African American Experience of Northeast North Carolina

A collaboration between six northeastern North Carolina counties (Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Pasquotank and Perquimans), the African American Experience of Northeast North Carolina (AAENENC) encourages a deeper understanding of the region’s significant African American heritage. The full self-guided heritage trail includes more than 30 sites, including outdoor interpretive signs and monuments, parks, waterways, museums and guided tours. To learn more click here.

The Chowan County sites in Edenton include:

• Harriet Jacobs Tour  Hear the amazing tale of Harriet Jacobs, a woman born into slavery in Edenton, who escaped to become a well-known abolitionist and author of the 1861 autobiography, Incidents in the life of a Slave Girl. The walking tour takes you through downtown Edenton to see many of the sites mentioned within her book. Tours include entry into historic St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and the 1767 Chowan County Courthouse. A fee is charged: $5 per adult (ages 13 and older) and $2.50 per child (ages 3 to 12). Self-guided Harriet Jacobs Tour maps of Edenton are also available. Tours depart from the Historic Edenton, State Historic Site Visitor Center, 108 N. Broad Street, Edenton.
• Edenton Women of Distinction Exhibit Here you can learn about Josephine Napoleon Leary, an African American woman who was born into slavery and became a successful entrepreneur. Her name, JN Leary, is on the pediment of the building on Broad Street that houses the exhibit. The exhibit is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 505 S. Broad Street
• National Park Service Underground Railway Network to Freedom, Maritime Underground Railroad Site A map display on the waterfront is open to the public without charge. It's included in the Harriet Jacobs Tour and Black History Tour offered at Historic Edenton, State Historic Site. Waterfront Park, 108 N. Broad Street
• Historic Edenton Trolley Tour Learn about Edenton's 300-year history on a guided trolley tour. The tour includes many of Edenton's historic sites, including the African American historic corridor and the home where Harriet Jacobs hid as a runaway slave.
• A Virtual Walking Tour of East Gale Street Inside the Penelope Barker House Welcome Center you can view a video detailing the architectural and cultural importance of East Gale Street, a historic, African American neighborhood in Edenton. This video showcases the Badham family that built the Kadesh A.M.E. Zion Church and the other African American builders whose notable building skills had roots in the business of enslavement.