Edenton
Edenton was home to several lawmakers involved in country’s founding From Staff Reports
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EDENTON -- Nestled by a serene bay bordering the Albemarle Sound, Edenton offers small town charm, a bit of history and places to stroll and relax. Accolades include Coastal Living Magazine calling it a “Dream Town,” Forbes Magazine naming it one of America’s Prettiest Towns, and it also made the cut in Smithsonian magazine’s America’s 20 Best Towns. Remember, COVID-19 changes everything, which may again be different this fall than from the summer, so call ahead, check Facebook and plan accordingly.
1767 Chowan County Courthouse A Colonial era capital, the first stop on any tour should be the 1767 Chowan County Courthouse located at the corner of Court and King streets. Two early US Supreme Court Justices – James Wilson and James Iredell – practiced law within the courthouse that has been recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1970 and its classic Georgian style architecture is the finest of its kind in the South. If the large front wooden doors are open, any one of the judges chronicled on the walls could see Edenton Bay as he presided over a justice system that traces its cases back to the Revolutionary War era. According to the North Carolina judiciary, one of the
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The Roanoke River Lighthouse and Penelope Barker House welcome visitors who stop by Edenton’s waterfront to enjoy the view of Edenton Bay and the Albemarle Sound.
more interesting early cases at the courthouse happened in 1867, its centennial year. The case was around the will of James Cathcart Johnston and Hayes Plantation. Even in the depths of the post-Civil War economy, the plantation was valued at $500,000. The will became a court case when Johnston left the estate not to family, but to three close friends. Luminaries of the state bar and former governors were participants in the trial. Perhaps the most noteworthy debates prior to that were in 1861 around secession from the United States. North Carolina's Supreme Court still holds sessions periodically within the historic courthouse. And maybe after taking a tour of the courthouse, maybe walk barefoot on the Courthouse Green, a grassy spot bordered by historic homes, some dating back to the 1700s.
St. Paul's Episcopal Church Nearby on Church Street sits St. Paul's Episcopal Church, the second oldest church building in North Carolina, begun in 1736. The parish, organized under the first Vestry Act of 1701 holds the oldest charter in the state.
Albemarle Magazine F all 2020
