Situated in Eastern North Carolina, Hertford County is a picturesque locale with an extensive, storied past. Boasting portions of the Chowan and Meherrin River, the area was easily accessible to European explorers, who visited as early at 1586. Education has been an important shaping factor for Hertford residents, as the county has hosted two colleges-Chowan College, founded in 1848, and Wesleyan Female College, founded in 1853. Fishing and hunting are second to none: Camp P.D. Hunt Club is the oldest chartered hunt club in North Carolina and herring fishing was the way of life for many years. Agriculture, too, has been a mainstay for the county's economy, with peanuts and tobacco thriving as staple crops. The county also possesses a unique blend of cultural history, from the Meherrin Native Americans, who moved here from Virginia, to the strong influence of African Americans, who developed Chowan Beach as one of the premier black vacation spots during Segregation.

When Hertford County was established in 1759, Eastern North Carolina had served as a home to African Americans for more than 170 years. Over time free blacks and the Meherrin people married, creating a unique free black community of farmers and artisans. Since that time, residents, enriched by diversity, have enjoyed the county's small-town feel and picturesque landscape.

Before the outbreak of the Civil War, Hertford County had one of the largest populations of free people of color in North Carolina. Although they lived in a rural community, Hertford County's free people of color and their descendants found success in business, education, community development, religious life, and politics. Warren Eugene Milteer, Jr.'s tireless efforts in numerous archives have produced the first full-length study of their lives and contributions from the colonial period into the twentieth century.