The Trees Tour

Southern Magnolias, Deodar Cedar, Dogwoods & a native Crabapple in NC's second-oldest churchyard.

Welcome to St. Paul’s Churchyard, one of Edenton’s most beloved green spaces and the setting for the second-oldest church in North Carolina. As you enter through the gate, the quiet feels immediate, with brick underfoot and the broad sweep of old trees overhead. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church was built between seventeen thirty-six and seventeen seventy-four, and its yard has been shaded for generations by living history. The great Southern Magnolias here were planted in eighteen seventy-six, and their seedlings came all the way from Calvary Episcopal Church in Tarboro, where Rector Robert Brent Drane had grown up. In the warm months, their glossy leaves and heavy blossoms give off that rich, creamy perfume that seems to belong to the South. Follow the brick walk around to the north side, and you’ll soon spot a graceful Deodar Cedar. Keep an eye out for dogwoods, both white and pink, a native crabapple, a flowering cherry, and an American beech, with heirloom shrubs tucked throughout the yard. Take a slow look around, and then follow the walk on to the next stop.

A fine Chinese Pistache — one of many trees replanted after Isabel took 62% of Edenton's historic trees in 2003.

Welcome to the churchyard on West Church Street, where one of Edenton’s newer survivors stands in quiet company with the old town around it. On your left, almost across from St. Paul’s Rectory at 110 West Church Street, you’ll see a Chinese Pistache planted after Hurricane Isabel swept through in 2003. That storm was a hard one for Edenton. It took roughly 62 percent of the town’s historic trees, leaving streets and yards suddenly exposed to the sky. In the years that followed, the town began to heal, tree by tree, and this Pistache is part of that recovery. It’s a reminder that a historic district is not only about preserving what was here long ago, but also about tending what comes next. As the seasons change, this tree offers its own little show, with bright leaves and a graceful shape that softens the street. Pause a moment and imagine the quiet work of replanting after such loss, then look around and continue on down West Church Street to the next stop.

A beautiful Ginkgo hides behind the fence at the back of the yard.

Welcome to 116 West Church Street in Edenton, where a quiet surprise waits at the back of the yard. As you near Granville Street, look to your right behind the fence and you’ll spot a lovely ginkgo tree standing just out of sight from the street. This is a tree with an ancient story. Ginkgos are often called living fossils because they have changed so little in the last 200 million years. They were already ancient when the first great civilizations were rising, and yet here one still grows, graceful and steady, in this neighborhood garden. In the fall, its fan-shaped leaves turn a brilliant gold, almost luminous in the afternoon light, and the whole tree seems to glow against the fence and the older houses around it. It’s a small moment, easy to miss if you’re hurrying by, but worth pausing for. Take a look through the fence, let that quiet history sink in, and then continue on to your next stop.

Two Zelkova trees across N. Granville — and a Crape Myrtle with a 102-inch trunk.

Here in Edenton, look across North Granville Street, about 200 feet to your right, and you’ll see two handsome Zelkova trees standing watch together. Their broad canopies soften the street and give this corner a stately, lived-in feel, like they’ve been part of the neighborhood’s rhythm for a very long time. Then continue down West Church Street and cross Moseley Street to meet a true botanical giant: the state-champion Crape Myrtle. Its trunk measures an astonishing 102 inches in circumference, making it one of the largest of its kind in North Carolina. In summer, trees like this can bloom in vivid clouds of pink or white, and even without blossoms, the sheer scale of the trunk tells its own story of age, care, and quiet endurance. It’s a lovely reminder that Edenton’s history isn’t only in bricks and shingles, but also in living landmarks rooted in the landscape. Take a moment to appreciate these trees, and then follow along to the next stop.

A magnificent Bald Cypress estimated to be more than 1,800 years old — quite possibly the oldest tree you'll ever see.

Welcome to West Church Street, where one of Edenton’s quietest treasures stands just beyond the end of the pavement. About 100 feet ahead, you’ll find a magnificent Bald Cypress that is estimated to be more than 1,800 years old. That means this tree was already ancient long before Edenton was founded. In fact, it had been growing here for about a thousand years when the town came into being. Imagine all it has witnessed: storms rolling in from the sound, centuries of rising and falling waters, and generations of people passing by beneath its sweeping branches. Bald Cypress are right at home in swamps and along waterways throughout our region, but this one is truly extraordinary. If you look closely, you may notice the tree’s broad trunk and the deeply furrowed bark that seems almost weathered into history itself. In the quiet here, you can hear the rustle of leaves and, if the day is still enough, the soft hum of Edenton around you. Take a moment to look up at this living giant, then continue on when you’re ready.

A classic American Holly greets you as you turn south on Granville Street.

Welcome to Granville Street in Edenton, where a fine American Holly waits just off the corner as you turn south. This is one of the true evergreens of the Southern coastal plain, a plant that keeps its deep green leaves shining through winter when the rest of the landscape turns bare. If you pause here, you may notice the holly’s glossy leaves and, in the right season, its bright red berries tucked among the branches like little lanterns. Holly has long been a familiar part of Southern towns and gardens, valued not only for its beauty but for the sense of permanence it brings. In a place like Edenton, where history seems to linger in the streets and yards, a tree like this feels especially fitting. It offers shade in summer, color in winter, and a quiet reminder of the natural world that has always stood alongside the town’s homes and roads. Take a moment to enjoy its shape and texture, then look down Granville Street as you continue on to the next stop.

A California Coastal Redwood, planted in 1947 — a rare sight this far east.

Welcome to West King Street, where one of Edenton’s most unexpected trees rises on the corner: a California Coastal Redwood, planted in nineteen forty-seven. It was set here by the property’s new owner after he returned from California, and even today it feels a little like a visitor from another world. Most of us think of redwoods as giants of the Pacific coast, wrapped in fog and growing where the air is cool and damp. So to find one standing here in eastern North Carolina is a quiet delight. Its bark is thick and deeply furrowed, almost like weathered cloth, and its height gives the corner a sense of surprise and dignity. Around it, Edenton’s familiar street trees tell a different story, with pecans, oaks, and black locust nearby, but this redwood adds a touch of the far West to the town’s landscape. Take a moment to appreciate how this one tree bridges great distances and memories. Then look around the corner and continue on to the next stop.

American Elm, White Ash, and a Southern Magnolia planted when the house was built.

Welcome to West King Street in Edenton, where the trees around Wessington House are as much a part of the story as the house itself. Built around 1850, this place still shelters an American Elm between the sidewalk and the street, a White Ash in the west yard, and, just a few steps farther along, a magnificent Southern Magnolia standing on your left. These trees likely took root when the house was first taking shape, when wagons rattled past and the air carried the scent of earth, wood smoke, and flowering gardens. The elm would have spread its branches over this busy street; the ash would have marked the edge of the yard; and the magnolia, with its broad glossy leaves and creamy, lemon-sweet blossoms, would have lent the property a touch of Southern grace. It’s easy to imagine the generations that have passed beneath their shade. Take a moment to notice how the trees frame the house and soften the streetscape, then continue on and see what else West King Street has to reveal.

A graceful Weeping Willow shading the yard of the historic Beverly Hall.

Welcome to Beverly Hall on West Queen Street, where a graceful weeping willow softens the lines of one of Edenton’s early nineteenth-century homes. Beverly Hall was built around eighteen ten, and the tree in its yard seems almost to belong to the house itself, with long, cascading branches that drape toward the ground like a green veil. If you pause here for a moment, you can imagine how this scene has changed with the seasons over the years: spring leaves trembling in the breeze, summer shade pooling over the lawn, and the quiet hush that comes when the branches sway above you. It’s one of those places where the romance of Edenton feels especially close, not because of grand drama, but because of the gentle meeting of house, tree, and street. Stand for a moment and take in the view, then continue on when you’re ready and let the next stop unfold.

Pomegranate, Yaupon, Common Fig, White Bay, Crabapple, Chaste Tree — and glorious flowers.

Welcome to the Cupola House Heritage Gardens, one of Edenton’s quiet little treasures tucked just off Broad Street. Step through the first wooden gate on your right, and you’re entering a garden designed in the late 1960s by Donald Parker of Colonial Williamsburg, guided by the 1769 Sauthier Map of Edenton. That means what you see here is a thoughtful blending of history and living landscape, rooted in the town’s past. Take a moment to look around at the planting choices. You may notice pomegranate trees, yaupon, common fig, white bay, crabapple, and chaste tree, all arranged with a graceful, old-fashioned sense of purpose. In season, the flowers spill color through the beds and soften the whole space with fragrance and brightness. It feels both cultivated and wild in the best colonial-garden tradition. This garden is cared for by the Cupola House Association, and there’s an informative brochure on the lamppost if you’d like to learn more. For now, pause and enjoy the textures, the shade, and the sense of stepping back through time, then wander on when you’re ready.

Majestic Live Oaks grace the waterfront park along Edenton Bay.

Welcome to Colonial Waterfront Park on Edenton Bay, where the breeze off the water seems to move a little more slowly beneath the wide spread of the live oaks. These grand trees have become part of the town’s living landscape, their branches arching out in heavy, graceful arms and casting deep shade over the path. If you listen closely, you may hear leaves whispering overhead and, from the harbor, the soft lap of water along the shore. This park invites you to pause and imagine the long view Edenton has always had from the water. Generations before us came here to look out across the bay, watch the harbor activity, and feel that same salt-tinged air. The live oaks, with their deep roots and broad canopies, lend a sense of permanence, as if they have been quietly keeping watch over the waterfront for ages. Take a moment to enjoy the view, then wander on and let the next stop open up before you.

A small stand of Bald Cypress growing in Edenton Bay itself — about 20 yards offshore.

Welcome to the Barker House Welcome Center here in Edenton, where the town’s shoreline still holds a few quiet surprises. Built around seventeen eighty-two, the Barker House has watched more than two centuries of harbor life pass by, and just offshore, about twenty yards out in Edenton Bay, you’ll see something most people never expect: a small stand of bald cypress growing right out in open water. Bald cypress usually belongs in swamps and low, wet places, where its knees rise through the mud like dark little sentinels. Here, though, these trees seem to float between land and bay, their roots reaching down into the shallows while the wind moves through their feathery branches. It’s a rare and beautiful sight, especially when the light catches the water and the trunks appear to stand alone, patient and enduring. Take a moment to enjoy the contrast between the historic house behind you and these remarkable trees just offshore, then look around and follow the path on to the next stop.

A Yaupon Holly, a large Oleander, and a Red Mulberry frame the historic Barker House.

Welcome to the Barker House yard in Edenton, where the landscape itself helps tell the story of the old home. Here, a Yaupon Holly marks the northern boundary of the yard, its evergreen leaves staying glossy through the seasons, a quiet reminder of how thoughtfully these grounds have long been framed. Just beyond, on the neighboring property to the north, you’ll notice a large Oleander and a Red Mulberry. The Oleander adds a lush, almost southern elegance to the scene, while the mulberry has its own humble charm. In early summer, it drops sweet purple fruit that can stain your fingers and tempt birds overhead. It’s the kind of tree that invites you to slow down and notice what is easy to miss. The Barker House itself stands in this setting as part of Edenton’s layered historic streetscape, where gardens, fences, and trees have always mattered as much as walls and windows. Take a moment to look at how these plants soften the edges of the yard, then continue along when you’re ready.

An ancient Magnolia (c. 1850) and a majestic American Beech at The Homestead.

Welcome to The Homestead on East Water Street, one of Edenton’s graceful old places where the trees tell stories of their own. The house dates to seventeen seventy-three, and just beyond the street you’ll notice an ancient magnolia, planted around eighteen fifty. Its broad leaves and glossy green canopy give it that deep, almost tropical richness, and in late bloom it would have carried the heavy, lemony sweetness that stops you in your tracks. Family tradition says the magnolia was a gift from a sister who had moved to Mississippi, a living reminder of kinship stretched across distance. There is even said to be a matching tree at Somerset Place, where another sibling settled, as if the family planted pieces of home in different corners of North Carolina. If you continue east, keep an eye toward the boundary fence in the far corner. There stands a majestic American beech, with the smooth gray bark and quiet presence of a tree that has watched generations pass by. Take a moment to look from one tree to the other, then continue along East Water Street to the next stop.

Crape Myrtles plus four oak species: Chinquapin, Southern Live, Willow, and Shumard.

Welcome to Elizabeth Vann Moore Park here in Edenton, where Water Street opens into a small green refuge beneath a canopy of trees. This is a place shaped by careful restoration in the 1990s, when many of the park’s oak trees were planted to strengthen the landscape and restore its sense of age and grace. Today, you can see four oak species standing side by side: Chinquapin Oak, Southern Live Oak, Willow Oak, and Shumard Oak, each with its own character in leaf and limb. In the warmer months, the crape myrtles add their own show, with airy clusters of color that seem to glow in the sunlight. The contrast is lovely here: the sturdy, spreading oaks overhead and the softer blooming trees below, all set against the quiet rhythm of Water Street. On a breezy day, you might hear the leaves whispering above you, or catch a glimpse of light moving through the branches. Take a moment to look around and enjoy this blend of restoration and beauty, then continue on to the next stop when you’re ready.

Cross Johnstons Bridge for a close look at Bald Cypress trees standing on their 'knees'.

Welcome to the Cypress Swamp at Hayes Farm, one of the loveliest wild corners you’ll find in Edenton. From here, look across Queen Anne Creek and you’ll see Bald Cypress trees rising out of the water, their pale trunks reflected in the slow-moving creek. At the water’s edge, notice those curious knobby roots called knees, pushing up through the mud like a row of little sentinels. If you cross the wooden Johnstons Bridge toward Hayes, you’ll get an even closer view of this swampy edge and the trees that thrive in it. This land is part of a 160-acre park now cared for by the Elizabeth Vann Moore Foundation, and it holds more than just beautiful cypress. There are towering trees, interesting outbuildings, and the elegant Palladian-style house designed by William Nichols, all adding to the sense that you’ve stepped into a landscape shaped by both nature and history. Take a moment to listen for the breeze in the branches and the hush of the water, then linger here a bit before moving on to the next stop.

Gordonia, Red Buckeye, Bald Cypress, and a tall Tulip Poplar at the 1767 courthouse.

Welcome to the Courthouse Green in Edenton, where the town’s story seems to gather under the trees. Ahead of you stands the Chowan County Courthouse, built in seventeen sixty-seven, one of the oldest public buildings still in use in North Carolina. As you walk toward it, take a look to your left in the eastern yard of The Homestead. There you’ll find a graceful Gordonia, a Red Buckeye, a Bald Cypress, and a tall Tulip Poplar reaching up over the grounds. These trees bring a softness to a place shaped by law, debate, and civic life, their leaves stirring in the coastal air. And be sure to notice the bronze teapot mounted on a cannon nearby. It marks the signing of the Edenton Resolves on October twenty-fourth, seventeen seventy-four, when fifty-one women stood together in protest against taxation without representation. It’s a powerful reminder that this quiet green once echoed with ideas that helped shape a nation. Take a moment to look around, and then continue on to the next stop.

Fine mature trees around the Edenton Cotton Mill — and a boardwalk over the swamp to Queen Anne Creek.

Welcome to Mill Village Trees and Boardwalk, a quiet corner of Edenton where the old cotton mill still holds court beneath a canopy of fine mature trees. If you’ve come this far, take a moment to slow your pace. The setting here feels almost hidden, with the broad trunks and leafy branches softening the industrial edge of the mill village. The Edenton Cotton Mill dates to the town’s textile era, and while the exact year of this spot’s boardwalk is unknown, the landscape itself has a long, lived-in feel. On the right side of the mill building, a boardwalk carries you out over the swamp toward Queen Anne Creek. Listen for the hush of water below and the rustle of leaves overhead. On a humid day, the air can feel heavy and green, touched with the earthy scent of wet soil and cypress shadows. It’s an easy place to imagine workers walking these grounds a century ago, with the mill whistle somewhere in the distance. Take your time looking around, and when you’re ready, follow the boardwalk or head back and move on to the next stop.

Lovely large Pecan trees surround the James Iredell State Historic Site — the last stop before you loop back.

Welcome to the James Iredell House in Edenton, where the grounds of this 1780s home offer one of the sweetest little pauses on your walk. If the gate is open, step inside and let yourself wander beneath the broad pecan trees, their wide canopies casting cool shade over the lawn. In the right season, you may even hear the soft tap of nuts on the ground or catch that faint, earthy scent of leaves and bark warmed by the Carolina sun. James Iredell was one of Edenton’s most important early citizens, later serving as a justice of the United States Supreme Court. But here, the setting feels wonderfully quiet and domestic, with the house standing as a reminder of the town’s early life and the families who shaped it. As you look around, notice how the trees frame the old home and soften the edges of the street beyond. This is the last stop before you loop back, so take a moment to enjoy the grounds, then continue on when you’re ready.

Complete your Tree Walk back where it started — at the Historic Edenton Visitor Center.

Welcome back to the Historic Edenton Visitor Center here on North Broad Street, where your Tree Walk comes full circle. This is the place where your journey began, and it’s a fitting finish after spending time with some of Edenton’s living landmarks. By now, you’ve seen how much these trees add to the town’s beauty, shade, and sense of history. Some have stood watch through generations, their branches catching the breeze and their leaves whispering over sidewalks and rooftops. Edenton’s Tree Committee helps make sure those treasures are protected, cared for, and appreciated, so the town’s canopy can keep growing strong for years to come. As you pause here, take one last look around at the streets, the historic buildings, and the trees that frame them. If you noticed a tree that seems to need attention, the Town Planner can be reached at 252-482-2155. And when you’re ready, you can linger a moment here or head on to your next stop in Edenton.