Hyde County, North Carolina
Hyde County, North Carolina | |
|---|---|
 Hyde County Courthouse in Swan Quarter | |
 Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state of North Carolina | |
 Interactive map of Hyde County, North Carolina | |
| Coordinates: 35°25′N 76°09′W / 35.41°N 76.15°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  North Carolina |
| Founded | 1712 |
| Named after | Edward Hyde |
| Seat | Swan Quarter |
| Largest community | Ocracoke |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,459.05 sq mi (3,778.9 km2) |
| • Land | 612.35 sq mi (1,586.0 km2) |
| • Water | 846.70 sq mi (2,192.9 km2) 58.03% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 4,589 |
• Estimate (2025) | 4,554  |
| • Density | 7.49/sq mi (2.89/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 3rd |
| Website | www |
Hyde County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,589,[1] making it the second-least populous county in North Carolina. Its county seat is Swan Quarter.[2] The county was created in 1705 as Wickham Precinct. It was renamed Hyde Precinct in 1712 and gained county status in 1739.[3][4]
History
[edit]Early history and creation
[edit]Sources conflict over when the area that eventually grew to encompass Hyde County was settled by Europeans. The earliest known colonial land deeds in the present day county date from 1704 or 1705. European settlement remained sparse over the subsequent decades, though the English established a small fort on the northern shore of Lake Mattamuskeet. In 1711, Algonquin-speaking Native Americans in the area joined with the proximate Tuscarora people in launching a war against the settlers. The conflict was won by the settlers in 1715, with many captured Native Americans enslaved and the remaining Tuscaroras largely expelled from North Carolina. The local Algonquin natives were gathered on the newly created Mattamuskeet Reservation, which comprised most of the eastern mainland section of what eventually became Hyde County. Due to pressure from the settlers, the Native Americans began selling their land in 1731.[5] By 1792, all of the reservation had been sold, and its inhabitants either left the region or intermarried with local European Americans and African Americans.[6]
The county was formed December 3, 1705, as Wickham Precinct, one of three precincts within