Albemarle Sound in 1775

A famous map used by many

The detail of the Albemarle Sound region is a famous 1775 map of North and South Carolina of North and South Carolina of Henry Mouzon, Jr. The map was printed in England and also reproduced in a slightly smaller size than the original. It was the map used by American, British, and French forces.

So, in looking at the fragment reproduced here, a person might imagine that he is a Revolutionary War general, studying the little towns, the ports, and roads that meander through the country, and trying to understand why a city is where it is, what military importance it has, or how it might be protected or destroyed.

Through Albemarle Sound runs a dotted line indicating the course for ships. It may be seen where they could escape to or enter from the Atlantic through the narrow, hazardous Roanoke Inlet. To the left near where the Chowan River empties into the Sound, is the town of Edenton. Several roads came together here, and the little black rectangles suggest buildings. There is a church in the town with a tower and steeple in front.

Other churches shown elsewhere on the map have exactly the same form as the one at Edenton, so one realizes that this form is not meant to show what a specific church looked like, but is a standard symbol for a church. Incidentally, notice how churches or chapels stand alone in various places in the countryside. Courthouses, like churches, are shown in towns, and here and there in the country. They are indicated by a symbol which could be described as a letter that is squared rather than rounded. The courthouse at Edenton is difficult to identify on the map, however, following the Perquimans River, the town of Hertford (formerly called Hartford) situated farther to the east is Nixonton, its houses lying along both sides of a single road. Follow the road to the south and see the farms which lie along Little River. Each farm is marked by a spot representing the house, and carries the name of the owners; viz; Morris, Evans, Ancoup, and so on, can be read.

In the north, above this area, is the Great Dismal Swamp, a region settled by some Scottish settlers in the early 18th century.