Historic Williamston

100 East Church Street
Williamston, NC 27892

Website

Williamston was an important trade center and Roanoke River port from the 1730s. After 1882, the railroad and tobacco planting revitalized the town as a commercial market. Two National Register Historic Districts highlight 19th and early 20th century life.

Two National Register Historic Districts highlight 19th and early 20th century life and can be seen upclose on a self-guided walking tour. The town now hosts thousands of visitors each year to the Sen. Bob Martin Eastern Agricultural Center, a premiere equestrian show facility. Downtown, visitors enjoy home cooking at the R&C Restaurant and watching Main Street go by from the booths of Clark's, featuring a soda and ice cream fountain, coffee and cookies, and packaged snacks. Try a vanilla Coke or Orangeade before stepping onto the Skewarkee Trail, a mile-long, paved former rail corridor that runs from downtown to the Roanoke River, perfect for a walk, bike ride or rollerblading. Thousands of visitors each year visit Williamston during the annual Carolina Country Stampede the last weekend in September. And the Roanoke River welcomes paddlers, bird watchers and nature lovers on the Roanoke River Paddle Trail and Canoe Camping System. Seven platforms allow visitors to spend the night in the swamp.

Historic sites located in and around Williamston are:

Fort Branch Civil War Site
A significant Civil War Site overlooking the Roanoke River, Fort Branch is known as "the best preserved earthwork Civil War site east of the Mississippi." Seven of the forts original eleven cannons are on display there. Stop by nearby hamilton for a self-guided walking tour of its National Register Historic District featuring a Rosenwald School, Queen Anne homes and Gothic cottages, and the 1882 Gothic-Victorian St. martin's Episcopal Church.

St. James Place Museum 
This restored primitive Baptist church in Robersonville serves as a fascinating museum of southern folk art. Late, clapboard Gothic revival architecture church building now houses original furnishings, folk art, and antique duck decoys .

Old Martin County Courthouse
One of 12 courthouses built in the state between 1860 and 1900. It is an excellent example of an eclectic blend of Italian and Victorian elements.

Martin County Arts Council
Gallery open Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Changing displays of art and crafts. Gift shop, too.

Tobacco Warehouse Auction
A quickly vanishing tradition, the late summer auction of "the golden leaf" is a feast for the senses...pungent smells of the cured leaf, auctioneer harking the mystical  language of leaf buyers, and dust rising from the floor as the auction line moves slowly between the long piles of tobacco. Rogers Warehouse in Williamston is the only remaining active auction warehouse in Martin County.

Martin County will also be part of the North Carolina Civil War Trails in 2004.

Nearest Major Town/City: Greenville, NC (22 miles southwest)

For Visitor Information:

• Martin County Travel and Tourism
  PO Box 382
  100 East Church Street
  Williamston, NC 27892
  www.visitmartincounty.com
  info@visitmartincounty.com
  

Major Program Areas: Antebellum, Civil War, Equine, Agriculture, Ecotourism, Recreation.

• Please call ahead for a variety of tour options and topics.
• Reservations required
• 45 minute to 1-hour tour, but can customize to need