Periauger

A long-lost colonial boat the summer of 2004 set sail from Beaufort, North Carolina to its homeport of Hertford.

The periauger was constructed at the North Carolina Maritime
Museum by The Periauger Project, a unique partnership of the
Perquimans County Restoration Association, the parent organization of
the historic 1730 Newbold-White House; the North Carolina Maritime
Museum; Perquimans County; and East Carolina University’s Program in
Maritime Studies. The project was made possible by a successful private
fundraising campaign and through a grant from the NC Department of
Transportation’s Enhancement Program.

In colonial America, settlers traveled the waterways in common boats
called periaugers—the waterway pick-up trucks of those days.
Surprisingly, no physical evidence of these typical colonial vessels exists
today. Through this history-making project, the periauger is being and
reintroduced to the waterways.

The replica periauger is the only known boat of its kind in the world. The
periauger is approximately 30 feet long with two masts reaching the
height of nearly 25 feet. It has rowing stations for at least six oars called sweeps.

Periauger is a generic term for a two-masted boat made of a dugout and
split cypress log and propelled by both oars and sails. Historical
references indicate that for many colonial settlers, the periauger was the
vessel of choice, especially on the sounds and rivers of North Carolina.
After years of research and study, documentary evidence has enabled
plans to be drawn up for the unique 21st century reconstruction of a
“typical” periauger. Supervising the design is Michael Alford, former
curator of maritime research at the North Carolina Maritime Museum and
author of Traditional Workboats of North Carolina. Overseeing the
construction was boatbuilder Craig Wright who has operated Mountain
Marine since 1994 and has been responsible for building 23 wooden
boats and canoes.

“Boat construction techniques once common in the southeast are virtually
unknown today,” said Dr. Larry Babits, maritime archaeologist with the
program in maritime history at East Carolina University. “Constructing the
periauger is providing a means to relearn a significant form of traditional
boat building and preserve a unique aspect of our maritime heritage.”

The historic 1730 Newbold-White House in Hertford (North Carolina)isl
the final home for the periauger. Among the documentary evidence
discovered about the boat was a reference to a periauger in the 1750
inventory of the Abraham Sanders, the builder of the 1730
Newbold-White House.

Construction on the periauger began in November 2003 at the North
Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort as part of its continuing
educational and interpretive program.

The Town of Hertford will be the Periauger’s interim homeport until it is
relocated to the historic 1730 Newbold-White House where it will be a key
component to the site’s maritime heritage program. It is anticipated that
the periauger will be an important tool for regional tourism development,
visiting port towns in the region and providing a dynamic living maritime
history experience.

For more information about the Periauger Project or to make a
contribution, contact the Perquimans County Restoration Association at
(252) 426-7567 or
nbwh@inteliport.com or
www.newboldwhitehouse.com