According to John White’s map, the first English “cittie” in the new world was planned for Bertie, the most prominent headland as you sail up the Albemarle sound.  The map was later changed, and we don’t know what happened to the plans.

Bertie is a land of three rivers, the Chowan, the Roanoke (the county line is on the other side of the Roanoke, so the river is in Bertie), and the Cashie, which rises and falls entirely in the County.

Indian Woods is the site of the last significant settlement of the Tuscarora in before their final trek north. However, Tuscarora representatives are returning to Bertie for conferences and cooperation with local historians.  There is a new Tuscarora garden at Historic Hope, planted from heritage seeds donated by the Tuscarora of New York.