Straits

One of the county's smallest, but oldest, communities, Straits has an interesting history filled with characters of all kinds -- whalers, fishermen, farmers, ballplayers, teachers, sea captains, preachers and some of the greatest folks you'll ever meet!

Straits

  • Straits was first settled in 1713.
  • The Straits church was organized in 1751 as an Anglican Congregation which was taken over by the Methodist Church during the American Revolution. It was then chartered as the Straits Methodist Church in 1778. The Methodist Church at Straits was also the home church of the Jones Chapel Methodist Church located on Shackleford Banks in the 1800s.  The old Straits School Building is now part of Straits Methodist Church.
  • There were three grist mills located in Straits and Gloucester.
  • The first Masonic Lodge in Carteret County was located in Straits Township, instituted in 1798, and was paid for in English pounds.
  • Straits was an early center of boatbuilding in Carteret County. Sonny Williamson’s book, Sailing with Grandpa, lists 30 sailing vessels built in Straits between 1865 and 1901 and 7 boatbuilders in the Straits Township.