Belhaven in Beaufort County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Belhaven is the Town that the Lumber Industry and the Railroad Built

Photographed by Steve Stoessel, May 13, 2026

1. Belhaven is the Town that the Lumber Industry and the Railroad Built Marker

Inscription.
[ Main Text: ]
This railroad station was built by Norfolk & Southern Railway in 1903 at a cost of $4,824. Its primary purpose was to serve the needs of lumber businesses, most notably the Interstate Cooperage. In the same year as the station was built, Roper Lumber Company had upwards of 900 employees and produced as much as 124,000 board feet of lumber per day. There were as many as six lumber Norfolk & Southern Railroad Static companies in Belhaven. When the Interstate Cooperage phased out production in 1935 due to lack of demand for barrel staves, the need for the large railroad station was greatly reduced. Much of the local virgin forests had been harvested for lumber by that time. The station was cut down to its current size in the 1950s. In 1974 Southern Railway took over the Norfolk Southern Railroad. In 1985 Southern Railway leased the train station property to Belhaven for use as a Welcome Center and home for the Chamber of Commerce. The Welcome Center opened in July of 1988. The Belhaven Police department relocated to the site in 2016.

[ Top Right Inset: ]
In 1887 the Albemarle & Pantego Railroad

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

went from Mackey's Ferry to Belhaven, and it was built by John L. Roper to serve the John L. Roper Lumber Company. Belhaven was uniquely located on protected waters and provided access to the Pamlico Sound. The Albemarle & Pantego Railroad merged with the Norfolk & Southern Railway in 1891. The railroad served the needs of the growing Belhaven community by providing transportation and a means of shipping goods. It was central to the commercial interests of farmers, fishermen, and storekeepers. The first automobile in Belhaven, a Stanley Steamer, was shipped to Belhaven by railroad in 1904. It was purchased by John A. Wilkinson, President of the J. L. Roper Lumber Company and Vice President of the Norfolk Southern Railway. With the rise of the automobile, passenger service was dropped by Norfolk Southern in 1948 and was replaced by Norfolk Southern bus line connecting Belhaven to other towns throughout the area.

[ Bottom Inset: ]
The bay window design X682 Southern Caboose was built in 1951 and refurbished in January of 1970. It was donated to Belhaven in 1990. Cabooses were used as the office of the railroad conductor and to haul

Photographed by Steve Stoessel, May 13, 2026

2. Belhaven is the Town that the Lumber Industry and the Railroad Built Marker

crew and some maintenance equipment. Improvements in equipment and the use of sensor technology reduced the need for large crews. Because modern diesel locomotives are large enough to house the crew, it was determined that cabooses were no longer necessary. This caboose is considered a "road caboose" and had a journal (axle) mounted generator to make electricity for lights and radio communications.

[ Photo Captions, clockwise from top center: ]
- Norfolk & Southern Railroad Station Belhaven 1915
- Train Station after Truncation in 1950s
- Belhaven Norfolk Southern station circa 1975
- Plan View Southern Bay Window Caboose
- Executives of the Norfolk and Southern Railway circa 1910. Third from Left in Front row was Mr. Stern, agent in Belhaven. In Back Row was T. Harvey Myers agent in Washington NC for 30 years.
- Early Norfolk Southern Steam Locomotive in Belhaven.

Erected by Visitors to Toy Trains of Belhaven.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical month for this entry is July 1988.

Location. 35° 32.424′ N, 76° 37.414′ W. Marker

Belhaven Caboose Garden image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Steve Stoessel, May 13, 2026

3. Belhaven Caboose Garden

is in Belhaven, North Carolina, in Beaufort County. It is on Main Street (Business Route 265) east of Gaskin Street, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 123 Main St, Belhaven NC 27810, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Coastal Plain. It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Tidewater,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 12 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Aquascogoc (approx. 0.6 miles away); Christopher Gale (approx. 11.3 miles away); Colonial Bath (approx. 11½ miles away); Historic Bath (approx. 11½ miles away); a different marker also named Colonial Bath (approx. 11.6 miles away);

Paid Advertisement

Matthew Rowan (approx. 11.6 miles away); Palmer-Marsh House (approx. 11.6 miles away); First Public Library (approx. 11.6 miles away).

Also see . . . Belhaven, NC (wikipedia). Eva Narcissus Boyd, singer, known professionally as "Little Eva"; performer of "The Locomotion" is from Belhaven

Belhaven is a waterfront town in Beaufort County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,410 at the 2020 census. Belhaven is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks region.

(Submitted on May 17, 2026, by Steve Stoessel of Niskayuna, New York.)

Credits. This page was last revised on May 17, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 13, 2026, by Steve Stoessel of Niskayuna, New York. This page has been viewed 16 times since then. Photos: 1. submitted on May 13, 2026, by Steve Stoessel of Niskayuna, New York. 2, 3. submitted on May 17, 2026, by Steve Stoessel of Niskayuna, New York.