PASQUOTANK COUNTY

Pasquotank was formed as early as 1668 as a precinct of Albemarle County. Its name is derived from an Indian word pasketanki which meant "where the current of the stream divides or forks." It is in the northeastern section of the State and is bounded by Albemarle Sound and Perquimans. Gates, and Camden counties. The present land area is 226.88 square miles. The population from the 2010 Census was 40,661. Of that population, 23,059 were white, 15,355 were black or African American, 141 were American Indian, 454 were Asian, 19 were Pacific Islander and 737 were of a different race. Another 896 were reported to be of two or more races and 1,642 were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

It is not known when the first courthouse was built, but from 1737 to 1757 the courthouse was at Brook Field. In 1758 it was moved to Belfe's Point. It remained there until 1762 or probably a little later. From 1765 until 1785 the courthouse was at Winfield. In 1784 the Assembly directed that it be moved to Nixonton, and from 1785 to 1800 Nixonton was the county seat. In 1799 Elizabeth (City) Town was named the county seat and on June 6, 1800, the first court was held there. Elizabeth City was first called Redding, which was established in 1793. Redding was changed to Elizabeth Town in 1794, and Elizabeth Town was changed to Elizabeth City in l801. It is the county seat.

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Pasquotank County is predominantly in the Pasquotank River Basin. It is a part of the Coastal Plain region of the state.

References:

"American Factfinder." 2011. U. S. Census Bureau. Online at http://factfinder2.census.gov/. Accessed 3/3/2011.

Corbitt, David L. 2000. The Formation of the North Carolina Counties, 1663-1943. Sixth printing. Raleigh: State Department of Archives and History.

Powell, William Stevens, and Michael R. Hill. 2010. The North Carolina gazetteer: a dictionary of Tar Heel places and their history. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.

Additional resources:

North Carolina Digital Collections (Government & Heritage Library and NC State Archives)

NC LIVE resources

NC Natural Heritage Program database

WorldCat (Searches numerous library catalogs)