Bertie County, North Carolina

5 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 10 brought out and shown to the rest of the state or anywhere outside of the state until now.” John Trent, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners, shares that right after the county purchased the property, a land trust came in and bought a thousand acres right next to it. “Then, they gave it to the state. And to Parks and Rec. And now, they’ve come in and bought 300 acres on the other side of us!” That land can’t be developed beyond walking trails, but the land the county owns can. Wesson reports, “We’re using our natural resources to diversify interest in our county. To draw business and individual stores in.” There are plans for learning centers, amphitheaters, an RV park, and camping sites. The hope is to make Bertie County a destination. But what’s interesting about this place is the combination of the old and the new. Bertie County is steeped in history. For example, they have Historic Hope, an old plantation home of a former governor. On that property, they honor both the Native Americans and the slaves that once lived there. And some of that history is still being discovered in other parts of the county. Currently, there’s an archeological dig on Salmon Creek called Site X that has been featured on The Discovery Channel and BBC. They’ve found remnants that go back to the 1600s. Those remnants might just reveal clues – and provide some answers – about the Lost Colony of Roanoke Island. Trent notes, “Bertie County could be the first colony in the United States. That’s the reason we call North Carolina the Peninsula With the Future. The great thing about this is that all of us have reached out to discover these things. To make these things happen, to get these things moving, we’ve invested money into this dig. It goes back and it shows the history. These things are important to preserve. These are the important things to show our future of where we’re going, where we came from, and the direction we’re going.” Solar : Brightening North Carolina’s Energy Future SumacSolar@edf-re.com 1.844.943.0723