The Historic Tour

Home of Penelope Barker · Tea Party leader · Now the Visitor Center — start your tour here.

Welcome to Edenton, and to the Barker House, the best place to begin your walk through one of North Carolina’s oldest and most storied towns. This waterfront home, built around seventeen eighty-two, was once the home of Penelope Barker, the woman who organized the Edenton Tea Party. On October 25, 1774, Penelope and fifty other women signed an agreement to boycott British tea, making a bold political statement at a time when women were rarely given a public voice. Stand here for a moment and imagine the harbor beyond you, with its salt air, creaking docks, and ships carrying goods up and down the coast. Today, the house serves as the Edenton Visitor Center, so it’s the perfect place to gather a map, use the restroom, and ask a local guide a few questions before you set out. Take a look around, soak in the view, and when you’re ready, follow the path to your next stop.

One of the finest examples of Jacobean architecture in the South · National Historic Landmark.

Welcome to the Cupola House here in Edenton, one of the town’s most admired and photographed homes. Built in seventeen fifty-eight for merchant Francis Corbin, it stands as a National Historic Landmark and one of the finest surviving examples of Jacobean architecture in the American South. Take a moment to notice the dramatic second-story overhang, called a jetty, which gives the house its handsome, old-world silhouette. Then look up to the rooftop cupola, perched like a little watchtower above the street. In its time, this would have been a striking display of wealth and taste, and even today it still feels a little unexpected, as if it were carried here from another century. The gardens are open to the public, and they offer a quieter kind of beauty: clipped greenery, shaded paths, and the kind of lingering stillness that makes you slow your pace. If you’d like, step a little closer and imagine the life of this house in the days when Edenton was a busy port, then move on and see what else this historic street has to reveal.

Bronze teapot honoring the 1774 Edenton Tea Party · Colonial Avenue.

Welcome to Edenton’s Historic Teapot, standing here on Colonial Avenue beside the Courthouse Green. This bronze marker, installed in 1905, honors a bold moment from 1774, when Penelope Barker gathered 51 women of Edenton to sign a resolution boycotting British tea and cloth in support of the colonial cause. The teapot sits proudly atop a Revolutionary-era cannon, a fitting perch for a town that remembers its history with a touch of wit. London newspapers may have mocked the Edenton Tea Party at the time, but here it became a point of lasting local pride, a reminder that political action in America was not only loud and public, but sometimes led by women with courage and conviction. Imagine the scene: the steady clip of horses nearby, the salt air drifting in from the sound, and a community shaping history one signature at a time. Take a moment to look around the green, then follow along to the next stop.

The oldest continuously used courthouse in the United States · National Historic Landmark.

Welcome to the 1767 Chowan County Courthouse, one of Edenton’s most remarkable landmarks and the oldest continuously used courthouse in the United States. Built in seventeen sixty-seven, this Georgian building has stood at the center of county life for more than 250 years, with generations of Edentonians passing through its doors for justice, business, and local decisions that shaped the town. Take a moment to notice its balanced, formal lines, so typical of the Georgian style. Inside, much of the courtroom remains wonderfully original, giving you a real sense of how little some things have changed here. And just out front lies Colonial Green, where townspeople once gathered in the open air to discuss the growing turmoil of the Revolutionary era. Imagine the murmur of voices, the rustle of broadcloth, and the weight of history in that shared public space. This place is both a working courthouse and a living witness to American history, which is part of what makes it so special. Have a look around, and when you’re ready, continue on to the next stop.

A two-story brick jail once used as a Union HQ during the Civil War · Loop back to start.

Welcome back to King Street, where the Old Chowan County Jail stands as a sturdy reminder of Edenton’s rougher history. Built in eighteen twenty-five, this two-story brick building held prisoners for more than 150 years, its heavy walls meant to keep people in and trouble out. During the Civil War, when Federal troops occupied Edenton in eighteen sixty-two, the jail took on an unexpected new role as a Union Army headquarters. Look closely and you can still feel the weight of the place in its plain brickwork and narrow windows. It’s easy to imagine the sound of boots on the sidewalk outside, the low murmur of soldiers inside, and the everyday life of the town continuing just beyond these walls. This stop brings your loop full circle. From here, it’s only a short walk back to the Barker House and Visitor Center, where your tour began. Take a moment to look around, then follow King Street back toward the start, and maybe reward yourself with a coffee downtown.

The second-oldest church building in North Carolina · Active congregation.

Welcome to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church here in Edenton, one of the town’s most enduring landmarks. Turn your eyes to this graceful old brick church, built in seventeen thirty-six, and imagine how long it has stood watch over Broad and Church streets. It is the second-oldest church building in North Carolina, and it still gathers a living congregation beneath its steeple today. As you take in the grounds, notice the quiet graveyard on the north side. The stones there tell a deeper story of Edenton’s colonial past. Resting among them are many early townspeople, including three men who signed the Halifax Resolves and several veterans of the Revolutionary War. On a still day, the churchyard can feel almost hushed enough to hear the footsteps of those who came before us. This is a place where faith, memory, and public life have been closely linked for nearly three centuries. Take a moment to look around, and then follow along to the next stop.

Home of the first U.S. Supreme Court Justice from NC · State Historic Site.

Welcome to the James Iredell House here in Edenton, just steps from St. Paul’s. This handsome home, built around eighteen hundred, belonged to James Iredell, one of the first six Justices of the United States Supreme Court, appointed by President George Washington in seventeen ninety. It’s a fitting place to pause, because Iredell was not only a jurist, but also a key voice in the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, helping shape the young nation from this quiet corner of North Carolina. Today, the house is a State Historic Site, and inside you can sense the rhythm of early federal life. Imagine candlelight glowing in the windows, the scratch of a pen across legal papers, and the measured calm of a household in a growing port town. The museum helps bring that world back to life, from public duty to private routines. Take a moment to look over the house and the neighborhood around it, and then continue on to the next stop when you’re ready.

Edenton's first African American congregation · Gothic Revival church on E. Gale St.

Welcome to Kadesh A.M.E. Zion Church here on East Gale Street, one of Edenton’s most meaningful landmarks. This congregation began in eighteen sixty-six as the first African American church in town, first gathering at the Old Sycamore Church and later in a small frame building on this site. The sanctuary you see now was built in eighteen ninety-seven in the Gothic Revival style, with pointed windows and a steep roofline that give it a graceful, upward reach. It was crafted by Hannibal Badham Sr., a formerly enslaved carpenter and builder whose work left a lasting mark on Edenton. For generations, Kadesh stood at the center of religious life, education, and community gathering for Black families here, and it was closely tied to the Edenton Normal and Industrial School nearby. If you listen closely, you can almost imagine the sound of hymns rising inside these walls. After Hurricane Isabel, the church was badly damaged, but its faithful restoration has brought new life back to this sacred place, including the return of its steeple after many decades. Take a moment to look up at the details, then continue on to the next stop.

Views of Edenton Bay · Revolutionary War cannons · The soul of the historic district.

Welcome to Waterfront Park and Colonial Green, where Edenton’s story opens wide to the water. This settlement began in seventeen oh six, and from here you can see why people chose this place: the broad sweep of Edenton Bay, with the Albemarle Sound stretching out beyond it like an inland sea. Take a moment on the grass and look toward the three cannons standing on the green. They date to seventeen seventy-eight, cast in England and meant for the Royal Navy, but captured by American privateers before they ever reached their destination. Brought here to guard the harbor, they still seem to keep watch over the shoreline, silent and sturdy in the salt air. On a breezy day, you might hear the water lapping softly at the edge of the park, or in summer, music drifting from the Sounds of Summer concert series. This open space feels like the soul of the historic district — part lookout, part gathering place, part reminder of the town’s long connection to the bay. When you’re ready, take one more look across the water, then continue on to the next stop.

The last surviving screwpile lighthouse in North Carolina · Interior tours available.

Welcome to the Roanoke River Lighthouse here on Edenton’s waterfront, where the river meets the sound and the town’s maritime story comes into view. This graceful little lighthouse was built in eighteen eighty-six at the mouth of the Roanoke River, and it once stood on screwpile supports above the water, guiding boats through the busy channels. It is now the last surviving screwpile lighthouse in North Carolina, and one of only three left in the country. Imagine the old lantern glowing at dusk, a steady beacon for captains coming in through fog, wind, and dark water. Today, restored and moved ashore in Edenton, it still carries the charm of another era, with its white frame and compact shape standing proudly against the sky. When the seasons allow, you can step inside and see the rooms that once served lighthouse keepers on the edge of the river. Take a moment to look out over the water, and then continue along to our next stop.