Hyde County, North Carolina

	Hyde County
	Founded 1705
	Website http://www.hydecounty.org/government/default.htm

Hyde County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population was 5,826. Its county seat is Swan Quarter.

History

The county was formed December 3, 1705, as Wickham Precinct, one of three precincts within Bath County. The name "Wickham" was derived from the manor of "Temple Wycombe" in Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom, the family home of John Archdale, Governor of North and South Carolina from 1695 to 1696. In 1712 it was renamed Hyde Precinct, for Edward Hyde, Governor of North Carolina from 1711 to 1712. In 1739 Bath County was abolished, and Hyde Precinct became Hyde County.

Various boundary adjustments followed. In 1745 Lake Mattamuskeet and its adjoining territory were transferred from Currituck County to Hyde County. In 1819 the part of Hyde County west of the Pungo River was annexed to Beaufort County. In 1823 the part of Currituck County south of New Inlet was annexed to Hyde County. This area included the present day Hatteras Island. In 1845 Ocracoke Island was transferred from Carteret County to Hyde County. In 1870 Hyde County was reduced to its present dimensions, when its northeastern part was combined with parts of Currituck County and Tyrrell County to form Dare County. Since its creation, the boundaries of Hyde County have changed more than those of any other county in North Carolina.

Townships

The county is divided into five townships: Currituck, Fairfield, Lake Landing, Ocracoke, and Swan Quarter. A sixth township, Mattamuskeet, is now "unorganized territory" occupied by the federally controlled Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge.

Adjacent counties

Tyrrell County, North Carolina - North
Dare County, North Carolina - Northeast
Carteret County, North Carolina - Southwest
Beaufort County, North Carolina - West
Washington County, North Carolina - Northwest

Cities and towns

Map of Hyde County, North Carolina With Municipal and Township Labels

(all unincorporated)

References

This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia adapted for use as a quick research reference on this wiki. The original content was here: Hyde County, North Carolina. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with the ENC Phillips Group Wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License.