Waterfront Town Will Take You Back a Step In Time

“Edenton Evolves” could be the official slogan of this enduring little waterfront town (pop. 5,000), in the often-forgotten northeast corner of North Carolina.

Incorporated in 1722 on the site of an Indian village, Edenton (named for Colonial Governor Charles Eden, who was known for his ties to the pirate Blackbeard) has waxed and waned through periods as a Colonial capital, rowdy port town, fishing center, mill town, and, most recently, retirement and vacation destination.

Perched on the banks of the Albemarle Sound at the mouth of the Chowan River, Edenton has had a destiny long tied to the water. Its location made it a natural center for Colonial shipping, benefiting from access to the sea through the Currituck and Roanoke Inlets (both now closed), and the inland waterways of the Chowan and Roanoke rivers.

Colonial Edenton’s growing importance led to its choice as North Carolina’s first capital from 1718 to 1743, and it was home to a number of early political titans. Two signers of the Declaration of Independence, James Wilson and Joseph Hewes, came from Edenton. Wilson also put his signature on the Constitution. He later served on the U.S. Supreme Court. George Washington chose James Iredell, an Edenton judge, to serve on the first U.S. Supreme Court.

Edenton’s first courthouse was replaced in 1767 by an elegant Georgian-style brick courthouse, now the oldest government building in North Carolina. It is used for local governmental meetings and occasional court cases. The courtyard green was the scene of local militias drilling for the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, and Revolutionary cannons remain on guard, ranging purposefully across Edenton Bay.

The downtown business district runs along Broad Street, a wide avenue plunging straight to the bay, ending at a grassy public park with shady trees and a concrete breakwater and wharf. Lined with late 19th and early 20th-century buildings, Edenton’s small-town feel is preserved by local businesses, a small coffee shop, local department store, pharmacy, two-screen movie theater, and local restaurants. No Starbuck’s, Border’s or Blockbuster video.

Broad Street is quiet as dusk settles, but couples stroll along the sidewalks to a scattering of restaurants. Women with nametags bustle in the formal gardens of the Cupola House, setting up tables for a party. Youngsters ride bikes along the waterfront, and old men in comfortable shirts bait hooks to dangle off the breakwater.

A closer look in the front windows of a few of the stores, such as an antiques shop and a women’s clothing boutique, hints at a clientele on a different level from the park-strollers and hook-baiters.

Just behind the unpretentious facade of Broad Street stretch block upon manicured block of grand houses, a forest of two-and-three-story Victorian, Queen Anne, Federal, Italianate, Georgian, and Tudor homes, many with carefully tended formal gardens, and some with third-floor ballrooms.

Edenton has fostered a significant number of successful residents through the centuries. Many have left their mark of success on fine homes, some of which have passed down through the generations in the same family.

A good way to learn the tales behind these doors is to take one of Historic Edenton’s guided tours. Several are offered throughout the day, either on foot or by open trolley. The tours include entry to Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church (the oldest operating church in North Carolina), the Cupola House, the Barker House, the Chowan County Courthouse and the James Iredell House.

Not all of Edenton’s recognized historic areas are plush. The century-old cotton mill was donated to Preservation North Carolina in 1995, which has led to the renovation of the brick factory and adjacent village of mill cottages as second or retirement homes. Edenton has a public marina, a country club, a summer league baseball team for college players, and a collection of shops and restaurants. The Dismal Swamp, Merchants Millpond, and Pettigrew state parks are all nearby, and Roanoke Island is only an hour away.

Edenton is a charming small town steeped in Colonial and maritime history.

Displayed in the windows of a tiny office supply shop at the foot of Broad Street is a row, not of laptop computers, but an assortment of fine vintage typewriters.

For Edenton, that seems about right.

– By David Rolfe
Media General News Service