The Elizabeth City Historical District includes historic sites such as the Elizabeth City State Teachers College, the Old Brick House, and the Episcopal Cemetery. In addition, the city is home to several historic neighborhoods, including the Northside, Riverside, and Shepard Street-South Road Street Historic Districts. The town sits alongside the Pasquotank River, which connects to the Albemarle Sound. The town is bordered by Camden County on the west.
In January 1870, Daniel Stiegerwalt Kramer immigrated from Pennsylvania. He had been in the lumber business for many years with his father. In August of 1871, he opened his own lumber mill at the foot of Burgess Street. Although saw mills had operated in the area for twenty years, Daniel Kramer's mill was the first to engage in lumber manufacturing on a large scale.
Industrial activities flourished in the late 1870s. In addition to lumber manufacturing, the county also had a number of other industries. In addition to lumber, William H. Clark owned a farm implement factory and a corn and flour mill. Later, George W. Bell operated a gun shop on South Broad Street.
The town experienced a period of prosperity and change before the American Civil War. The Union's blockade on the North Carolina and Virginia coasts limited oceanic shipping, but transportation between the Albemarle-Chesapeake and Dismal Swamp canals was effective in the early stages of the war. This allowed the Confederate government to receive supplies and munitions that they needed.