Edenton, North Carolina | |
|---|---|
 Downtown Edenton Waterfront | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location of Edenton, North Carolina | |
| Coordinates:36°03′29″N76°36′03″W / 36.05806°N 76.60083°W /36.05806; -76.60083 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | North Carolina |
| County | Chowan |
| Incorporated | 1722 |
| Named after | Charles Eden |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | W. Hackney High Jr[1] |
| • Town Manager | Corey Gooden[2] |
| Area | |
• Total | 5.57 sq mi (14.43 km2) |
| • Land | 5.37 sq mi (13.92 km2) |
| • Water | 0.20 sq mi (0.51 km2) |
| Elevation | 13 ft (4.0 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 4,460 |
| • Density | 830/sq mi (320.4/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 27932 |
| Area code | 252 |
| FIPS code | 37-20120[5] |
| GNIS feature ID | 2406422[4] |
| Website | www |
The town ofEdenton is located on theAlbemarle Sound inNorth Carolina'sInner Banks region. It is thecounty seat ofChowan County.[6] The population was 4,397 at the2020 census.[7]
Edenton served as the first capital of North Carolina, during the colonial era as theProvince of North Carolina, though other than housing the governor's official residence, it did not have other governmental functions. It served as capital from 1722 to 1743, when the capital was moved toBrunswick. The town was the site of theEdenton Tea Party, a protest organized by several Edenton women in 1774 in solidarity with the organizers of theBoston Tea Party. It was the birthplace ofHarriet Jacobs, an enslaved African American whose 1861autobiography,Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, is now considered an American classic.
In the late 1980s and into the 1990s, Edenton was the site of a controversial and heavily reportedsexual abuse trial and overturned conviction, what ultimately became North Carolina’s longest and most costly criminal trial — during what has been described as a period of widespreadday-care sex-abuse hysteria.
Edenton's local economy is primarily driven by tourism, and the town is a popular retirement location.
In 1658, adventurers from theJamestown area drifted through the wilderness fromVirginia and found a location on the northern shore of a small natural harbor at36°02′42″N76°36′54″W / 36.045°N 76.615°W /36.045; -76.615, now called Edenton Bay. Edenton Colony was the first permanentEuropean settlement in what is now the state ofNorth Carolina.
Edenton was established in 1712 as "the Towne on Queen Anne's Creek". It was later known as "Ye Towne on Mattercommack Creek" and still later as "the Port of Roanoke". It was renamed "Edenton" and incorporated in 1722 in honor of GovernorCharles Eden, who had died that year.[8]
Edenton served as the secondcapital of theProvince of North Carolina, from 1722 to 1743, with the governor establishing his residence there and the population increasing during that period.
William Byrd II, who visited the town in March 1729, provides a description of Edenton in hisThe History of the Dividing Line:
This town is Situated on the north side ofAlbermarle Sound which is there about 5 miles over. A Dirty Slash runs all along the Back of it, which in the Summer is a foul annoyance, and furnishes abundance of that Carolina plague,musquetas. There may be 40 or 50 Houses, most of them Small, built without Expense. A Citizen here is counted Extravagant, if he has Ambition enough to aspire to a Brick-chimney. Justice herself is but indifferently Lodged, the Court-House having much the Air of a CommonTobacco-House. I believe this is the only metropolis in the Christian orMohametan world where there is neither Church, Chapel, Mosque, Synagogue, nor any other Place of Publick Worship of any Sect or Religion whatsoever. What little Devotion there may be is much more private than their vices.[9]
A landmark in women's history occurred in Edenton in 1774. Fifty-one women in Edenton, led byPenelope Barker, signed a protest petition agreeing to boycott English tea and other products, in what became known, decades later, as theEdenton Tea Party. The Edenton Tea Party is the first known political action by women in the British American colonies.[10] In fact it so shocked London that newspapers published etchings depicting the women as uncontrollable. Her home, the Barker House, is open seven days a week, without a fee, and is considered by many as Edenton's living room.
Joseph Hewes, a resident of Edenton and successful owner of a merchant marine fleet, was appointed the first Secretary of the Navy in 1776.John Adams said that Hewes "laid the foundation, the cornerstone of the American Navy." Hewes also signed theUnited States Declaration of Independence.
James Iredell, also of Edenton, was at 38 the youngest member of the firstUnited States Supreme Court. He was appointed byGeorge Washington. His sonJames Iredell Jr., served as the Democratic-Republican governor of North Carolina and then became a United States senator. His home may be toured through the Historic Edenton Visitors Center.
Easy sea access halted with a 1795 hurricane which siltedRoanoke Inlet. Completion of the 1805Dismal Swamp Canal took business elsewhere by diverting shipping toNorfolk, Virginia. Locals rejected construction of a railroad, a lack that impeded the local economy.[11]
Supreme Court JusticeJames Wilson, a signer of both the Declaration of Independence and theUnited States Constitution, died in Edenton on August 21, 1798, at age 55, while riding his judicial circuit.[12][13]
Harriet Jacobs and her brotherJohn were born into slavery in Edenton in 1813 and 1815, respectively. They, and later Harriet's children, were baptized atSt.Paul's. Their early childhood was centered around Horniblow's tavern, the town's only colonial hotel,[14] on the northern side of East King Street, just west ofChowan County Courthouse. Twelve-year old John Jacobs was sold at public auction in 1828, probably at Market House (junction Water Street / Broad Street).[15] Both siblings became enslaved to an abusive master, the local physician, Dr. James Norcom, living with him at his house on West Eden Street. In 1835, Harriet Jacobs went into hiding in the house of her grandmother, a freedwoman, on the northern side of West King Street, a few steps from Broad Street.[16] She famously had to stay there concealed in a crawl space for seven years before she was finally able to escape to New York, where she wroteIncidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, now considered an "American classic".[17]
In 1862, during theCivil War, the Albemarle Artillery was recruited at Edenton by a local attorney named William Badham Jr. Its guns were cast from bronze bells taken from courthouse and churches in the Edenton area. Known as theEdenton Bell Battery, its fourhowitzers were named theColumbia,St. Paul,Fannie Roulac, andEdenton. Two of the guns, theSt. Paul andEdenton, have been returned to Edenton and can now be seen at Edenton's waterfront park.[18]
Edenton enjoyed an economic revival beginning in 1890 led bylumbering, an 1898cotton mill, and a 1909peanut-processing plant.[11] The J. H. Leary building, constructed in 1894, was owned byJosephine Leary, an African American real estate entrepreneur.[19]
Edenton is the home of the 1886Roanoke River Lighthouse. The lighthouse is called ascrew-pile design because of its original support system. Each piling was literally screwed into the river or sound bottom so they would not pull out in heavy storms and hurricanes. The Roanoke River Lighthouse, now located at Edenton, is believed to be the last extant example in the United States of a rectangular frame building built for a screw-pile base. The lighthouse was in commission from 1887 until 1941.
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Edenton is home to numerous early houses and public buildings, including theCupola House. It was designated aNational Historic Landmark in 1970, a designation also accorded the 1776 Chowan County Courthouse. The courthouse is still used for official court events. The city is home to theoldest house still in existence in North Carolina, constructed in 1719 before the establishment of the city.[20]
Edenton achieved international notoriety for theLittle Rascals Day Care sexual abuse case, the subject of journalistOfra Bikel's award-winning trilogy of Frontline documentaries:Innocence Lost (1991),Innocence Lost: The Verdict (1993), andInnocence Lost: The Plea (1997).
Edenton is located in southern Chowan County sits at the north end of Edenton Bay, just north of the confluence of theChowan andRoanoke rivers, which formsAlbemarle Sound.
U.S. Route 17, a four-laneexpressway, runs along the northern border of the town, with access from five exits. US 17 leads northeast 27 mi (43 km) toElizabeth City and southwest 37 mi (60 km) toWilliamston.Nags Head on theOuter Banks is 72 mi (116 km) to the east by road, andRaleigh, the state capital, is 136 mi (219 km) to the west.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, Edenton has a total area of 5.6 sq mi (14.4 km2), of which 5.4 sq mi (13.9 km2) is land and 0.19 sq mi (0.5 km2), or 3.55%, is water.[21]
| Climate data for Edenton, North Carolina (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1896–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 80 (27) | 83 (28) | 90 (32) | 95 (35) | 98 (37) | 102 (39) | 105 (41) | 104 (40) | 99 (37) | 95 (35) | 88 (31) | 87 (31) | 105 (41) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 70.1 (21.2) | 72.7 (22.6) | 80.3 (26.8) | 85.3 (29.6) | 90.3 (32.4) | 94.2 (34.6) | 95.9 (35.5) | 93.8 (34.3) | 90.1 (32.3) | 84.0 (28.9) | 77.1 (25.1) | 70.7 (21.5) | 96.9 (36.1) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 52.4 (11.3) | 56.0 (13.3) | 63.0 (17.2) | 72.2 (22.3) | 79.3 (26.3) | 86.1 (30.1) | 89.0 (31.7) | 86.8 (30.4) | 81.5 (27.5) | 72.6 (22.6) | 62.9 (17.2) | 55.3 (12.9) | 71.4 (21.9) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 43.4 (6.3) | 45.9 (7.7) | 52.3 (11.3) | 61.4 (16.3) | 69.4 (20.8) | 77.0 (25.0) | 80.5 (26.9) | 78.7 (25.9) | 73.3 (22.9) | 63.4 (17.4) | 53.4 (11.9) | 46.5 (8.1) | 62.1 (16.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 34.4 (1.3) | 35.8 (2.1) | 41.5 (5.3) | 50.6 (10.3) | 59.4 (15.2) | 67.9 (19.9) | 72.0 (22.2) | 70.6 (21.4) | 65.1 (18.4) | 54.1 (12.3) | 44.0 (6.7) | 37.8 (3.2) | 52.8 (11.6) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 16.1 (−8.8) | 20.3 (−6.5) | 25.5 (−3.6) | 33.7 (0.9) | 44.2 (6.8) | 54.1 (12.3) | 61.9 (16.6) | 60.2 (15.7) | 51.6 (10.9) | 37.6 (3.1) | 27.9 (−2.3) | 22.8 (−5.1) | 14.4 (−9.8) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −4 (−20) | 0 (−18) | 15 (−9) | 21 (−6) | 35 (2) | 45 (7) | 47 (8) | 46 (8) | 38 (3) | 24 (−4) | 16 (−9) | 5 (−15) | −4 (−20) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 3.50 (89) | 3.24 (82) | 4.03 (102) | 3.27 (83) | 3.72 (94) | 4.92 (125) | 6.04 (153) | 6.16 (156) | 5.62 (143) | 3.75 (95) | 3.24 (82) | 3.49 (89) | 50.98 (1,295) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.9 (2.3) | 0.6 (1.5) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.8 (2.0) | 2.3 (5.8) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 8.8 | 8.2 | 8.7 | 8.1 | 8.8 | 8.2 | 10.1 | 9.3 | 8.0 | 6.3 | 7.0 | 7.8 | 99.3 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 1.0 |
| Source:NOAA[22][23] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1790 | 1,575 | — | |
| 1850 | 1,607 | — | |
| 1860 | 1,504 | −6.4% | |
| 1870 | 1,243 | −17.4% | |
| 1880 | 1,382 | 11.2% | |
| 1890 | 2,205 | 59.6% | |
| 1900 | 3,046 | 38.1% | |
| 1910 | 2,789 | −8.4% | |
| 1920 | 2,777 | −0.4% | |
| 1930 | 3,563 | 28.3% | |
| 1940 | 3,835 | 7.6% | |
| 1950 | 4,468 | 16.5% | |
| 1960 | 4,458 | −0.2% | |
| 1970 | 4,956 | 11.2% | |
| 1980 | 5,357 | 8.1% | |
| 1990 | 5,268 | −1.7% | |
| 2000 | 5,394 | 2.4% | |
| 2010 | 5,004 | −7.2% | |
| 2020 | 4,397 | −12.1% | |
| 2021 (est.) | 4,391 | −0.1% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[24][25] | |||
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 1,771 | 39.71% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 2,335 | 52.35% |
| Native American | 15 | 0.34% |
| Asian | 23 | 0.52% |
| Pacific Islander | 1 | 0.02% |
| Other/Mixed | 126 | 2.83% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 189 | 4.24% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 4,460 people, 2,084 households, and 1,177 families residing in the town.
As of thecensus[5] of 2000, there were 5,394 people, 1,983 households, and 1,294 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,076.3 inhabitants per square mile (415.6/km2). There were 2,204 housing units at an average density of 439.8 per square mile (169.8/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 42.86%White, 55.23%African American, 0.20%Native American, 0.63%Asian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 0.44% fromother races, and 0.61% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 1.45% of the population.
There were 1,983 households, out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.0% weremarried couples living together, 24.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.7% were non-families. 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.7% under the age of 18, 14.3% from 18 to 24, 21.3% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 20.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 78.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 71.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $25,241, and the median income for a family was $34,132. Males had a median income of $27,192 versus $18,281 for females. Theper capita income for the town was $13,264. About 20.3% of families and 25.1% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 34.1% of those under age 18 and 20.1% of those age 65 or over.
Located in northeastern North Carolina, Edenton is a small unique town known for its authentic 18th-, 19th- and early 20th-century architecture and the stories about the people behind these public buildings and homes. TheLane House dates from 1719 and may be the oldest house in the state of North Carolina. Edenton played a key role in the development of the colonies, the state and the nation. TheCupola House, a registered National Historic Landmark, was built by Francis Corbin in 1758 on the waterfront at Edenton where it stands today. The 1767Chowan County Courthouse, another National Historic Landmark, has been used since its construction. TheBarker House, home ofPenelope Barker, the organizer of the first political action by women in the colonies, is operated as ahouse museum and to interpret colonial history. The home of James Iredell Sr. is in Edenton and operated as a North Carolina Historic Site.
Edenton has many religious institutions. Some of the churches in the community include:
St Annes Catholic Church c. 1821First Presbyterian Church of Edenton c. 1946
For two years, 1951 and 1952, Edenton'sHistoric Hicks Field was home to a professional minor league baseball team. The Edenton Colonials played in the Class DVirginia League in 1951 and the Class DCoastal Plain League in 1952.[27] Since 1998 Hicks Field has served as the home park for theEdenton Steamers of the collegiate summerCoastal Plain League.[28]
Geographic data related toEdenton, North Carolina atOpenStreetMapMunicipalities and communities ofChowan County, North Carolina,United States | ||
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