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10/17/07 |
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Visitors come to Beaufort's Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, to walk the streets of the third oldest town in North Carolina; a town that boasts over 100 beautiful homes over a century old, many of which were built in the 18th and 19th centuries. They also enjoy all the beautiful gardens and the old indigenous trees, especially the live oaks and yaupons. Elm trees purchased by Queen Anne in recognition of the two Beaufort streets named for her once canopied Anne Street.
The brochure for Beaufort’s annual Old Homes and Garden Tour describes the architecture as follows:
“Beaufort’s early architecture is characterized by its simplicity, function, and charm. Beaufort’s builders, always aware of the styles and tastes elsewhere, adapted popular building techniques to fit the needs of the owners, the climate, and their imagination. This has resulted in a vernacular architecture particular to Beaufort.
Beaufort’s earliest rooflines were built with gable ends. Distinctive to Beaufort is the steep pitch of these roofs at the ridge, which then breaks to cover the traditional full-length porches. This reflects Bahamian influence in architecture. Also distinctive to Beaufort are the quirky “up and down” picket fences. In the early days of Beaufort there was a requirement that the fences be “paled in.” The reason for the picket (or paled in) fences may have had some connection to an old law that said that if someone caught a pig running in the street, they were allowed to catch it, kill it, and keep half of it, but they were to give the other half to the church wardens for feed the hungry.”
Part of Beaufort’s uniqueness is the fact that all of this wonderful architecture looks outward toward the sea. There are always many sailing vessels along the docks. Wild ponies can be seen just across the inlet on Carrot Island and Bird Shoals.
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