Hertford, North Carolina

Hertford is a town in Perquimans County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,143 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Perquimans County. Hertford is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks region and is part of both the Elizabeth City Micropolitan Statistical Area and the Hampton Roads region. It is named after the county town of Hertford, England.HistoryHertford was originally incorporated in 1758 as the county seat for Perquimans County, first inhabited by the Yeopim Indians. County records show that the Yeopim chief Kalcacenin sold land to George Durant at the river mouth in March 1662, adjacent to land he had already sold to Samuel Pricklove. The area was settled soon afterwards, and a brick house on the site, the Newbold-White House, has been dated by dendrochronology to 1730; it is the oldest known brick structure in the state.Through the first part of the 20th century, Hertford thrived as a lumber town, making good use of the nearby river. The bridge that spanned the river was a floating bridge, made of steel and wood. When a boat came near and wanted passage, the bridge would be unhooked from one bank and allowed to float out of the way. When the boat had passed, lines were used to haul the free end of the bridge in and reconnect it. An swing bridge with S-shaped approaches is in use today. Local lore claims its shape is unique in the US, but the Blaine Hill "S" Bridge predates it by over a century.