08/22/2026
During the American Revolution, a warehouse was established at the mouth of the White Oak River to supply the Continental armed forces. Here, beef and pork were salted and barreled. A British blockade of the coast greatly reduced the importation of salt, making its production of critical importance. In response to the crisis, several salt works were established in the Swansboro area to produce salt from sea water. Jeremiah Hote operated a salt works on Deer Island during these years. Throughout the war, vessels from the port of Swansboro engaged in privateering, including that of Captain Peter Ringware. A military company from the town (then called “Bogue”) patrolled the coastal area.
Learn more by viewing "Revolutionary War Times", Swansboro, North Carolina History https://share.google/hLyNfmgp2s2thSqoe
250 years ago, the Declaration of Independence had just been signed, and the new nation was fighting in the American Revolution.
What was our state like during these years at war?
Did you know that during the American Revolution, one of the most precious materials all North Carolinians needed wasn’t gold or silver; it was salt. Prior to modern canning and refrigeration techniques, one of the few ways colonists could keep their food from spoiling was to cover it with salt. The problem was that North Carolinians lacked an effective way to make their own salt. Instead, they had to rely on imports from Europe and the Caribbean, which were subject to long delays and high costs, especially during wartime.
Learn more by viewing the "Governor Richard Caswell and Revolutionary North Carolina" digital exhibit: https://www.america250.nc.gov/digital-exhibits
Photo: Diagram of an eighteenth-century saltwork, where workers harvested salt by evaporating seawater. With no large-scale saltworks in the state, Caswell had to import salt from elsewhere. Courtesy of the Wellcome Collection.
