 will be given to the Town of Bath. The Assembly offered not to debate the resolution. The floor was opened for discussion, and the Chair recognized Blackbeard, portrayed by Ben Cherry, who addressed the Assembly and guests to “enjoy the day and celebration.” A roll call vote was held in the Assembly, and HR-497 was passed unanimously with all “Aye” and one very boisterous “AARRRR”.

Opening ceremonies began promptly at 11 a.m.. At about 11:30 a.m., the squall line that had been moving across the southeast Atlantic region hit Bath. The 60-foot long circus/dining tent where the catered lunch was to be served was leveled by the tornado force winds, and so lunch was served inside the gym. Many tree limbs fell down, and security barricades were scattered far from their original settings. It was this storm that grounded NC Governor Easly’s airplane at Raleigh, so he was not present at this event.

After lunch the festivities continued with period music played by a student string ensemble, local folklorists reflecting on Bath, fencing demonstrations, and the dedication of the John Lawson marker on Bonner Point. John Lawson was the original surveyor of the town. Also, the original 1663 Carolina Charter document was on public display. State Archivists informed viewers that this the first time in ten years that the Charter had left Raleigh. The three large parchments are framed with UV protective glass and reads as it is…a land / property transfer ...with all the lawyers’ “legalease” that are in present land sales.

During lunch break a brief interview was held with Blackbeard actor Ben Cherry. He plans to be at the September Maritime Heritage Festival. Also, with the General Assembly and Lt. Governor present that day, Mr. Cherry’s metal cutlass was questioned and inspected by State Troopers and SBI agents.

Best Regards to all

[CaptainCiaran]

Thank ye, Captain Jim, fer the thorough report. I wish I could have been there, but me work interfered.

I especially like Nature's way of makin herself known during the ceremony! Twas hailing here in Durham as the front came through!