History

The county was formed in 1760 from Beaufort County, though the legislative act 
that created it did not become effective until January 1, 1761. It was named 
for William Pitt the Elder, who was then Secretary of State for the Southern 
Department and Leader of the House of Commons. William Pitt was an English 
statesman and orator, born in London, England. He studied at Oxford University 
and in 1731 joined the army. Pitt led the young "Patriot" Whigs and in 1756 
became secretary of state, where he was a pro-freedom speaker in British 
Colonial government.

Pitt County got its name from William Pitt, Earl of Chatham. William Pitt was 
an English statesman and orator, born in London, England. Pitt County was 
formed in 1760 from Beaufort County, though the legislative act that created 
it did not become effective until January 1, 1761. The historic Fleming House 
is the current headquarters of the Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce, 
an organization composed of 1,000+ members. The home’s history is inextricably 
linked with East Carolina University, the City of Greenville and all of 
Eastern North Carolina. Senator James L. Fleming and wife, Loula, were 
the first occupants of the home in 1901. Sen. Fleming’s claim to fame is 
undoubtedly his instrumental effort in bringing ECTTC (East Carolina 
Teachers Training College) to Greenville. As a matter of fact, the Chamber 
is quite proud to have the very desk and chair in which Sen. Fleming sat 
and signed the documentation creating our cherished university. Over the 
past 100 years ECTTC has evolved into ECU, the state’s third largest 
university and the region’s educational and medical hub. 

Courts were first held at the home of John Hardy until a courthouse could 
be built. The courthouse was built on Hardy's land near Hardy's Chapel. 
In 1771 Martinsboro was established, and in 1774 the courthouse was moved 
there. In 1787 Martinsboro's name was changed to Greenville, which is still 
the county seat. 


History of Pitt County's Formation

The Changing Shape of Pitt County, North Carolina: 1761-1895

Bath, the Parent County
Shortly after migration from the Virginia Colony began, Carolina was 
divided into three major precincts: Albemarle, Bath, and Old Clarendon. 
In time, each precinct/county was divided and sub-divided. A complete 
study of North Carolina's county formation can be found elsewhere. 
Bath County, which was originally formed in 1696, was the great-grandmother 
of Pitt County. 

Pamptecough Precinct
In 1706, one of the sub-divisions of Bath was named "Pamptecough" County, 
the grandmother of Pitt. This Indian word was gradually anglicized to 
"Pamlico," now the name of the major waterways upon which Pamtecough bordered 
(the Pamlico Sound, and the Pamlico River). An even later division ( in 1879) 
created the contemporary Pamlico County.

Beaufort County
In 1712, another division resulted in, among others, Beaufort County, mother 
of Pitt. In North Carolina, this word is pronouced to rhyme with "bow, low, 
or slow." In South Carolina, inhabitants of Beaufort town pronouce the same 
word to rhyme with "pew, new, or shoe."

The shape of Beaufort County remained more-or-less unchanged for nearly 50 
years. The historic map shows that the lands west of the original Beaufort 
County (later to include Pitt), were largely unexplored as late as 1729. 
John Lawson had begun expeditions up the Pamlico/Tar River in 1703, and was 
primarily responsible for the western push. He met his end in the Tuscarora 
Indian War of 1711, and migration by the white men was curtailed for several 
years afterward. But, eventually the population increased, and the distances 
to the court house became inconvenient. At that time, the inhabitants of the 
western half of Beaufort County petitioned for division, and Pitt County was 
officially formed on Jan. 1, 1761.

 Pitt County
The timeline, below, outlines the chronology of the changes. 


Timeline Summary: 1696-1895

1696: Bath County established
1705: Pamptecough County created from Bath
1712: Beaufort County formed from Pamtecough
1761: Pitt County created from Beaufort; line between Pitt and Craven left 
unresolved
1764: Dobbs County (no longer extant) line established, annexing part to Pitt
1784: Original Edgecombe and Martin County lines established
1785: Eastern portions of Pitt returned to its parent, Beaufort County
1787: Southern portion annexed from Craven County (Swift Creek area)
1801: Northern portion annexed to Edgecombe County
1805: An adjoining northern portion annexed to Martin County
1818: Craven County line finally decided and drawn
1894: Edgecombe and Martin County lines redrawn (again)
1895: Green County (part of old Dobbs) and Pitt County line drawn


Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 655 square 
miles (1,700 km2), of which, 652 square miles (1,690 km2) of it is land and 
3 square miles (7.8 km2) of it (0.49%) is water.

Townships

The county is divided into seventeen townships: Arthur, Ayden, Belvoir, 
Bethel, Black Jack, Carolina (Stokes), Chicod, Falkland, Farmville, 
Fountain, Greenville, Grifton, Grimesland, Pactolus, Simpson, Swift 
Creek, and Winterville.

Adjacent counties

Martin County, North Carolina - northeast
Beaufort County, North Carolina - east
Craven County, North Carolina - south-southeast
Lenoir County, North Carolina - south-southwest
Greene County, North Carolina - southwest
Wilson County, North Carolina - west
Edgecombe County, North Carolina - northwest

Cities and towns 

Arthur
Ayden
Bethel
Belvoir
Black Jack
Chicod
Falkland
Farmville
Fountain
Greenville
Grifton
Grimesland
Pactolus
Simpson
Stokes
Swift Creek
Winterville


Pitt County Creeks and Waterways

Just Where is It?
The importance of creek and river geography cannot be overstated. Deeds 
often located property by describing proximity to waterways--the "main 
highways" of travel and commerce. When the Pitt County Court House burned 
in 1858, all the official records, except the deeds , were destroyed. 
Therefore, deeds are critically important as the only county records available 
for studying Pitt County inhabitants between the years 1761 and 1858. 

Derivation of Names
Many of North Carolina's waterways got their names from the Indians who had 
lived on the land for generations. Descendants of the Algonquin Tribes, the 
Tuscarora Indians had many towns along the ancient courses. Through time, 
some of the Indian names were highly anglicized (Contankney to Contentnea), 
while others were replaced with different names altogether (Moratock to 
Roanoke). Because the earliest deeds refer to the rivers and creeks by their 
Indian names, the researcher should learn them.

Interestingly enough, the Taw/Tar River, which flows through Pitt County, is 
the same water course as the Pamlico River. The name changes exactly at the 
crossing of the river by the contemporary bridge in Washington (Beaufort Co.), 
NC. Look, on any map, at the point where the river suddenly narrows, and you 
are close to the dividing line between the Pamlico and the Tar.








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