Edenton, North Carolina
| Location | |
|---|---|
| State | North Carolina |
| County | Chowan (county seat) |
| Region | Coastal Plain |
| History | |
| Settled | c. 1712 |
| Incorporated | 1722 |
| Named for | Governor Charles Eden |
Edenton is a town in and the county seat of Chowan County, North Carolina, on Edenton Bay at the head of Albemarle Sound. Incorporated in 1722, it is one of the oldest towns in the state and was the center of the colony's government for much of the early 18th century.[1] The town is known for the Edenton Tea Party of 1774.
History[edit]
Colonial town[edit]
A settlement grew up on Queen Anne's Creek in the early 1700s. It was incorporated in 1722 and named Edenton in honor of Governor Charles Eden, who had died that year.[1] For about two decades Edenton served as the principal seat of North Carolina's colonial government, and it remained an important port on Albemarle Sound through the century.
The Edenton Tea Party[edit]
On 25 October 1774 a group of about fifty women, organized by Penelope Barker, signed a resolution supporting the boycott of British tea and other goods called for by the colonial congresses. The Edenton Tea Party is regarded as one of the earliest organized political actions by women in the American colonies.[2]
Revolutionary leaders[edit]
Edenton was home to several leading figures of the Revolutionary era, among them Joseph Hewes, a signer of the Declaration of Independence; Samuel Johnston, governor and later United States senator; and James Iredell, one of the first justices of the United States Supreme Court.[1]
Harriet Jacobs[edit]
Harriet Jacobs was born into slavery in Edenton around 1813. After escaping, she hid for years in the town before reaching the North, and her 1861 narrative Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl became one of the most important accounts of slavery written by a woman.[3]
Historic buildings[edit]
The Chowan County Courthouse (1767) is a National Historic Landmark and one of the finest surviving colonial courthouses in the South. Other notable buildings include St. Paul's Episcopal Church, begun in the 1730s; the Cupola House (c. 1758); and the James Iredell House. The Roanoke River Lighthouse, a 19th-century screw-pile lighthouse, was moved to the Edenton waterfront.[4]