Editing Elizabeth City, North Carolina (section)

==History==
Located at the narrows of the Pasquotank River, colonists used the area that developed as Elizabeth City as a trading site. As early as the mid 18th century, they established inspection stations and ferries. With the addition of minor roads, a schoolhouse, and soon a church, a small community developed at these narrows.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historicelizabethcity.org/text/1.1.html|title=historicelizabethcity.org|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120802143757/http://www.historicelizabethcity.org/text/1.1.html|archive-date=August 2, 2012}}</ref>

[[File:Great Dismal Swamp Canal.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Dismal Swamp Canal]]]]
In 1793, businessmen supported construction of the Dismal Swamp Canal; it was integral to the success of Elizabeth City's commerce. The [[North Carolina General Assembly|North Carolina Assembly]] incorporated the town as "Redding", renaming it in 1794 as "Elizabethtown". Due to resulting confusion with [[Elizabethtown, North Carolina|another town]] of the same name, in 1801, the city was renamed as "Elizabeth City".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historicelizabethcity.org/text/1.2.1.html|title=historicelizabethcity.org|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120803130620/http://www.historicelizabethcity.org/text/1.2.1.html|archive-date=August 3, 2012}}</ref> The name "Elizabeth" has been attributed to Elizabeth "Betsy" Tooley, a local tavern proprietress who donated much of the land for the new town.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.carolina-north.com/elizabeth_city.html|title=Elizabeth City, One of America's Best Small Towns.|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091203163008/http://www.carolina-north.com/elizabeth_city.html|archive-date=December 3, 2009|access-date=March 10, 2010}}</ref>

With improvements to the Dismal Swamp Canal, commerce flourished and Elizabeth City became a financial center of trade and commercially successful in the early 19th century. In 1826, the federal government purchased 600 stocks in the canal and, in 1829, additional funds for improvements were raised by the [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]] lottery. With these funds, the Dismal Swamp Canal was widened and deepened, allowing for larger boats to ship their goods to and from the city.

Further bolstering Elizabeth City's financial success, the US [[customs house]] was relocated in 1827 from Camden County to Elizabeth City. From 1829 to 1832, Elizabeth City's tolls tripled for commercial shipping.

During the [[American Civil War]], the [[Confederate States]] had a small fleet stationed at Elizabeth City. After the [[Battle of Roanoke Island]], [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] forces sent a fleet to take the city. A small skirmish resulted in a Union victory. Elizabeth City was under Union control for the remainder of the war, as was most of coastal North Carolina. Confederate irregulars engaged in [[guerrilla]] warfare with Union forces in the area for the remainder of the war.

[[File:North Carolina - Durham through MacArthur Lake - NARA - 68146432 (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|Elizabeth City in September 1925]]
Meanwhile, overland travel slowly improved, enabling greater trade between neighboring counties. The ferry continued to provide transport between Elizabeth City and Camden County. But the completion of competing canals and railroads around Elizabeth City meant that neighboring cities began to draw off some of the traffic. The [[Portsmouth and Roanoke Railroad]], completed in the 1830s, allowed for goods to be transported from the [[Roanoke River]] directly to [[Weldon, North Carolina|Weldon]]. The Albemarle–Chesapeake Canal, completed in 1859, created a deeper channel for merchants shipping goods from the eastern [[Albemarle Sound]] to Norfolk.

Such new opportunities established Elizabeth City as a thriving deep-water port and powerful regional economic center. It was based on such industries as [[lumbering]], [[shipbuilding]], grain export, and fish and oyster processing; it rivaled other ports such as [[Norfolk, Virginia]], and [[Baltimore, Maryland]]. But the establishment in 1881 of the Elizabeth City and Norfolk Railroad, later renamed the [[Norfolk Southern Railway (1942–82)|Norfolk Southern Railway]], encouraged a shift of industries from waterfront in Elizabeth City to the growing cities of North Carolina's Upper Coastal Plain and [[Piedmont (United States)|Piedmont]].<ref name="historicelizabethcity.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.historicelizabethcity.org/text/1.6.3.html|title=historicelizabethcity.org|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130112204037/http://www.historicelizabethcity.org/text/1.6.3.html|archive-date=January 12, 2013}}</ref>

[[File:SC-1280-Elizabeth City Shipyard.jpg|thumb|left|SC-1280 was one of thirty subchasers built at the Elizabeth City Shipyard, the highest number of any shipyard in the nation.]]
The declaration of [[World War II]] reinvigorated Elizabeth City's industries, particularly in shipbuilding, textiles, and aeronautics. [[Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City]] was established in 1940 and [[Weeksville Dirigible Hangar|Navy Air Station Weeksville]] in 1941 to provide valuable surveillance by [[seaplane]] and [[dirigible]] of German [[U-boat]]s that were targeting American merchant shipping in [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]] waters.

Additionally from 1942 to 1944, the Elizabeth City Shipyard supported the war effort with much of its production: thirty 111-foot SC-class [[submarine chaser]]s,<ref name="shipbuildinghistory.com">{{cite web |url=http://shipbuildinghistory.com/history/shipyards/4emergencysmall/elizabeth.htm |title=Elizabeth City Shipyard |access-date=June 21, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019214431/http://www.shipbuildinghistory.com/history/shipyards/4emergencysmall/elizabeth.htm |archive-date=October 19, 2012  }}</ref><ref name="splinterfleet.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.splinterfleet.org/sfspec.php|title=Splinter Fleet - Subchaser Facts and Specifications|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041108065003/http://www.splinterfleet.org/sfspec.php|archive-date=November 8, 2004}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.navsource.org/archives/12/01idx.htm|title=Submarine Chaser Photo Index|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080112110819/http://www.navsource.org/archives/12/01idx.htm|archive-date=January 12, 2008}}</ref> four YT-class yard [[Tugboat|tugboats]], and six 104-foot QS-class quick supply boats.<ref name="shipbuildinghistory.com"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://shipbuildinghistory.com/history/smallships/armyqsboats.htm |title=US Army Quick-Supply Boats QS |access-date=June 21, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020025459/http://www.shipbuildinghistory.com/history/smallships/armyqsboats.htm |archive-date=October 20, 2012  }}</ref> The Elizabeth City Shipyard built the most subchasers for the war effort (30 out of 438 total nationally), and set the record construction time for the SC-class, with SC-740 laid down in only thirty days.<ref name="splinterfleet.org"/> As of January 2020, the Elizabeth City Shipyard is no longer in operation.

For two years, 1950 and 1951, Elizabeth City was home to a professional minor league baseball team. The [[Elizabeth City Albemarles]] played in the [[Class D (baseball)|Class D]] level [[Virginia League (1948–51)|Virginia League]]. Previously, the town had fielded a team for several seasons in the semipro Albemarle League.<ref>Holaday, Chris (1998). Professional Baseball in North Carolina: An Illustrated City-by-city History, 1901-1996. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. {{ISBN|978-0786425532}}.</ref>

The conclusion of the war led to a levelled economy. Industry restructuring here and in other areas changed the economy. Since the late 20th century, the service, government, and agriculture sectors have become dominant in the current economy. Starting in the late 1990s, revival efforts in tourism and civic revitalization centered on downtown and the city's five historic districts have led to increasing economic stability.

The [[Elizabeth City Historic District]], [[Elizabeth City State Teachers College Historic District]], [[Elizabeth City Water Plant]], [[Episcopal Cemetery (Elizabeth City, North Carolina)|Episcopal Cemetery]], [[Norfolk Southern Passenger Station]], [[Northside Historic District (Elizabeth City, North Carolina)|Northside Historic District]], [[Old Brick House]], [[Riverside Historic District (Elizabeth City, North Carolina)|Riverside Historic District]], and [[Shepard Street-South Road Street Historic District]] are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref> They are protected to encourage heritage tourism that stresses the city's unique qualities.