Laid out on Phelps Point at the narrows of the Perquimans River, the town was named in honor of Francis Seymour-Conway, Earl of Hertford. The oldest recorded property deed in North Carolina is in the Perquimans Deed Registry.
The first U.S. marshal for the District of North Carolina from 1790 to 1794, John Skinner, lived in Hertford. John Harvey, a five time speaker of colonial assembly, moderator of the provincial congress, 1774-1775, and a leader of the Revolutionary movement, also lived here.
About fifty nineteenth-century structures stand on tree-shaded streets downtown. There are dozens of early homes to see on the walking tour of Hertford, such as the: Wood-Winslow House, c. 1823; Thomas Jackson House, c. 1872; and the William Jones House, c. 1815. In 1849, The Church of the Holy Trinity was built. The church's unique structure is a classic example of Gothic Revival. The county's Federal-style courthouse was completed in 1852.
Like many of its neighboring coastal areas, Hertford was a busy lumber town in the early 1900's. The Perquimans River provided a direct link between the railroads, lumber barges and commercial ships that traversed the Albemarle Sound and the nearby Intracoastal Waterway. Today, agriculture remains the principal industry, with corn, cotton, peanuts and soybeans as major crops. Clothing manufacturing is the major non-farm industry.
Many baseball fans know of the area because Jim "Catfish" Hunter was born and raised in the county. Hunter was a major League baseball pitcher for 15 years. After his spectacular career, which included induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, "Catfish" returned home.
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