Rachel Carson - North Carolina Reserve

Cultural History

Before the European colonization of America, Carrot Island and Middle Marsh may have been used intermittently by the Coree Indians. European settlement of the Beaufort area began in the first two decades of the eighteenth century. In 1723, the town began to sell lots and Beaufort developed as a port. In 1782, a Revolutionary War skirmish near the mouth of Taylor's Creek began a short- term British occupation of Beaufort. Mullet and other fish were caught by a fishery on Carrot Island and processed for sale in Beaufort. It was also a center for Menhaden processing with only one plant remaining. However, Beaufort began to decline as a port in the 1850's. Currently Beaufort is becoming a resort area.

Rachel Carson

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