| Summary |
The purpose of this paper is to examine overland transportation in colonial eastern North Carolina. Emphasis is placed on the regulatory aspect of transportation with the attendant Assembly legislation and involvement of the administrative units of the counties, the county courts. An attempt is made to ascertain the effectiveness of the legislation plus the interpretations and applications of the various laws. Research has been conducted primarily in the precinct and county court records, although The Colonial Records of North Carolina, The State Records of North Carolina, and various travelers' accounts have been generously consulted. The first chapter provides a look into the conditions of travel in North Carolina before the Revolution as seen through the eyes of travelers. The influence of geography on transportation, the condition of the roads, and the vehicles used for travel are given special consideration. The second chapter deals entirely with laws passed by the Assembly of North Carolina to regulate transportation. Both major and minor legislation are considered. The development of transportation through legal prescription is carefully followed. Attention is given to a divergence in the road legislation, occurring between 1734 and 1764, in which one set of laws was passed for the northern counties of North Carolina and another for the southern counties. After examining the laws stating how the roads should have been administered, the actual practices of the precinct and county courts are investigated. Various extensions of the laws, improvisations, and sometimes evasions of the laws are noted in relation to road-building. Bridges are the subject of the fourth chapter. |
| Summary |
Their general construction is described in detail, and the various means of building them, both public and private, are shown. Afterwards, minor items such as covered bridges, toll bridges, and drawbridges are placed within the context of the general transportation system. Due to the great amount of inland waters in eastern North Carolina, ferries were a necessary complement to overland transportation. Like the roads, the legislation governing the ferries and its actual implementation are compared. A comparison of rates during different periods in colonial North Carolina, descriptions of boats used for ferriage, the delays and disruptions to traffic, and the growth of a system of free ferries to facilitate this traffic are all woven into the general transportation framework. The sixth chapter is devoted to a discussion of public accommodations available to travelers. The location and description of inns or ordinaries and legislation governing them are examined in detail. The foods and drinks for men as well as provisions for horses are also considered. A short conclusion is devoted to an assessment of travel conditions and the effectiveness of the legislation governing transportation in colonial eastern North Carolina. This evaluation, although recognizing the retarded developments in North Carolina, takes note of the progress that had been made throughout the colonial period. |
| General note | "Presented to the faculty of the Department of History ... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in History." |
| General note | Advisor: Herbert R. Paschal , Jr. |
| Dissertation note | M.A. East Carolina College 1966 |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (leaves 117-123). |
| Genre/form | Academic theses. |
| Genre/form | History. |
| Genre/form | Academic theses. |
| Genre/form | Thèses et écrits académiques. |
