Historic Albemarle
The Albemarle Sound region of North Carolina is the home to a number of incredible historic sites. Proximity to the Historic Triangle region of Hampton Roads, however, means that its history is often overlooked. I wanted to spend today visiting some of these sites, however. The day began with a pleasant drive from Norfolk to Edenton -- it was a perfect spring day.
I arrived in Edenton shortly before noon. First settled in 1612, the Towne of Queen Anne's Creek (as Edenton was known until 1722) served as the original capital of the colony of North Carolina until 1743. It was an important port city until the construction of the Great Dismal Swamp Canal, which enabled most shipping traffic to be moved to Norfolk.
I began my visit at the Visitor's Center, where I watched their film on the history of the community, learning in particular about the role of three early residents, James Iredell, at 38 the youngest Supreme Court Justice ever appointed, Joseph Hewes, the first Secretary of the Navy, and Samuel Johnston, the first elected president of the United States under the Articles of Confederation. The film also described the Edenton Tea Party, when in 1774, 51 Edenton women signed a petition committing to boycott English tea, the first known political action by women in the Americas.
After seeing the film at the Visitors Center, I headed off to explore historic Edenton following the self-guided map provided by the City. The first stop was St. Paul's Episcopal Church, the second oldest church in North Carolina, dating to 1736; the sign at the gate indicated that the church was open, but the two doors I tried were both locked, so I contented myself with exploring the churchyard, which dates to 1722.
Leaving the church, I continued the walk, passing gorgeous homes that exhibited the architectural history of the area from the 1740s to the 1920s, including the Coffield House (the oldest home in Edenton, dating to 1744), Joseph Hewes' home (a Georgian house from 1756), the Cupola House (considered the finest Jacobean house in the South, dating to 1758), Pembroke Hall (a Greek Revival home dating to 1850), and the Privott House (a Queen Anne style home dating to 1900). The tour also led through the business district, which was highlighted by the Victorian metal J.N. Leary Building, built in 1894 by an African-American woman, Josephine Leary.
I made three separate stops while walking on the historic walking tour. The first of these was the Barker House, the home of the leader of the Edenton Tea Party, Penelope Barker. The house, which dates to 1782, is considered the architectural landmark for Edenton.
My second stop was the Old Chowan County Courthouse. Built in 1767, this is considered the most outstanding public building from colonial America still standing. It is a classic Georgian building with an upstairs assembly room that was the largest room in the colonies. It is an incredible piece of architecture as well as an important building historically. The Chowan County jail, behind the courthouse, is the oldest jail in North Carolina and remained in public use as a jail until 1976.
My last stop in Edenton was James Iredell's home. The house began in 1773. The house has an odd orientation to the street, reflecting that the house was expanded after Iredell's son, James Jr., added a wing with exterior porches in 1800.
Leaving Edenton, I headed across Albemarle Sound to Creswell, the site of Somerset Place. This was the largest rice plantation in North Carolina. Built as the home and business of the Josiah Collins family, Somerset Place housed one of the largest number of slaves in the upper colonies; at the time of the Civil War, nearly 300 African-Americans lived and worked on the property. The site tells the story not only of the Collins family, but, more interestingly, of the enslaved people who called the plantation their home. The tour of the plantation was led by a descendant of one of those African-American people who lived there; she was obviously proud of the skilled work done by her ancestors, who not only built the plantation home, the overseer's home, the slave quarters, and the outbuildings, but also constructed a transportation canal and, in 1829, designed and built a drainage system that still works today. The property is incredible and the insights about the people who made it all possible were especially wonderful.
Leaving Somerset Place, I debated heading west to Windsor to check out Hope Plantation, but decided given the time that instead I would head back north toward Norfolk, stopping in Hertford to see the Newbold-White House. This is the oldest house in North Carolina dating to 1730. The house was built by a Quaker family. The sign at the entrance of the property clearly indicated that the house was open, but it was clearly locked up when I went up to it. Despite the fact that I was unable to visit the interior of the home, it was interesting to see.
This was a good day -- a nice way to celebrate spring in the Upper South.
I arrived in Edenton shortly before noon. First settled in 1612, the Towne of Queen Anne's Creek (as Edenton was known until 1722) served as the original capital of the colony of North Carolina until 1743. It was an important port city until the construction of the Great Dismal Swamp Canal, which enabled most shipping traffic to be moved to Norfolk.
I began my visit at the Visitor's Center, where I watched their film on the history of the community, learning in particular about the role of three early residents, James Iredell, at 38 the youngest Supreme Court Justice ever appointed, Joseph Hewes, the first Secretary of the Navy, and Samuel Johnston, the first elected president of the United States under the Articles of Confederation. The film also described the Edenton Tea Party, when in 1774, 51 Edenton women signed a petition committing to boycott English tea, the first known political action by women in the Americas.
After seeing the film at the Visitors Center, I headed off to explore historic Edenton following the self-guided map provided by the City. The first stop was St. Paul's Episcopal Church, the second oldest church in North Carolina, dating to 1736; the sign at the gate indicated that the church was open, but the two doors I tried were both locked, so I contented myself with exploring the churchyard, which dates to 1722.
Leaving the church, I continued the walk, passing gorgeous homes that exhibited the architectural history of the area from the 1740s to the 1920s, including the Coffield House (the oldest home in Edenton, dating to 1744), Joseph Hewes' home (a Georgian house from 1756), the Cupola House (considered the finest Jacobean house in the South, dating to 1758), Pembroke Hall (a Greek Revival home dating to 1850), and the Privott House (a Queen Anne style home dating to 1900). The tour also led through the business district, which was highlighted by the Victorian metal J.N. Leary Building, built in 1894 by an African-American woman, Josephine Leary.
I made three separate stops while walking on the historic walking tour. The first of these was the Barker House, the home of the leader of the Edenton Tea Party, Penelope Barker. The house, which dates to 1782, is considered the architectural landmark for Edenton.
My second stop was the Old Chowan County Courthouse. Built in 1767, this is considered the most outstanding public building from colonial America still standing. It is a classic Georgian building with an upstairs assembly room that was the largest room in the colonies. It is an incredible piece of architecture as well as an important building historically. The Chowan County jail, behind the courthouse, is the oldest jail in North Carolina and remained in public use as a jail until 1976.
My last stop in Edenton was James Iredell's home. The house began in 1773. The house has an odd orientation to the street, reflecting that the house was expanded after Iredell's son, James Jr., added a wing with exterior porches in 1800.
Leaving Edenton, I headed across Albemarle Sound to Creswell, the site of Somerset Place. This was the largest rice plantation in North Carolina. Built as the home and business of the Josiah Collins family, Somerset Place housed one of the largest number of slaves in the upper colonies; at the time of the Civil War, nearly 300 African-Americans lived and worked on the property. The site tells the story not only of the Collins family, but, more interestingly, of the enslaved people who called the plantation their home. The tour of the plantation was led by a descendant of one of those African-American people who lived there; she was obviously proud of the skilled work done by her ancestors, who not only built the plantation home, the overseer's home, the slave quarters, and the outbuildings, but also constructed a transportation canal and, in 1829, designed and built a drainage system that still works today. The property is incredible and the insights about the people who made it all possible were especially wonderful.
Leaving Somerset Place, I debated heading west to Windsor to check out Hope Plantation, but decided given the time that instead I would head back north toward Norfolk, stopping in Hertford to see the Newbold-White House. This is the oldest house in North Carolina dating to 1730. The house was built by a Quaker family. The sign at the entrance of the property clearly indicated that the house was open, but it was clearly locked up when I went up to it. Despite the fact that I was unable to visit the interior of the home, it was interesting to see.
This was a good day -- a nice way to celebrate spring in the Upper South.