Former President celebrated for helping bring historic woodwork home
For Vonna O’Neill, historic preservation has never been simply about protecting an old building. It is a commitment—a promise to carry the dreams of earlier generations forward.
That commitment was celebrated during a gathering in the Cupola House gardens honoring O’Neill for more than 21 years of service to the Cupola House Association, including four years as its president.
The evening included tributes from association leaders, a proclamation from Edenton Mayor W. Hackney High Jr. and the presentation of gifts recognizing O’Neill’s lasting contributions to one of Edenton’s most treasured landmarks.
Much of the evening focused on an accomplishment once thought impossible: the return of the Cupola House’s original 1758 interior woodwork after 106 years at the Brooklyn Museum.
“Vonna believed we could get it back, and she worked diligently to make that happen,” Sam Dixon said.
Dixon recalled how O’Neill helped bring together a delegation that traveled to New York to meet with Brooklyn Museum officials. She then continued pushing the project forward as the historic woodwork was carefully removed, packed, transported down Interstate 95 and returned to Edenton.
Reproduction woodwork was removed from the house, allowing the original panels and architectural elements to be reinstalled in the rooms for which they were created.
“That is something that no one ever thought was possible,” Dixon said. “Because of Vonna, it became a reality.”
Dixon also recognized the devotion of O’Neill’s late husband, Denny O’Neill, who previously served as president of the association. Together, the couple spent more than a decade caring for the house, welcoming visitors, supporting historical scholarship, raising funds and doing the everyday work required to protect the landmark.
“They didn’t simply serve the Cupola House,” Dixon said. “They loved it. They nurtured it, and they made sure it was shared with the public.”
O’Neill became emotional as Dixon spoke of her husband and the devotion they shared.
“Vonna, you brought everybody together to make this happen,” Dixon said. “You kept the dream alive.”
Flora Hall Wood Davis, the association’s incoming president, thanked the organization’s members and those who laid the foundation for its preservation work.
“It is going to be the future that will carry this forward for the next 100 years,” Davis said.
She also recognized the state funding that supported the recent restoration work and thanked Ed Goodwin, Robert Leath and the craftspeople and preservation specialists who helped return the original woodwork to its historic setting.
“What an amazing piece of history we are all living to see, witness and be a part of,” Davis said. “It is indeed a miracle.”
Although grant funding made the restoration possible, Davis reminded those gathered that members and donors remain the heart of the organization. Their contributions pay the bills and support the continuing maintenance and preservation of the house and gardens.
Mayor High then read a proclamation recognizing O’Neill as a civic leader, preservationist and advocate who has devoted many years to enriching Edenton’s history, heritage and character.
The proclamation cited O’Neill’s pivotal role in returning the original woodwork, her leadership in establishing a task force for the house’s long-term preservation and her creation of the Cupola House Community Christmas Tree program.
It also recognized her service to the Friends of the Shepard-Pruden Memorial Library, the Albemarle Chorale, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.
High proclaimed Sept. 20, 2026, as “Vonna O’Neill Day” in Edenton.
Sam Dixon and the association presented O’Neill with a custom Cupola House etched platter honoring her “unwavering dedication” to the preservation of the Cupola House and her service as association president from 2022 to 2026.
Karen Foley, publisher of Edenton Social Light, presented O’Neill with a keepsake book filled with photographs, memories and tributes collected from people who have worked alongside her.
O’Neill accepted the honors while directing much of the credit toward the board and the many people who supported the association.
“This isn’t done in a vacuum,” she said. “I had the great honor of having just a fabulous board. They all worked. You don’t get here without having people who are dedicated.”
O’Neill described preservation as a commitment to see dreams through and never lose hope. Efforts to reclaim the woodwork stretched back decades, she said, including letters written to the Brooklyn Museum during the 1960s and a campaign later renewed by her husband.
When Edenton representatives learned in 2023 that returning the woodwork might finally be possible, the association did not yet have the necessary funding. That uncertainty did not weaken their resolve.
“If we had to mortgage our houses, it didn’t matter,” O’Neill recalled.
She compared that determination to the actions of the Edentonians who came together in 1918 to purchase the deteriorating Cupola House and save it from possible demolition.
O’Neill said the Cupola House is the only American building of its era known to have recovered and reinstalled its original woodwork.
She then challenged everyone present to bring two or three new members into the association, stressing that preservation must remain a shared community responsibility.
“Love is like a chain reaction,” O’Neill said. “With the Cupola House, for me—and probably for a lot of you—it is a love story.”
That love was deeply intertwined with her life with Denny, who continued working on Cupola House projects until just days before his death.
“It meant that my husband lived five more years than initially thought because he was committed to the Cupola House,” O’Neill said. “He worked on Cupola House things up until 10 days before he passed away. Now, that’s commitment.”
As she prepared to pass the leadership of the association to Davis and her board, O’Neill assured the membership that the historic property would remain in dedicated hands.
Her presidency may have ended, but the legacy celebrated that evening will remain visible inside the Cupola House—in the original woodwork returned to its rightful home and in a community inspired to continue protecting it.
“I will always love the Cupola House,” O’Neill said
