An Albemarle Loop Town- Plymouth, North
Carolina
by Claude Milot
Sail up the Roanoke River for seven miles and you come to the little town of
Plymouth, North Carolina, one of the eight
stops on the Albemarle Loop. Looks can be
deceiving, but there’s a lot more to Plymouth
than first meets the eye.
This quiet town of 3,600 people seems
to have been forgotten by time. The enormous
Domtar fluff pulp mill visible in the distance
employs 360 people, but that’s a lot fewer than
when it was a paper mill run by Weyerhaeuser
until 2007, which explains why the population
of Plymouth is down 25% since the 70s. There
may be a few empty storefronts on Water
Street, the main drag along the river, but
Plymouth comes alive throughout the year due to
bears, fish, and boats.
Plymouth is right on Hwy 64, the main thoroughfare from Raleigh to the Outer
Banks. But many beach-goers don’t realize what they are driving by. Its location
happens to be its big advantage: situated between the nearby the Pocosin Lakes
Wildlife Refuge, the Roanoke Wildlife Refuge, and Pettigrew
State Park, Albemarle/Pamlico Peninsula (that includes
Plymouth) finds itself smack dab in the middle of the
greatest biodiversity of North Carolina. It is the seat of
Washington County, cited by the NC Black Bear Biologist
as having the greatest density of wild bears in the world,
so much so that curious black bears have often been seen
sniffing around Water Street before swimming across the
river to swampy Huff Island.
Besides the bears, the wildlife refuges are a
permanent home to alligators, fox, bobcats, possums, river
otters, minks, and wolves, and 250 species of birds. They
also provide a home to over 100,000 snow geese, ducks, tundra swans, and other
migratory birds who take up temporary residence before resuming their migrations,
turning this area into what has been called North Carolina’s largest international airport.
If Plymouth is on your boating itinerary, try to stop by June 2-4 for the North
Carolina Black Bear Festival. It features bear tours into the refuges where many bears
have been seen in the surrounding fields fattening up on their favorite small grains.
Over 30 activities make this festival very popular with kids who can see tame live bears,
take a boat ride on the river, ride the bear train, and test themselves riding the
mechanical bear.
If you’re interested in getting more information on the bears, but can‘t be there for
the bear festival, visit Bear-Ology, a black bear discovery center, which is part of God’s
Creation Wildlife Museum at 111 Water Street. The museum also has four galleries of
mounted animals from Alaska to Africa, including a lion, a moose, many species of
antlered wildlife, and a collection of North Carolina predators.
And then there’s fish. On just about every Saturday from March to November,
Plymouth is the center of rockfish and bass fishing tournaments on the Roanoke River.
On these days, anywhere from 10 to 100 boats will zoom up the river or use Plymouth’s
boat ramp to compete for prizes and boasting rights.
There are four conflicting exceptions to the Saturday fishing schedule, though.
One is for the North Carolina Black Bear Festival. Two others are for the Virginia Outlaw
Drag Boat Races, one on Saturday and Sunday, August 12-13, and the other on
Saturday and Sunday, October 7-8. The fourth is Living History Weekend from Friday to
Sunday, April 21-23, which is all about Plymouth’s illustrious Civil War history.
In February 1862, General Ambrose
Burnside led an expedition of Union forces into
the Inner Banks of North Carolina. By June, he
controlled all the important ports in the
Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds, and the Union
would maintain control for the duration of the
war. Except for Plymouth.
In May, Union forces began occupation
of Plymouth and proceeded to build forts there
to control the upper Albemarle Sound region and
access to the Roanoke River. From there it could conduct raids in eastern North
Carolina, as well as serve as a supply center for Yankee enclaves in the Albemarle
Sound. For these reasons, Plymouth became an all-important target for Confederate
forces, and in April 1864, they attacked. The Battle of Plymouth began on the afternoon
of April 17th. Confederate Brigadier General Robert R. Hoke with 13,000 troops attacked
the Union garrison of 2,834 men defending four forts around Plymouth. With the aid of
gunboats on the river, the Yankees managed at first to hold off Confederate forces. But
in the early hours of April 19th, the Confederate ironclad CSS Albemarle, built in a
cornfield up the Roanoke River near Scotland Neck, arrived to turn the tide of battle.
She sank the USS Southfield, severely damaged the USS Miami, and chased the rest
of the Union gunboats out of the river and back to the Albemarle Sound. By April 20th it
was all over. The South had won its last major battle of the war in North Carolina.
Two weeks later, on May 5, 1864, the Albemarle engaged the Union Navy in the
Albemarle Sound near Sandy Point where the bridge is today. Outnumbered seven to
one, the Albemarle withstood a four-hour onslaught. The Union mounted 60 guns to the
Albemarle’s two and fired 557 rounds to the Albemarle’s 27. The Union tried ramming
her, fouling her props with fishing nets, and shooting away her smokestack. But the
Union finally gave up the fight. Thus, in two weeks the CSS Albemarle twice defeated
the Union Navy and became the most successful ironclad of the Civil War.
The North would have its revenge, though. On the night of October 27th, 1864,
one of the most daring exploits in the Civil War took place when 21-year old Lieutenant
Will Cushing and a band of volunteers sailed stealthily up the Roanoke and managed to
sink the Albemarle with a spar-mounted torpedo. This event was featured in The History
Channel’s 2005 documentary aptly named The Most Daring Mission of the Civil War,
which was filmed in Plymouth.
On Plymouth’s Living History Weekend,
volunteers re-enact the Battle of Plymouth,
including the sinking of the Albemarle. It is without
a doubt the most important weekend of the year
for Plymouth and fans of Civil War re-enactments
and well worth scheduling a visit to Plymouth for
boaters doing the Albemarle Loop.
If you have some extra time, don’t miss visiting
the Roanoke River Maritime Museum at one end
of Water Street and the Port O’ Plymouth Civil War
Museum at the other. Behind the museum take a
snapshot of the 3/8 scale 62’ replica of the Albemarle that is docked on the river below.
Whether you come by land or by sea, the quiet, little town of Plymouth is sure to
reward your visit. According to the local Travel & Tourism Director, “Plymouth is where
traffic ends and adventure begins!”
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Additional Notes:
Local knowledge for approach to Plymouth Landing Marina:
The approach to the Roanoke River and the cruise up the river to Plymouth is
straightforward. Use NOAA Chart 12205. After passing under the power lines crossing
the Albemarle Sound just east of Edenton, head SSW to marker Green “1RR”, which
marks the beginning of the channel into the Roanoke River. The channel makes a hard
left into the river after markers Green “5” and Red ‘6”. The River is well marked and has
good depth (8 feet and more) all the way up to Plymouth, which is five miles upriver.
Two miles upriver is the Route 45 fixed bridge, which has a vertical clearance of 50 feet.
This will preclude taller sailboats from going any further upstream.
As you approach Plymouth on the south bank of the Roanoke River, the Plymouth
Landing Marina can be seen near the western end of the waterfront. The marina is
new, having been built in 2012, and is a member of the Albemarle Loop. There are 9
fixed slips that can accommodate boats up to 55 feet in length. The larger boats (>40
feet) should use the easternmost slips, which are a little larger and have 50 amp power.
There is also 30 amp power available at the other slips. The marina has fresh water
and a pump out, but no fuel. Contact Dockmaster Brenda on 252-217-2204 before
mooring to get instructions and assistance in docking. There is a 2-3 knot current at the
marina so take this into account as you approach your slip.
There are a couple of restaurants in downtown Plymouth, which are very good but have
limited hours. Plymouth has a storied history, especially during the Civil War, and there
is an excellent museum and floating replica of a Confederate ironclad on the river.
Brenda is a font of knowledge and can tell you everything you ever wanted to know
about Plymouth. She’ll even take you on a tour of the lighthouse if you ask her. This is
a replica of the original Plymouth lighthouse, which is now at the Edenton waterfront.
If you have a dinghy with motor, take a trip around Huff Island, between the Roanoke
and Middle Rivers. You will see many different animals and birds, including bald
eagles.
Photo Album
Visit this LOOP photo album for slide show of Plymouth North Carolina.
Albemarle LOOP website
Return to http://albemarleloop.com/ to view more information on Plymouth, NC.
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