]> Eastern North Carolina Digital History Exhibit Bath Tricentennial 1840-01-18Survey of Bath Creek 1892-10-10Diary entry about Bath visit 1902-03-24Journal entry about labors in the missionary field Bath has long been a small, rural town. While it began with promise as North Carolina’s first incorporated town, it never became the major port its founders hoped it would be. Still, during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, many wonderful structures were built that still remain, including St. Thomas Church, the Palmer-Marsh House, and the Bonner House. However, by the early nineteenth century, Bath had been surpassed by the town of Washington, further up the Pamlico River. Bath became one of Beaufort County’s many farming crossroads. However, it’s place in early North Carolina history, including its historic structures and graveyards, made the town a place people continued to visit.