Hyde County Maps

The Formation of Hyde County

1664 - Albemarle County formed as the original county.
1670 - Currituck, Pasquotank, Berkeley (changed to Perquimans in 1681), and Shaftesbury (changed to Chowan in 1685) formed as Precincts of Albemarle County.
1691 - The area along the Pamlico River began to be settled.
1696 - Bath County formed of lands around Pamlico River and to the south.
1705 - Bath County divided into three Precincts: Wickham, Pamptecough and Archdale.

Chronological History of the Formation of Hyde County
(and the Neighboring Counties of Northeastern North Carolina)

1712 - Bath County's Precincts were renamed Hyde, Beaufort and Craven, respectively. 1722 - Carteret Precinct formed from Craven Precinct.
1729 - The act separating Hyde and Beaufort Precincts authorized a courthouse to be built on the lands of William Webster on the west side of the Pungo River, called Woodstock.

1729 - Tyrrell Precinct formed from Bertie, Chowan, Pasquotank and Currituck Precincts.

1757 - Beaufort County gained lands south of the Pamlico River from Craven County.
1770 - Carteret County gained Ocracoke Island; previously not in any county.
1784 - The boundary line between Hyde and Tyrrell Counties established.
1790 - Hyde County courthouse moved from Woodstock to Bell's Bay or Jasper's Creek on the east side of the Pungo River.
1791 - The town of Germantown was established in Hyde County "where the courthouse stands". It was named for German Bernard who owned the property.
1799 - Washington County formed from the western part of Tyrrell County.

1819 - That part of Hyde County lying on the west side of the Pungo River was ceded to Beaufort County.

1820 - The courthouse was moved from Germantown to Lake Landing in eastern Hyde County.

1823 - That part of Currituck County south of New Inlet was ceded to Hyde County. This included Hatteras Island.

1836 - Swan Quarter, established about 1812, became the county seat of Hyde County.

1845 - Hyde County gains Ocracoke Island from Carteret County.

1850 - A courthouse was built in Swan Quarter.

1870 - Dare County formed from Currituck, Hyde and Tyrrell Counties.

1872 - Pamlico County formed from Beaufort and Craven Counties.

1890 - The boundary line between Hyde and Tyrrell Counties was established, but not validated by law until 1921.

And thus we have present day Hyde County!

County Abbreviations
Hyde - Hy / Beaufort - Bft / Craven - Cr
Carteret - Car / Pamlico - Pam / Tyrrell - Ty
Currituck - Cur / Dare - Dar / Washington - Was
Pasquotank - Pas / Perquimans - Pqm / Chowan - Cwn