Mackeys Ferry on Albemarle Sound

Three miles northwest of here, a ferry crossing once served as the essential link across Albemarle Sound for everyone traveling the colonial road between northern and southern North Carolina. The crossing first appears in records as Thomas Bell's Ferry in the early seventeen thirties, and William Mackey later purchased the operation and gave it his name. For generations, boats pulled travelers, horses, wagons, and eventually automobiles across the sound at this passage.

Mackey's successors eventually petitioned for fare increases to keep up with the growing traffic. The ferry ran for generations, until a bridge made the crossing unnecessary. That long run speaks to how central this water crossing was to everyday life along the Albemarle, before bridges made the sounds crossable without a boat.