Edenton’s shops, restaurants and charming inns get plenty of attention, but the town’s biggest draw for visitors is its rich history. Edenton history touches on key pieces of the American Revolution, the Civil War and the town’s role as a haven of prosperity in the South. It’s intertwined with the natural environment – swampy but fertile farmland – and the area’s residents – several of whom have descendants still living in the town today. Several of Edenton’s most popular things to do and activities showcase the history, such as visiting the Cupola and Penelope Barker houses and riding the Edenton trolley; however, several stories from this town’s past remain. Other activities show off the natural environment in and around town – a beautiful slice of northeastern North Carolina. The only way to uncover them is by going off the beaten path (quite literally, sometimes) with a few lesser-known Edenton activities.
Photo: Chowan County Courthouse
Harriet Jacobs Walking Tour
In the years leading up to the Emancipation Proclamation, Edenton played a key role in the Maritime Underground Railroad. Through the country’s second largest port at the time, runaway slaves escaped the South on northbound boats. Little information was documented by slaves about their time in slavery and their escapes. However, one escaped slave from Edenton wrote her story, which received and maintained wild popularity in America’s literary movement. Harriet Jacobs, the author of Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, was born and worked in Edenton. She lived in slavery until she ran away from her master’s household in 1835. She spent seven years hiding in friend’s homes, a garret in her grandmother’s home and even outside in the swampland. She was smuggled to Philadelphia via a boat from the Edenton harbor in 1842. See the book’s locations brought to life with the Harriet Jacobs Walking Tour around attractions and sites in Edenton’s downtown. This walking tour can be completed any time Tuesday through Saturday and is $2.50 per person.
Edenton Cotton Mill Museum of History
Right on the outskirts of downtown Edenton sits the 1898 Italianate Revival redbrick cotton mill. With cotton dominating the agriculture scene, the mill enabled Edenton to produce it into textiles and products, boosting Edenton as a key cotton producer and market within the South. A community grew around the mill, and the historic bungalows that housed the mill workers still surround it. The mill stopped operating in the 1990s, but it and the village are still quite the sight to see for a glimpse into historic Edenton. You can all learn about the mill and village at the adjacent Edenton Cotton Mill Museum, which is open to visitors on weekends from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Photo: Edenton Cotton Mill Museum of History
Albemarle Regional Paddle Trails
Experience the wild side of Chowan County through the Albemarle Regional Paddle Trails. These kayak and canoe routes are accessible from 10 different counties and contain more than 30 different bodies of water among the 20 or so participating trails. In and around Edenton, you can embark into Pembroke Creek, Queen Anne Creek Trail, Cape Colony, Trestle House, Rocky Hock Creek and Bennett’s Millpond. Beyond town also provides access to other routes of interest, such as Mill Creek Trail, Perquimans River Trail, Sutton Creek Trail, Goodwin Creek Trail and Raccoon Creek Trail. Take advantage of these routes to explore the area’s natural beauty with the towering trees, cypress roots and waves lapping against the shore.
Holladay Island and John’s Island Camping Platforms
The Albemarle Regional Paddle Trails are a nature lover's dream, and the experience immerses you completely in Edenton’s outdoors when you paddle out to a camping platform and pitch your tent. The trails lead to Holladay Island and John’s Island, where you can reserve one or a collection of the camping platforms there. These platforms are like campsites, except they’re simply wooden structures elevated above the ground and you paddle to them and dock your boat there for the night. The secluded camping platforms provide a quiet escape away from it all. The five platforms at John’s Island are a convenient 10-minute paddle trip from the launch points near downtown, and Holladay Island’s five sites are on an uninhabited island outside of Edenton. Call the Edenton-Chowan Recreation Department at (252) 482-8595 to reserve a platform for your next camping trip.
Photo: Roanoke River Partners
These are just a few of many activities that show you a different side of Edenton. To learn more about all of the fun and off-beat ways to discover Edenton, just check out our Edenton Things to Do page.
About the Author Hannah Lee Leidy
Hannah Lee is a fiction and creative nonfiction writer living on the Outer Banks. She graduated from Kenyon College in Ohio with a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing. Traveling is her passion, but nowhere ever feels as much like home as the Outer Banks. When not planning her next trip or adventure, Hannah Lee loves aimless drives down the Beach Road, spending copious amounts of time in coffee shops and reading every short story collection she gets her hands on. 