Historic Edenton

The first capital of North Carolina, Edenton, is nestled into the northeastern corner of the state. Edenton is also in the smallest county of North Carolina, Chowan County. Edenton is a town of rich historical and cultural relevance to the development of North Carolina and the United States of America. Home to one of the first US Supreme Court Justices, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, a signer of the US Constitution, the Edenton Tea Party, and Harriet Jacobs, the town has many different sites to see and historical figures to learn about. Edenton has a population of approximately 5,000 people and is on the state's list of registered historical sites. The town offers trolley or walking tours, and many of the stops on the tours allow visitors to enter historical buildings.

Like all areas of the south, Edenton’s history is entrenched with the blemish of slavery. One of the few ports in the northeastern part of the state, Edenton served as a hub of slavery in the region. Edenton was the home to Harriet Jacobs, an enslaved woman who escaped to freedom by hiding in her grandmother’s attic for seven years and then sailing to Philadelphia after refusing to succumb to her young owner’s father’s advances. Jacobs wrote of her experiences in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. This narrative is one of the few slave narratives by a woman, and she gives readers a fundamental glance into the institution of slavery in North Carolina. Edenton was a part of the maritime Underground Railroad; enslaved people would escape to freedom in the North by gaining secret passage on ships from Edenton.

Some of the founding fathers of our country hailed from Edenton. Joseph Hewes, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and the first Secretary of the Navy, lived and operated a business in the town. One of the attendees to the Constitutional Convention, Hugh Williamson, signed the founding document on behalf of the state. Meanwhile, one of the first men named to the Supreme Court, James Iredell, lived in Edenton. His house still stands today and can be seen on the tours in the town. Iredell’s house is now home to one of the numerous museums in Edenton. Edenton was also home to many leaders within the state of North Carolina and several well-known athletes.

Just shy of a year after the Boston Tea Party, a group of women gathered at the behest of Penelope Barker in the home of Elizabeth King to take part in their own tea party. These 51 women signed a pledge stating that they will obtain from buying English goods, most notably English tea and cloth. In a strong show of unity and determination, the women sent this declaration to England for the King and Parliament to read. This show of political action by a group of women inspired others to do the same and shows the influence women had in the quaint town. Today, you can visit the Penelope Barker House, home to the town’s visitor center. The home of Elizabeth King was demolished in 1876, but a memorial in the shape of a teapot stands in reverence to the brave women of Edenton.

Today, visitors to Edenton can enjoy the numerous sites and experiences the town has to offer. Hundreds of years after its founding, Edenton is still a thriving town and a significant feature of the region. Visitors are encouraged to walk down Main Street and visit the shops, restaurants, coffee houses, and historical buildings. Visitors can take guided walking tours or venture out on their own. The town also has trolley tours; one must first visit the Visitor's Center in the Penelope Barker House to buy a ticket. Many historic homes have been converted into bed and breakfasts. Twice a week, Edenton hosts a farmers market that residents from all over come to buy and sell goods. One can see the historical courthouse or the jail where Harriet Jacobs's relatives were housed in an attempt to get her to come out of hiding. The old lighthouse that guided countless vessels into port still stands and can be toured. The Coupla House overlooks the harbor and is a prominent feature of Edenton tours; visitors can walk the halls of this grand building and tour the beautifully manicured formal gardens while learning of the home's unique history. Edenton is a typical example of southern hospitality; Spanish moss hangs off of the trees that grow alongside the water; the air is thick with the scent of freshly baked goods and honeysuckle. After a walk around this historic town, one can see why so many people called this place home and why this town was so important to the early development of both North Carolina and the United States.

Declaration of Independence: A Transcription. (2020, July 24). National Archives. https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript

The Edenton Gazette (Edenton, N.C.). (n.d.). DigitalNC. https://www.digitalnc.org/newspapers/the-edenton-gazette-edenton-n-c/

Jacobs, H. (2021). Harriet Jacobs: Selected Writings and Correspondence Documents. The Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition. https://glc.yale.edu/harriet-jacobs-selected-writings-and-correspondence-documents

Letter of unknown author printed in the Morning Chronicle and London Advertiser, January 31, 1775. Reprinted by the Edenton Woman's Club in Historic Edenton and Countryside (The Chowan Herald, 1959), pp. 3–4.

Papers of James Iredell: Volume 1. (1976). North Carolina Digital Collections: James Iredell Papers. https://digital.ncdcr.gov/digital/collection/p249901coll22/id/406623

 Philip Dawe(?), A Society of Patriotic Ladies, at Edenton in North Carolina, mezzotint, 1775, 13 3/4 x 10 inches—Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress.