Historic Port of Washington Project, Inc

Historic Port of Washington Project, Inc The HPOW Project's nonprofit mission promotes awareness of our unique riverfront heritage & history.

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08/20/2026

Know your Constitution!

“Miss Washington” — Beauty Pageant, Washington, N.C., 1946In 1946, downtown Washington became the stage for a Jaycee-spo...
08/14/2026

“Miss Washington” — Beauty Pageant, Washington, N.C., 1946

In 1946, downtown Washington became the stage for a Jaycee-sponsored beauty pageant to select “Miss Washington.” This photograph captures the contestants lined up before a crowd on Main Street, wearing numbered cards as they awaited the judges’ decision.

According to a contemporary newspaper account, Main Street was roped off from Market Street to Union Alley for the preliminary judging. Thirteen young women competed for the title and the opportunity to represent Washington in a statewide contest in Wilson the following month.

The contestants were:

Catherine Nicholls, Alice Roberson, Marguerite Joan Stanton, Jane Griffin, Margaret Ann Stowe, Becky Paramore, Linda Hick, Elsie Lois Carter, Raychel Boyd, Jean Ross, Charlotte Stanley, Sally Robertson, and Vivian Ingalls.

The preliminary judging began at 2 p.m., with judges brought in from other cities. The first half hour of the event was even broadcast live over Washington radio station WRRF. Local attorney *ohn Wilkinson served as master of ceremonies, while Jaycee president June Grimes spoke about the purpose of the contest.

But the contestants had to wait until that evening to learn the winner.

The final judging took place during the Jaycee Beauty Pageant Ball at the Washington Armory. The dance began at 10 p.m., and after the first hour, the new “Miss Washington” was announced.

"Miss Washington of 1946"- Catherine Nicholls, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lee Nicholls. and No. 1 in the line of contestants.

The photograph provides a remarkable glimpse of both the pageant and downtown Washington in the mid-1940s. Behind the contestants can be seen the theater marquee, Maud Beauty Shoppe, neighboring storefronts, and the large crowd gathered along Main Street to watch the event.

Do you recognize any of the contestants or spectators in this photograph? If so, we would love to hear their stories.

Photo Credit: The Museum of the Pamlico; taken by Baker Studio.

Colorized using AI.

07/28/2026

Step back in time and discover the stories that shaped Martin Count...

Powell & Ellsworth Grocery, circa 1915Powell & Ellsworth was one of Washington’s early 20th-century retail grocery store...
07/18/2026

Powell & Ellsworth Grocery, circa 1915

Powell & Ellsworth was one of Washington’s early 20th-century retail grocery stores, serving local families with household staples and home delivery by horse-drawn wagon. The business is listed among Washington’s grocers in 1915 and was still operating in 1916.

The historic photograph shows the store’s employees gathered outside the business with its delivery wagon. The second image shows the same building today at 120 South Market Street, a surviving reminder of Washington’s once-busy downtown grocery trade.

View of Washington, NC from a water tower, circa 1905. Notice schooner visible at anchor in the Pamlico River near Castl...
07/12/2026

View of Washington, NC from a water tower, circa 1905. Notice schooner visible at anchor in the Pamlico River near Castle Island in the distance. Notable structures are: First Methodist Church (left center), Atlantic Coast Line RR terminal and warehouse (center), and the Frank A. Moss House (1902), today's Pigs Fly Inn.

07/12/2026

On July 12, 1813, a British fleet under the command of Admiral George Cockburn continued the invasion of the Outer Banks that had begun the night before. Before the day was over, the British had taken Ocracoke and Portsmouth Islands.

The invasion, which was part of the War of 1812, was the most serious attack on North Carolina during the war. Cockburn’s fleet included a 74-gun man-of-war, three frigates, a brig, three schooners, and several transport vessels carrying nearly 3,000 British soldiers and marines.

The British plundered the islands of “200 head of cattle, 400 sheep, and 1,600 fowls of various kinds.” The troops paid the inhabitants for what they took but at prices far below the actual value. The Redcoats took customs collector Thomas Singleton’s “papers in his library” and “tore up his law books.”

Though the British took two privateers, a revenue cutter managed to escape their grasp, reach New Bern, and alert the rest of the state to the attack. That, in turn, allowed state militiamen to march on and guard coastal towns.

The British fleet sailed for Nova Scotia on July 16 but warned locals that the entire North Carolina coast remained under a British blockade. There is no evidence that the fleet ever returned to enforce it.

Marker located in Hyde County, NC: https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2023/12/05/british-invasion-b-19

Maola Ice Cream has deep roots in Washington, North Carolina.The Maola name began with F. E. Mayo & Company, which opera...
07/12/2026

Maola Ice Cream has deep roots in Washington, North Carolina.

The Maola name began with F. E. Mayo & Company, which operated an ice cream plant in Washington and sold its products throughout the region. Maola delivery trucks once traveled local streets, bringing ice cream and other dairy products to stores and families across eastern North Carolina.
Although the brand later became closely associated with New Bern, its story began here in Washington. For many longtime residents, Maola still brings back memories of neighborhood stores, uniformed deliverymen, and cold ice cream enjoyed on a warm Carolina day.

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PO Box 171
Washington, NC
27889

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