Shawboro in Currituck County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Henry M. Shaw
Erected 1967 by Archives and Highway Departments. (Marker Number A-62.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Government & Politics • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the North Carolina Division of Archives and History series list. A significant historical date for this entry is February 1, 1864.
Location. 36° 24.309′ N, 76° 5.603′ W. Marker is in Shawboro, North Carolina, in Currituck County. It is at the intersection of Shawboro Road (Route 34) and North Indiantown Road, in the median on Shawboro Road. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Shawboro NC 27973, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Coastal Plain and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Tidewater. 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 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Yeopim (approx. 1.9 miles away); McKnights Shipyard (approx. 2 miles away); Indiantown (approx. 4 miles away); Hijacking Maple Leaf (approx. 5.1 miles away); Joseph Pilmoor (approx. 5.3 miles away); Confederate Memorial (approx. 5.3 miles away); Currituck County Courthouse (approx. 5.3 miles away); Currituck County Old Jail (approx. 5.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Shawboro.
Other markers no longer nearby. Maple Leaf (was approx. 5.1 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); a different marker also named Currituck County Courthouse (was approx. 5.3 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Regarding Henry M. Shaw. Henry M. Shaw represented Currituck County in the secession convention but resigned from the convention to become colonel of the Eighth Regiment, North Carolina Troops. Shaw was in command at Roanoke Island in February 1862 when the regiment was captured by Union forces under General Ambrose E. Burnside. Henry M. Shaw was born in Newport, Rhode Island, November 20, 1819, to John Allen and Betty Marchmore Shaw. Although the family moved south due to financial hardships, Shaw was able to pursue his medical education at the University of Pennsylvania with the assistance of a benefactor. Upon graduation, he established a medical practice in Indiantown (Currituck County).
Henry M. Shaw became active in politics, serving in the state senate in 1851. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from the first district in 1853 and 1857. After his regiments capture on Roanoke Island February 8, Shaw remained imprisoned until he was exchanged in November of that year in Virginia. He resumed command of his reformed regiment at Camp Mangum. Henry M. Shaw was killed in the skirmish at Batchelders Creek on February 1, 1864. Shaw married Mary Riddick Trotman of Camden County. The couple had three children. Henry and Mary Shaw are buried at their home in Shawboro.
References:
William S. Powell, ed., Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, V, 323sketch by Ellen Taylor Cook
John G. Barrett, The Civil War in North Carolina (1997)
William R. Trotter, Ironclads and Columbiads, The Civil War in North Carolina: The Coast (1989)
copied from the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
Credits. This page was last revised on April 2, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 1, 2007, by Laura Troy of Burke, Virginia. This page has been viewed 2,199 times since then and 38 times this year. Last updated on July 24, 2008. Photos: 1. submitted on October 1, 2007, by Laura Troy of Burke, Virginia. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on August 26, 2014, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. 7. submitted on October 1, 2007, by Laura Troy of Burke, Virginia. • J. J. Prats was the editor who published this page.






