Bath

… town in central Beaufort County at junction of Bath and Back Creeks. Alt. 9. Settled 1690. Inc. 1705. The oldest town in North Carolina, it was the county seat from 1696 to 1785, when it was changed to Washington. Probably named for Bath County in which it was originally located. Bath is now a State Historic Site and a number of restored buildings are open to the public. St. Thomas Church there, the oldest church in North Carolina, was built in 1734. The colonial assembly met there in 1744 and 1752.