From Historic Port of Washington Project 

Travel back in time as two Historic Port of Washington presenters tell you about the ages of sail and steam on the Pamlico and Tar Rivers.

“The Ages of Sail and Steam on the Pamlico–Tar River” will be held Saturday in the North Carolina Estuarium auditorium from 11 a.m. until noon during the Washington Marine Market.

Gillian Hookway-Jones will take you back to the days when sailing ships were common on the Pamlico River. Beginning in 1585, Jones will recount the earliest sailing vessels to navigate our coastal waters when John White sailed from Roanoke Island to the lower Pamlico River to sketch the Pomouik tribe of Native Americans. In addition, she will describe how Washington grew from a fledgling port in the late 1700s to become a major shipbuilding center for North Carolina prior to the Civil War. The heyday of the port as a shipping and mercantile center will be recounted as the age of sail was coming to a close toward the end of the 19th century.

Hookway-Jones’ talk will include images of 18th-, 19th-, and early 20th-century sailing workboats and sailing ships common to coastal Carolina’s waters as well as the work of maritime artist Douglas Alvord. Alvord’s work for the Historic Port of Washington (HPOW) is available for viewing at the museum every Saturday from 9:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.

Rick Zablocki will take you back in time to around 1887 through the eyes of a deckhand on a Tar River steamboat and tell you about the evolution of steamboat commerce in the port of Washington. Rick will share how the steamers traversed the Pamlico River to the east to ports of the middle Atlantic coast and traveled to towns on the Tar River as far as west as Tarboro.  You’ll learn how steamboats enabled farmers and merchants to expand their operations and to ship large quantities of agricultural, timber, mercantile products, as well as passengers up and down eastern North Carolina’s coastal rivers. He’ll also tell you about how, prior to the Civil War, steamboats allowed limited “freedom” for many of North Carolina’s enslaved citizens. Serving as deckhands and pilots on steamboats, as well as working as stevedores at warehouses and landings, these seamen became critical to the expansion and success of steamboat commerce

To reserve a seat at “The Ages of Sail and Steam on the Pamlico–Tar River” call 252-948-0000. The Estuarium is located at 223 E. Water St., Washington. The HPOW museum is located at 132 S. Market St.