Beaufort Harbor: Sunlight on the Courthouse

EARLY HISTORY

Native Americans fished here--waters protected from the sea by barrier islands--long before the white man began to explore and eventually settle. The Coree or Coranine tribe left their mark on the area with names like Core Sound and Core Banks.

In 1722, one year before the town of Beaufort was incorporated, then Governor Pollock confirmed an order from the Lords Proprietors appointing Beaufort as an official port.

The inlet was known as Old Topsail Inlet. In his 1734 will, John Shackelford referred to his land as "eastward of Old Topsail Inlet." Jacob Henry referred to it by that name in an 1810 letter. Old Topsail Inlet is noted on the above 1854 map inset. At some point the name evolved to "Beaufort Inlet," most likely due to maps noting "Beaufort Harbor."

--Historical Overview of Beaufort and Cape Lookout
--Beaufort - The Tow n and Why It's Unique

Rachel Carson Estuary Reserve, part of Carolina Estuarine Reserve Foundation, is located near the mouth of the Newport River in southern Carteret County, directly across Taylor's Creek from the historic town of Beaufort. This site is a complex of islands: Carrot Island, Town Marsh, Bird Shoal, and Horse Island. These islands are more than three miles long and less than a mile wide, covering 2,025 acres.

The islands and estuarine waters at the Rachel Carson site are strongly influenced by river and inlet dynamics and the twice-daily tides. Habitats found within the site include tidal flats, flooded salt marshes, ocean beach, subtidal soft bottoms, hard surfaces, dredge spoil areas, sand dunes, shrub thicket, and maritime forest. More than 200 species of birds have been observed at the site, which is located within the Atlantic Flyway. Twenty-three species are considered rare or decreasing in number. The site is an important feeding area for Wilson’s plovers in the summer and piping plovers in the winter. The shrub thicket of Middle Marsh supports an egret and heron rookery. In addition to feral horses, the river otter, gray fox, raccoon, and marsh rabbit inhabit the islands. The atlantic bottlenose dolphin swims in the deeper waters around the islands, along with 52 species of fish. Forty-seven invertebrate species common to the site include mollusks and worms. See Rachel Carson - An Overview.

Smooth Cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora)
--Alternate common name: Saltwater Cordgrass, Marsh Grass.
--Appearance: Tall, smooth grass. May be submerged at high tide. Grows 3 to 7 feet high. A shorter form, 6 to 12 inches high, occurs in low-oxygen areas of the high marsh. Green in spring and summer, turns light brown in late fall and winter.
--Habitat: Intertidal zone of salt marshes, banks of bays and creeks.
--Saltmarsh cordgrass is a tall, smooth grass ranging in height from 6 inches to 7 feet. Smooth cordgrass grows in three different sizes depending on its location in the salt marsh. It grows tallest near the water, is an intermediate size behind large cordgrass, and is shortest near the high marsh meadow grass. The shorter smooth cordgrass can often be found in areas of low elevation in the marsh. The flowering stalks resemble wheat and are arranged along one side of the stalk, similar to salt hay grass. Its leaves are thick and wide, and the root structure is strong and complex.
--Located in low marsh areas, it is flooded twice daily by the tidal action of the estuary. The complex root system of the smooth cordgrass helps bind it to the banks, preventing the tide from eroding the shoreline. Although it relies primarily on groundwater absorbed through the roots, smooth cordgrass is able to extract fresh water from salt water when the need arises. It is the main food supply for feral horses on the Rachel Carson Reserve.
--Salt marshes serve as pollution filters and as buffers against flooding and shoreline erosion

SHACKELFORD BANKS HISTORY

John (1688–1734) and Francis Shackelford patented a "plantation" on the west side of North River in 1708. In 1713 John Shackelford and Enoch Ward purchased 7000 acres referred to as the “Sea Banks.” Shackelford’s western part later became known as Shackleford Banks. John Shackelford served in the local militia from 1712 to 1743.

Part of John Shackelford's 1734 will stated: "After the death of my beloved wife Ann I give to my son John all the remainder of good and Chattle both resale and personal provided my son John does not die without issue, in such case I bequest my estate to my son James and his heirs forever also Island called Carrot." He named his land lying on the banks "Eastward of Old Topsail Inlet."

Beaufort Harbor

Friday, February 8, 2013

Sunlight on the Courthouse

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