Greenville and Bath N. Carolina
I slept well and got up around 7:30. The showers were roomy and clean at the campground. It felt good to have a hot shower and clean cloths. I had my usual Kashi cereal and sat in the sun while I ate. My neighbor was the woman with the cats and dog I met in the Laundromat last nigth. She came out of her camper to walk her dog and said good morning. The dog was very friendly and just wanted to be pet.
I was on the road around 9:00 pm to Greenville, NC. It was a 45 minute trip on back roads. I took my time and photographed cotton fields, buildings and trees. It seems that trees in this area are grown for lumber. The landscape is completely flat and there are huge swaths of trees in different degrees of growth or being cut down. For some reason, I had never seen cotton growing. I felt like someone from the south that had never seen snow before.
Black Beard Cafe in Greenville
Travinity and Olivia
I found parking in the center of Greenville, and made my way to the Black Beard Cafe for a large cappuccino. I met the two baristas and they gave me information about the area. We had a discussion about Blackbeard and pirates in general.
I knew the name Blackbeard the pirate but I didn’t associate it with the area. I knew the mascot of East Caroline University in Greenville is a pirate from watching UConn Woman’s basketball games. I started to searching online for more information about Blackbeard.
Before I left, I asked Travinity if there was a bike path in the area. She told me there was a path somewhere near the river, but wasn’t sure where it went.
Greenville Greenway Trail
I found my way to the Greenway path, which is part of the larger East Coast Greenway. I rode the length of that section of the trail. The Greenville Greenway trail winds along the Tar river and comes out at the Town Common. In one corner of the park is the Sycamore Hill Gateway Plaza. There are many plaques and scultures along the way and I stopped read and took photos. There’s also a love locks bridge / fence along the river.
The bridge in the photos below seemed out of place. There was no road leading to the large structure in either direction. The bridge seemed too large to be created for the greeenway. It turns out the bridge was a bridge across the tar river that was dismantled in three large pieces and reconstructed. It is now a WWI memorial.
Sycamore Hill Gateway Plaza
The Sycamore Hill Gateway Plaza website states, “The Sycamore Hill Gateway Plaza is built on the site where the prominent Sycamore Hill Baptist Church once stood and commemorates the history of the African American community that was located on Shore Drive and once inhabited the site now known as the Town Common. Incorporating iconic features, the gateway plaza provides a prominent western entrance to the riverside park.“
This is a dedication to a vibrant community that once existed on these grounds and was destroyed when the government decided to embark on urban development project in the late 40’s without reaching out to the communities involved.
Jonathan Bolling Sculptures
I rode over to an area of redevelopment in what looked like an older part of town with a lot of shops. There was a brand new transportation center located nearby which was closed because of COVID. There was a stead flow of people stopping for coffee, lunch or just to shop.
I began to notice a lot of junk sculptures similar to ones I saw in other parts of Greenville. Then I came to a field at the end of the new development which was filled with animals, flowers, and mythical creatures made of junk. Travelling around Greenville this afternoon, I saw many more Jonathan Bolling’s sculptures. According to his website, they are all for sale. I’m guessing that there were several hundred sculptures in various places around Greenville.
Some of the older buildings around the redevelopment area had commissioned murals to brighten things up.
Bath NC - Search For Blackbeard
Someone told me that there was a Blackbeard museum in the town of Bath. After finishing my Greenville ride, I had a few hours and I thought I could get in the museum tour. I couldn’t find the museum with google, but I found the Bath visitor’s center. I saw signs saying, “Home of Blackbeard” hanging along the main street.
Bath: Visitor’s Center Poster
Bath is officially the first town of North Carolina and was chartered in March of 1705. I was surprised that there was a visitor’s center because the town has a population of less than 250.
Beth at the visitor’s center told me that there is no Blackbeard museum in the area. She knew much more about Blackbeard than others I had spoken to. It seems it isn’t clear if Blackbeard lived in Bath, but he at least was very familiar with the town. She also explained the court battles that are going on over relics that have been found. ECU seems to be involved in research some Blackbeard finds.
I had suddenly become interested in the Blackbeard character. I reached out to Patrick McGuire (of The History of Things fame) whom I met at Fort Fredrick in Maryland. He said about Blackbeard,
He likely had a residence there and definitely married a local girl, but it seems that he lived primarily more around the Virginia tide water (evidence suggests outside of Williamsburg)… When he conducted his short but notable career in piracy, he made haven out of Ocracoke Inlet, which is the next island down! In fact, it is the same inlet where he meets his violent end in November 22, 1718!
She told me there was a walking tour of the old town. I got some exercise, learned a little about Bath and got some photographs.
The tour was of the old section of town and there were plenty of plaques about life in Bath.
Old Town Country Kitchen
I returned to the visitor’s center and asked Beth for a restaurant recommendation. She sent me to the Old Town Country Kitchen.
I ordered a mixed salad with grilled chicken and sweet potato fries. I decided to try the lemon meringue pie which was made by a local woman. Everything was tasty. I’m not a fast eater so most people finish eating before I do. In Bath, I noticed that people were ordering their food, eating, paying, and leaving as I worked on my salad. I listened to what other people ordered and many were having some type of fried fish or fried shrimp and oysters. Everyone knew someone in the restaurant, either an employee or another guest.
I went to pay and they told me they didn’t take ApplePay or credit cards. It was cash or check and I had to remember where I put my cash.
Sleep
Again, I didn’t have a camp ground, and I decided to stay at a Walmart Super Store between Bath and Greenville. When I arrived, the store was in the middle of a shopping center. There was really not secluded place to park the car and sleep. I headed to the Cracker Barrel near Greenville, NC. The parking lot was practically empty.