Edenton, incorporated in 1722, was once a bustling port town as well as North Carolina’s first capital. A center of commerce and government, it produced a number of state leaders, including governors, United States senators, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and a state attorney general—James Iredell, for whom Iredell County is named—who later served as an associate justice on the United States Supreme Court. Like Boston, Edenton had a tea party to protest the tea tax. Interestingly, the Edenton Tea Party, which took place in October 1774, was one of the first political actions in the state to be instigated by women—51 of them.
Before visiting Edenton, I knew that the town contained many striking old homes. Just the same, I was not prepared for the grandeur I saw along Broad Street. It was all I could do to find a legal space to park my car so I could get out and start walking! While I was enjoying the town, I realized something else: Edenton probably contains more historical markers than any other town in North Carolina. Clearly, this town once buzzed with activity.
Though Edenton is the jewel of the upper reaches of Albemarle Sound, other nearby places are also worth a visit. Among them are Hope Plantation in Windsor (the residence of Governor David Stone), Plymouth (where Union and Confederate forces struggled throughout the Civil War), and Fort Branch.
Where to Stay
Looking for a queenly place to stay? Then book lodging at the Granville Queen Themed Inn (252-482-5296; www.edenton.com/granvillequeen/). Each room—whether it be the “Egyptian Queen” or the “Queen Victorianna”—sports an elegant, queenly personality. More folksy in attitude, the Governor Eden Inn (866-872-5608 or 252-482-2072; www.governoredeninn.com) is located on Broad Street within easy walking distance of downtown. Likewise for the Lords Proprietors’ Inn (888-394-6622 or 252-482-3641; www.lordspropedenton.com), an outstanding place to spend a weekend.
Where to Eat
Kramer’s Garage (252-482-9977), a renovated garage on the waterfront in Edenton, serves gourmet dishes with a jazz theme. The “Louis Armstrong Tuneup” is especially tasty! The sunsets aren’t bad either. Reservations are often needed for dinner. A longtime local favorite, Waterman’s Grill in downtown Edenton specializes in seafood. Nixon Family Restaurant claims to have the largest seafood buffet in North Carolina. If you’re in Windsor, stop at the Heritage House Restaurant on U.S. 17 North. This restaurant is popular with the barbecue-hungry. It also serves steaks and seafood.
Ways to While Away the Day
Architecture
Edenton is the place to be if you love to study colonial architecture. It’s like Williamsburg, only without the crowds. You can either stroll the town armed with a walking-tour map from the visitor center or take one of the guided tours. The walking tour, about 1.5 miles in length, passes 28 points of interest, including 17 houses, most of them built between 1782 and 1900; the cannons (contracted by Benjamin Franklin) that guard Edenton Bay; the Chowan County Courthouse, considered by many the finest Georgian courthouse in the South; and St. Paul’s Parish, the second-oldest church building in North Carolina. If you go on your own, you can enter the Barker House, the home of Penelope Barker, who instigated the Edenton Tea Party; and St. Paul’s Church. To enter either the Cupola House or the Iredell House, you’ll need to go with a guided tour. Regardless of whether you ride or walk, you’ll see houses, like the Dixon-Powell House, that are simply breathtaking. Guided tours are offered from April to October and last one to two hours. Trolley tours are offered four times a day Tuesday through Saturday. Fees are charged for guided tours and trolley tours.
Civil War History
Civil War buffs can visit the Port O’ Plymouth Civil War Museum to learn about the 1864 Battle of Plymouth, in which 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers and sailors struggled for control of the Roanoke River and the Wilmington-Weldon Railroad. (A river port, Plymouth was supposed to defend the railroad, a lifeline for supplies shipped from Wilmington to Richmond.) The museum is located at 302 East Water Street in Plymouth. During the winter, it is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 A.M. to 4 P.M.; summer hours include Sunday afternoons and most Mondays. For more information, call 252-793-1377.
Farther up the river sits the earthen Fort Branch, also a part of the railroad defense strategy. When Robert E. Lee’s surrender forced the Confederates to abandon the fort, they pitched 12 cannons into the river. Most of the cannons lay on the bottom until 1972. Since then, 10 of them have been found; some are on display at the fort. Fort Branch is open Saturday and Sunday from 1:30 P.M. to 5:30 P.M. from April to November. Picnic tables and bathroom facilities are on the site. To find Fort Branch, follow U.S. 17 to Williamston, then turn onto N.C. 125 and drive to Hamilton. For more information, call 800-776-8566 or visit http://albemarle-nc.com/martin/fortbranch/.
Golf
The Chowan Golf and Country Club (252-482-3606) in Edenton is open to the public.
Heritage
Somerset Place State Historic Site, located in Creswell, is home to a plantation house, several outbuildings, and a restored slave cabin. All of the structures are near Lake Phelps, one of the state’s many Carolina bay lakes. The plantation is open state hours (252-797-4560).
Hope Plantation in Windsor is the former home of Governor David Stone. From the hip roof to the two-tiered portico to the arched doorway in the front hall, Hope speaks to the well-to-do life of plantation owners. Also on the grounds are the 1763 King-Bazemore House and the 1800s-vintage Samuel Cox House. From January 3 to December 20, the plantation is open from 10 A.M. to 4 P.M. on weekdays and from 2 P.M. to 5 P.M. on Saturday and Sunday. It is closed Thanksgiving. An admission fee is charged. For more information, call 252-794-3140 or visit www.albemarlenc.com/hope/.
Though much of Windsor burned in 1888, you can see a few houses that date to the 1790s. In a five-block area downtown are nearly 20 historic buildings.
Outdoors
Fishing/Hiking/Picnicking/Mountain Biking/Walking
The centerpiece of Pettigrew State Park near Creswell is Lake Phelps, the second-largest natural lake in the state. A pocketful of trails open to biking and walking lead through the bay forests and near otter slides (wellworn dirt gullies visible down the canal banks). The visitor center houses remnants of a canoe believed to date to 350 A.D. You must have a fishing license to fish in Lake Phelps. For more information, call 252-797-4475 or visit www.ils.unc.edu/parkproject/visit/pett/home.html.
The visitor center in Edenton keeps copies of the North Carolina Coastal Plain Paddle Trails Guide. If you have your own kayak or canoe or don’t mind renting one at the dock, you can do some wonderful, quiet paddling right from Edenton’s waterfront.
The Cashie Wetlands Walk, a handicapped-accessible boardwalk alongside the Cashie (ca-SHY) River, lets you study wetlands up close and personal. You’ll have the opportunity to listen to birds, to study the river birch and water tupelo trees, and to wonder if, in the moonlight, those cypress knees turn into little hobbits that dance, sing, and chant till sunrise. You can also read displays that talk about life in the “Wetlands Café” (“Eat or be eaten!” the display advises) and how the dirt stops being dirt and starts being swamp on a river in the coastal plain. The Cashie Wetlands Walk is located at the river in Windsor.
Scenic Drive
To sample the upper reaches of Albemarle Sound, you can drive this modified version of the Edenton-Windsor Byway. It crosses three magnificent, if windy, bridges, two over Albemarle Sound and one over the Chowan River. Begin in Edenton at the intersection of U.S. 17 Business and N.C. 32. Follow N.C. 32 south out of town until it intersects N.C. 37. Almost immediately, you’ll cross the second-longest bridge in the state. After crossing the river, you’ll reach an intersection with U.S. 64. You can turn east and travel about 15 miles to Somerset Place or turn west to continue the loop back to Edenton by way of Plymouth. In Williamston, you can pick up U.S. 17 North to Windsor on the return to Edenton.
Tidbits
Somerset Place has a typical story that ends in a not-so-typical way. An English immigrant from Somersetshire, Josiah Collins, came to the area in 1784 to begin a lumbering and agriculture business. Using a work force of slaves, Collins built Somerset into one of the largest plantations in North Carolina. In 1862, the Civil War arrived in the area. Union troops raided the property, taking horses and grain. The family fled to Hillsborough; Josiah Collins’s grandson died impoverished; and his widow sold the property to pay off family debts. Because the Collins family kept meticulous records about day-to-day life and because black families at Somerset were able to keep cohesive families, both the English and African descendants of the plantation can trace their roots. Periodically, these descendants have a homecoming to acknowledge their mutual history. The last such gathering, held in 1996, was attended by 2,000 people, who came to Somerset from all across the country.
Carolina bay lakes are one of life’s little mysteries. Hundreds of these oval, shallow lakes dot the coastal plain from southern Virginia to southern Georgia. No one knows for sure how they came to be, though theories abound. Some suggest underground springs; others think fragments of exploding meteors pierced the atmosphere, making the depressions in the soft soil of the coastal plain.
The Chowan County Courthouse in Edenton is the oldest courthouse in use in North Carolina.
The first post road from New England to Charleston passed through Edenton.
Shopping
Once you get your fill of balustrades and porticos, you can poke around the antiques shops, the Edenton Art Gallery, and the Chowan Arts Council Gallery.
| October | Art Walk |
| November | Reenactment at Fort Branch |
| December | The Edenton Christmas Candlelight Tour includes an oyster roast and caroling on the green. |
| Civil War Christmas at Fort Branch |
More Resources
You can reach the Chowan County Tourism Development Authority by calling 800-775-0111 or 252-482-3400 or by visiting www.edenton.com.
The Windsor Visitor Center, housed in the Freeman Hotel at 102 North York Street, is open Monday through Friday from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. Call 252-794-4277 or visit www.albemarle-nc.com/windsor/.
Information about Washington County and Plymouth is available at www.visitwashingtoncountync.com/heritage.
For other nearby activities, see the “Weekend in Pamlico Country” and “Weekend in Albemarle Country” chapters.