Pamlico County, North Carolina: History
The area eventually comprising Pamlico County was first settled by European colonists in the early 1700s. As its swampy land proved hostile to agriculture, population would grow slowly, with early residents relying heavily on the naval stores trade. The first communities coalesced in the early 1800s. The area experienced economic growth during the Reconstruction era.
Pamlico County was formed by white supremacists in the North Carolina General Assembly in 1872 from eastern portions of Beaufort and Craven counties to further their political interests. It was named for the Pamlico Sound, which adjoins it, which itself was named for a Native American tribe. According to David Leroy Corbitt, the county court convened at a store Vandemere until 1876, when the town of Bayboro was designated the county seat. Historian Joe Mobley states that the court's location varied until Bayboro was designated. Portions of Beaufort County were annexed by Pamlico in 1874, 1875, and 1891, while a portion of Craven was annexed in 1875. The county court met in rented facilities in Bayboro until the county's first purpose built courthouse was constructed in 1893. The present courthouse was built by the Works Progress Administration in 1939.
The completion of the Pamlico, Oriental & Western Railroad connecting New Bern in Craven County and the Pamlico town of Oriental in 1906 facilitated county growth. The county is anchored on the east by Oriental, a popular waystation for boaters traveling the Intracoastal Waterway, and by unincorporated Lowland. New Bern across the county line in Craven County to the west, is the primary trade area for Pamlico County. The unincorporated community of Olympia is in the western portion of the county.