Cultural Identity
Amenity migrants’ conceptions of rural spaces can dramatically alter community values and the cultural foundation of a town. Productivist landscapes, like commercial fishing, often clash with the expectations of those seeking amenities in the area (7). Originally, Beaufort and its residents expressed desires to preserve commercial fishing as it was a part of the town’s cultural identity and economy (23). However, over time, desires to promote tourism, through the historical, architectural, and cultural assets of the town, emerged as a vision for the future of Beaufort.
Visions for Local Industry
In Beaufort’s transition from Then to Now, residents had differing opinions about the presence of commercial fishing and processing within the community. Long-standing residents with ties to the menhaden industry associate the odor of the fishery with the community’s identity and economic potential; they often referred to the smell of menhaden as “the smell of money” (9). However, these opinions are in sharp contrast to those of newer residents who complained about the odor coming from Beaufort Fisheries (23). In an effort to maintain the town’s attractiveness as a tourist destination, the local government addressed this dissatisfaction through zoning ordinances that stated that any new industrial development should be away from residential areas, clean, and not produce odors (28).
Shift in Community Values
Idealized Rurality
Visions of what downtown Beaufort should and should not look like differed from the Beaufort Then to Beaufort Now era. During its productivist-era, the town included homes of local fishers and boat captains, as well a community designed to support a working waterfront (8). However, as commercial fishing faded from the town’s identity, the image of the town starts to emphasize its cultural heritage and historical image (23).
The Historic District focuses on highlighting the eclectic collection of architectural styles of notable houses in the downtown area. Each Historic District home is outfitted with a special plaque that offers the name of the historical resident and the year it was built (34). The Historic District does not currently designate any maritime infrastructure that was used in supporting commercial fishing fleets.
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Beaufort Historic Site | 2020 • Source
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Leffer's Cottage & Garden | 2020 • Source
Historically, Beaufort was an attractive place to live because of employment opportunities in the commercial fishing industry. Now, the downtown waterfront area is important because of its attraction to visitors and tourists. Opinions regarding the fishing industry dramatically shifted over a short period of time. This is highlighted in the Land Use Plans, as newer residents found the smell of menhaden processing incompatible with their ideal community image (28). This sentiment was carried through other aspects of the town’s development and land use planning projects. This is especially clear in the establishment of Beaufort’s Historic District, which marks a pivotal moment in Beaufort’s rebranding effort to attract tourism, and also signifies the diminishing importance of commercial fishing (11). Instead, Beaufort projects its town and heritage through romanticized visions of its colonial past. Through the town’s Design Guidelines, this Historic District ensures the preservation of architecturally unique structures and establishes what they can and cannot look like (34, 28). The way Beaufort’s historical and cultural assets are now featured makes it difficult to recognize the significance of commercial fishing to the town’s past.