Elizabeth City History

There were no rail connections between the Albemarle and the outside world until 1881 when the Elizabeth City & Norfolk Rail Road was completed. May 26, 1881 was a momentous day for Elizabeth City. The time announced for arrival of the first passenger train was 11:30 A.M. Crowds came in from the country and neighboring areas. Everyone was in holiday spirits when whistles blowing, cannon firing, and stirring music by Cook's Elizabeth City Brass Band announced the arrival of the gaily decorated locomotive, pulling into town with its whistle wide open. Distinguished passengers included the president of the railroad. Banquets, speeches, and river excursions were part of the festivities. Violent discontent and protest followed the ensuing year when extension of the road to Hertford and Edenton suggested a change in the name of the railroad to the Norfolk & Southern, appropriate enough but bitterly fought by the locals who despaired at dropping the name Elizabeth City.

This mode of travel grew and prospered until the end of the century, when ferries and bridges over the Albemarle Sound permitted more direct connections with Raleigh and points westward. Another railroad, the Suffolk & Carolina, was built into Elizabeth City about 1904, having its terminal at Lawrence (now Ehringhaus Street) and Water streets. It was absorbed by the Norfolk & Southern in later years. The present condominiums were built on the location of concrete silos used to load grain barges. The Roanoke Bible College east campus was the former Norfolk & Southern freight depot and passenger station. The passenger station was moved to the end of West Main Street around 1910. The advent of the automobile changed this mode of transportation significantly.

At the end of the freight yard was Pleasant Street, now Burgess Street. This area was occupied at different times by W.D. Lathrop and Company, L.D. Lathrop Shingle Mill, Elizabeth City Crystal Ice. Company, Elizabeth City Oil Mills, Strable Barrel Factory, Globe Fish Company, and Eastern Carolina Service Ice and Coal, a number of oyster houses, and a wholesale grocery.