The church itself was organized in 1701, but the present building was constructed between 1734 and 1759. It is generally open on weekdays and is a short walk from the last stop on the guided tour. The church bell was a gift from Queen Anne around 1732. Bath boasts a restaurant and a small grocery store. Old Towne is open for breakfast and lunch seven days a week and for the evening meal every night except Sunday.
Most books say that Bath was named for the English town of the same name.
However, some historians suggest it was more likely named for Lord Proprietor John Granville, the earl of Bath. The town's primary founder, John Lawson, was commissioned by the Lords Proprietors to make a survey of the Carolina interior and to map the province. Lawson, in addition to being an explorer, surveyor, and mapmaker, was a natural scientist and the region's first historian. Lawson had ambitions for Bath as a major port and center of culture and politics. It is ironic that he lost his life to a band of Native Americans while exploring the Neuse River in 1711.