Edenton

Chowan County Courthouse

Government · 117 E King St, Edenton, NC 27932

Built in 1767, the Chowan County Courthouse is the oldest surviving courthouse in North Carolina and one of the finest Georgian public buildings in the American South. It was the seat of Chowan County government during the Revolution and the civic backdrop against which the Edenton Tea Party took place. The building served as a meeting place for Patriot organizing in northeastern North Carolina.

Edenton Historic Waterfront

Landmark · Water St, Edenton, NC 27932

Edenton's colonial-era waterfront on the Albemarle Sound was the commercial center of the town during the 18th century. Ships carrying tobacco and lumber left from these wharves; British goods arrived on the same route. The waterfront retains much of its 18th-century scale. The town's position as a colonial port made the boycott meaningful — Edenton's women were pledging to stop consuming goods that flowed through the harbor they could see from their homes.

Edenton Teapot Monument

Monument · Water St, Edenton, NC 27932

A large bronze teapot on a cannon, situated near the waterfront, commemorating the 1774 Edenton Tea Party. The monument acknowledges one of the earliest organized acts of political protest by American women. The imagery of a teapot mounted on a cannon — domestic and martial combined — captures the unusual nature of the event: women using the language of household consumption as political action.

Penelope Barker House

Historic House · 505 S Broad St, Edenton, NC 27932

The home of Penelope Barker, who organized and hosted the Edenton Tea Party on October 25, 1774. Barker collected signatures from 51 women who pledged to boycott British goods — tea, cloth, and other taxed items. The document they signed was among the first political statements by organized women in American history. The house, built in the 1780s, is maintained by the Edenton Historical Commission and serves as a visitor center.

St. Paul's Episcopal Church

Church · 101 W Church St, Edenton, NC 27932

The oldest parish in North Carolina, St. Paul's congregation dates to 1701. The current brick church, begun in 1736, was used as a barracks and hospital during both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. Several of the men and women associated with the Edenton Tea Party are buried in the churchyard, including Penelope Barker's husband Thomas. The church is still active and offers guided tours.