Market Houses

[2]Markets in colonial [3] North Carolina were a [4]part of the English tradition brought by early settlers. As early as the thirteenth century town markets in England offered opportunities to buy and sell. North Carolina's first town, Bath [5] (chartered in 1705), had a town common where fairs and markets were held. In the 1720s the colonial Assembly passed acts to create marketplaces in towns, and in 1731 Governor George Burrington [6]'s commission empowered him to establish fairs and markets.

Some courthouses and, occasionally, municipal buildings had open space underneath them for public markets. Early market houses existed in Charlotte [7], Edenton [8], Fayetteville [9], New Bern, Raleigh [10], Salem [11], and Wilmington [12]. Maps, plans, and documents for other places contain references to streets named "Market," clear evidence that they were common. Wilmington and New Bern had separate fish markets, and Salem by 1803 had a meat market that was open twice a week. The Kinston Journal on 30 Dec. 1878 announced the pending opening of a large town hall built over a market house. Municipal, county, and state governments continue to provide market space to the benefit of both producer and consumer.