Perquimans County boasts 100 miles of shoreline and perhaps more “firsts” to its credit than any other county in North Carolina. The first land deed and first recorded sale of land by an Indian to a white man occurred here. The first permanent settlement, the first courthouse, and the first church service can be traced back to Perquimans as well. The county is said to have taken its name from an Indian word meaning “land of beautiful women”.
The first known inhabitants of Perquimans were the Yeopim Indians, a branch of the family of Algonquins, who were initially friendly towards the Englishmen who moved into the area. In fact, King Kiskitano of the Yeopim sold land in Perquimans to George Durant in 1661 and 1662. The dates of these recorded deeds make them some of the oldest land records in North Carolina, and the first between an Indian and a White Man. Durant encouraged others to come from Virginia and settle in the area they called “the Southward.” After that time, many prominent leaders called the large farms along the necks of the Perquimans River home. Quaker and Anglican heritage can still be seen in the many fine antebellum homes that have survived; in fact, many of the earliest settlers still have descendants in Perquimans County.
The Perquimans River bisects the county and separates two major peninsulas known as Durants Neck to the northeast and Harveys Neck to the southeast. The county is politically divided into five townships – Belvidere, Bethel, Hertford, New Hope, and Parkville. The county seat, the town of Hertford sits at the narrows of the river on land previously referred to Phelps Point. Across the river is the only other town in the county, Winfall.
Winfall is a well-preserved small town that evolved from a crossroads community into a commercial and residential center. The arrival of the Norfolk and Southern Railroad in 1881 initiated the growth of the town. Although the economy of Perquimans County has always been rooted in agriculture — from corn, wheat and cotton in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries to tobacco, peanuts and soybeans in the twentieth century — the lumber industry bolstered the economy by the early twentieth century. The success of the community during this period is reflected in the collection of late 19th and early-to-mid 20th century buildings that line Main Street.
The first bridge across the Perquimans River was built on whiskey barrels in 1798 and was replaced a hundred years later with a drawbridge. In 1928, the current historic ‘S’ Bridge replaced the drawbridge, and is the only S-shaped draw bridge still in use in the U.S. Legend has it that Benny Davis was crossing the bridge one evening in 1927 and saw a beautiful harvest moon reflected in the river. He was missing his sweetheart terribly and was inspired to pen the words of the famous song “Carolina Moon.”
After the construction of the first float bridge across the river, the town of Hertford became more accessible and began to grow. The following quarter century was a period of major growth for the town, during which it attained a character and appearance still readily discernible in existing institutions and buildings. Hertford is a Main Street Town listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Nestled alongside the Perquimans River, the picturesque downtown includes excellent examples of 18th and 19th century architecture and historic cemeteries. The founders of Quakerism visited Hertford during their first American missionary journey, and from their simple preaching came the beginning of organized religion in North Carolina. Quaint shops and cafes now line the town’s streets of Hertford, the seventh-oldest town in the state.
Located a few minutes from the historic downtown Hertford is the Newbold-White House. From its location on the Perquimans River, the Newbold-White House, a Colonial Quaker homestead, tells the story of the Abraham and Judith Sanders family. The house served as an important meeting place for the state’s Quaker congregations as well as a center for governmental courts and assemblies. It stands as a unique link to North Carolina’s Proprietary period. Dating to 1730, the house is the oldest house in the state open to the public and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.