Between 1664-1667, Barbadians led by John Vassall and Puritans from Massachusetts established plantations stretching as far as 60 miles along what was then called the Charles River, until neglect by the Lords Proprietors, distractions on the world stage, and a competing settlement doomed the efforts of the hundreds of souls who worked to build the first English outpost below the Albemarle. This is their story.

While South Carolina has the most famous Charles Towne in Carolina, the first one was along the banks of the Cape Fear River. Between 1664-1667, Barbadians led by John Vassall and Puritans from Massachusetts established plantations stretching as far as sixty miles along what was then called the Charles River, until neglect by the Lords Proprietors, distractions on the world stage, and a competing settlement doomed the efforts of the hundreds of souls who worked to build the first English outpost below the Albemarle. This is their story.