Chowan County is one of the 100 counties located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,708. Its county seat is Edenton. The county was created between 1668 and 1671 as Shaftesbury Precinct and later renamed Chowan Precinct. It gained county status in 1739.
Edenton is a town in, and the county seat of, Chowan County, North Carolina, United States, on Albemarle Sound. The population was 4,397 at the 2020 census. Edenton is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks region. In recent years Edenton has become a popular retirement location and a destination for heritage tourism.
The Chowan County Courthouse is a historic courthouse in Edenton, the county seat of Chowan County, North Carolina. Built in 1767, it is one of the finest examples of public Georgian architecture in the American South. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1970.
The Cupola House is a historic house museum in Edenton, North Carolina. Built in 1756–1758, it is the second oldest building in Edenton, and the only known surviving example in the American South of a "jutt," or overhanging second floor. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1970.
Hayes Farm, also known as Hayes Plantation, is a historic plantation near Edenton, North Carolina that belonged to Samuel Johnston (1733–1816), who served as Governor of North Carolina from 1787 to 1789. Johnston became one of the state's first two United States Senators, serving from 1789 until 1793, and served later as a judge until retiring in 1803. Samuel Johnston died in 1816 at "the Hermitage," his home near Williamston in Martin County, N.C. The residence known as Hayes was completed by his son, James Cathcart Johnston, a year after Samuel's death. There are numerous other structures on the property, some predating the Hayes house itself, including the Hayes Gatehouse, which James Johnston lived in prior to the construction of the Hayes house.
Edenton Historic District is a national historic district located at Edenton, Chowan County, North Carolina. The district encompasses 342 contributing buildings, 4 contributing sites, and 3 contributing structures. It includes several buildings that are individually listed on the National Register. The Lane House, possibly the oldest surviving house in North Carolina, is owned by Steve and Linda Lane and is located within the district. Also located in the district are the Dixon-Powell House, William Leary House, and Louis Ziegler House designed by architect George Franklin Barber.
The James Iredell House is a historic home located at Edenton, Chowan County, North Carolina. The original section was built 1800, and expanded to its present configuration about 1827. It is a two-story, L-shaped frame dwelling with Georgian and Federal style design elements. It was the home of James Iredell, an ardent patriot and Justice of the Supreme Court.
The Edenton Tea Party was a political protest in Edenton, North Carolina, in response to the Tea Act, passed by the British Parliament in 1773. Inspired by the Boston Tea Party and the calls for tea boycotts and the resolutions of the first North Carolina Provincial Congress, 51 women, led by Penelope Barker, met on October 25, 1774, and signed a statement of protest vowing to give up tea and boycott other British products "until such time that all acts which tend to enslave our Native country shall be repealed." The boycott was one of the events that led up to the American Revolution (1775–1781). It was the "first recorded women's political demonstration in America".
The Roanoke River Lighthouse is a historic, decommissioned lighthouse, located on the waterfront of Edenton, North Carolina. The lighthouse once stood in Albemarle Sound at the mouth of the Roanoke River, across the Sound from its current location. The only surviving screw-pile lighthouse in the state, it has since been moved twice, and a replica of a predecessor light has been erected at a fourth location.
St. Paul's Church, Edenton, is a historic parish church in Edenton, North Carolina. The building, which dates from 1760, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The churchyard has the tombs of governors Charles Eden (1673–1722), Thomas Pollock (1654–1722), and Gabriel Johnston (1699–1752).
Penelope (Padgett) Hodgson Craven Barker, commonly known as Penelope Barker, was an activist who, in the lead-up to the American Revolution, organized a boycott of British goods in 1774 orchestrated by a group of women known as the Edenton Tea Party. It was the "first recorded women's political demonstration in America".
The current Burke County Courthouse is located at 201 South Green Street, Morganton, Burke County, North Carolina and operates as the courthouse for Burke County. It was opened in 1976 to replace the Old Burke County Courthouse. The old courthouse, in use by 1837, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Athol, also known as Benbury Hall and Joshua Skinner House, is a historic plantation house located near Edenton, Chowan County, North Carolina. It was built about 1857, and is a 2+1⁄2-story, five-bay, T-shaped Greek Revival style frame dwelling. The rear section of the house features two-tier porches on either side. The front facade features a full-length two-tiered porch supported by Roman Ionic order columns.
Mulberry Hill is a historic plantation house located near Edenton, Chowan County, North Carolina. It was built about 1810, and is a 2+1⁄2-story, three-bay, Federal style brick dwelling with a side-hall plan.
Sandy Point is a historic plantation house located near Edenton, Chowan County, North Carolina. It was built about 1810 and later expanded. It is a 2+1⁄2-story, five-bay, Federal / Greek Revival style frame dwelling with a center hall plan. The front facade features a two-tiered full-length porch and the house has two exterior end chimneys at each side.
Wessington House is a historic home located at Edenton, Chowan County, North Carolina. It was built about 1851, and is a 3-story house with a full English basement, brick dwelling with a center hall plan. The front facade features a two-tiered full-length porch with elaborate iron railings and balustrade.
Shelton Plantation House, also known as Hoskins House, is a historic plantation house located near Edenton, Chowan County, North Carolina. It was built about 1820, and is a two-story, three-bay, Federal-period temple-form frame dwelling. It has a small pedimented entrance porch.
Edenton Cotton Mill Historic District is a national historic district located at Edenton, Chowan County, North Carolina. The district encompasses 70 contributing buildings, 1 contributing site, 2 contributing structures, and 1 contributing object in a small mill village. It includes industrial and residential buildings developed between 1899 and 1923. Residential buildings are primarily simple one-story, single-pile, frame dwellings and some examples of the Bungalow / American Craftsman style. Notable non-residential buildings include the Italianate Revival style Edenton Cotton Mill (1899-1916), Edenton Cotton Mill Office, and First Christian Church (1916).
Edenton Station, United States Fish and Fisheries Commission, formerly known as Edenton National Fish Hatchery, is a historic fish hatchery and national historic district located at Edenton, Chowan County, North Carolina. The district encompasses 17 contributing buildings, 2 contributing sites, 17 contributing structures, and 2 contributing objects. It was established in 1899 by the United States Fish and Fisheries Commission and operated by the federal government until 1954, then sold to private owners in 1961. The hatchery was operated by the Bureau of Fisheries. During the 1930s, the Public Works Administration and Works Progress Administration funded a number of building projects at the hatchery. Notable contributing resources include the Superintendent's House (1900), Fish Culturist's House (1938-1939), terrace (1899-1900), Pump House No. 1, Pump House No. 2, Water Tank (1929), 10 Fish Ponds, Flag Pole (1922-1923), and Daphnia Pools (1939-1940).
