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51-465: By the time she was seventeen years of age, Barker helped raise her sister's three children and married her sister's husband, attorney John Hodgson, which began her life as a mother and planter. She married two more times to wealthy men, continuing to run plantations after their deaths. She gave birth to five children and was the stepmother to four children, all but two of whom had died by 1761. Stepson Thomas Hodgson died in 1772. Her only remaining child then

102-406: A 1909 peanut -processing plant. Edenton is the home of the 1886 Roanoke River Lighthouse . The lighthouse is called a screw-pile design because of its original support system. Each piling was literally screwed into the river or sound bottom so they would not pull out in heavy storms and hurricanes. The Roanoke River Lighthouse, now located at Edenton, is believed to be the last extant example in

153-447: A daughter with a slave. His biracial daughter, Mariah was raised in the Wood home and was reared by her aunt Sarah Wood-Walker (house servant). Mr. Wood and his family moved to Hayes and members of the Wood family live there today. It is a working farm with numerous crops, including cotton, tobacco, peanuts and various grains. The modern day Wood family has hosted many functions and gatherings at

204-606: A famous wrongful conviction during the Satanic panic era of the late twentieth century. Today, Edenton's local economy is primarily driven by tourism, and as a popular retirement location. In 1658 adventurers from the Jamestown area drifted through the wilderness from Virginia and found a location on the northern shore of a small natural harbor at 36°02′42″N 76°36′54″W  /  36.045°N 76.615°W  / 36.045; -76.615 , now called Edenton Bay. Edenton Colony

255-692: A few to ten months of age. Thomas, a representative of the North Carolina's assembly to the board of trade, sailed to Europe in 1761 and was delayed in returning due to the British blockade of American ships during the American Revolutionary War . While her husband was unable to return home from London, Barker managed their estates and home, which included two children. By that time, she had lost four of her own children and three children from her husbands' previous marriages. Her son Thomas Hodgson died at

306-700: A local attorney named William Badham Jr. Its guns were cast from bronze bells taken from courthouse and churches in the Edenton area. Known as the Edenton Bell Battery , its four howitzers were named the Columbia , St. Paul , Fannie Roulac , and Edenton . Two of the guns, the St. Paul and Edenton , have been returned to Edenton and can now be seen at Edenton's waterfront park. Edenton enjoyed an economic revival beginning in 1890 led by lumbering , an 1898 cotton mill , and

357-596: A merchant marine fleet, was appointed the first Secretary of the Navy in 1776. John Adams said that Hewes "laid the foundation, the cornerstone of the American Navy." Hewes also signed the United States Declaration of Independence . James Iredell , also of Edenton, was at 38 the youngest member of the first United States Supreme Court . He was appointed by George Washington . His son James Iredell Jr. , served as

408-464: A signer of the Declaration of Independence and one of the chief authors of the U.S. Constitution. Wilson's remains were moved in 1906 to Christ Church Philadelphia by the state of Pennsylvania. In 2007, John G. Zehmer published a book on the plantation called Hayes: The Plantation, Its People, and Their Papers . The book consists of many historic documents, photos, and memories from various members of

459-490: Is home to the oldest house still in existence in North Carolina, constructed in 1719 before the establishment of the city. Edenton achieved international notoriety for the Little Rascals Day Care sexual abuse case , the subject of journalist Ofra Bikel 's award-winning trilogy of Frontline documentaries: Innocence Lost (1991), Innocence Lost: The Verdict (1993), and Innocence Lost: The Plea (1997). Edenton

510-507: Is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks region. In recent years Edenton has become a popular retirement location and a destination for heritage tourism . Edenton served as the second official capital of North Carolina, during the colonial era as the Province of North Carolina , though other than housing the governor's official residence, it did not otherwise house any other governmental functions. It served as capital from 1722 to 1743, when it

561-475: Is located in southern Chowan County sits at the north end of Edenton Bay, just north of the confluence of the Chowan and Roanoke rivers , which forms Albemarle Sound . U.S. Route 17 , a four-lane expressway , runs along the northern border of the town, with access from five exits. US 17 leads northeast 27 mi (43 km) to Elizabeth City and southwest 37 mi (60 km) to Williamston . Nags Head on

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612-552: Is the only metropolis in the Christian or Mohametan world where there is neither Church, Chapel, Mosque, Synagogue, nor any other Place of Publick Worship of any Sect or Religion whatsoever. What little Devotion there may be is much more private than their vices. A landmark in women's history occurred in Edenton in 1774. Fifty-one women in Edenton, led by Penelope Barker , signed a protest petition agreeing to boycott English tea and other products, in what became known, decades later, as

663-482: The American South and for designing statehouses for three Southern states. Construction of the house began in 1814, but was not completed until 1817. The central block of the house is connected to its dependencies by curved hyphens . A broad belvedere crowns the roof of the central block. The plantation house is privately owned, but was designated a National Historic Landmark on November 7, 1973, and added to

714-635: The Edenton Tea Party was created. On October 25, 1774, Barker and her supporters, Edenton Ladies Patriotic Guild, met at the house of Elizabeth King to sign the Edenton Tea Party resolution that protested the British Tea Act of 1773 . It was the "first recorded women's political demonstration in [Colonial] America". Barker continued to protest throughout the Revolutionary War. The petition

765-529: The Edenton Tea Party . The Edenton Tea Party is the first known political action by women in the British American colonies. In fact it so shocked London that newspapers published etchings depicting the women as uncontrollable. Her home, the Barker House, is open seven days a week, without a fee, and is considered by many as Edenton's living room. Joseph Hewes , a resident of Edenton and successful owner of

816-585: The National Register of Historic Places on February 26, 1974. Hayes is located east of Edenton, overlooking Edenton Bay to the south and Queen Annes Creek to the north. Just outside the home is a small graveyard called Johnston's cemetery. Many notable figures were buried here, including Penelope Barker , leader of the Edenton Tea Party ; James Iredell, an associate justice to the U.S. Supreme Court; Samuel Johnston, Governor of North Carolina; James Iredell, Jr., Governor of North Carolina; and James Wilson,

867-501: The North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program . It states, "Women in this town led by Penelope Barker in 1774 resolved to boycott British imports. Early and influential activism by women." Edenton, North Carolina Edenton is a town in, and the county seat of, Chowan County , North Carolina , United States, on Albemarle Sound . The population was 4,397 at the 2020 census . Edenton

918-609: The Outer Banks is 72 mi (116 km) to the east by road, and Raleigh , the state capital, is 136 mi (219 km) to the west. According to the United States Census Bureau , Edenton has a total area of 5.6 sq mi (14.4 km ), of which 5.4 sq mi (13.9 km ) is land and 0.19 sq mi (0.5 km ), or 3.55%, is water. As of the 2020 United States census , there were 4,460 people, 2,084 households, and 1,177 families residing in

969-521: The Province of North Carolina , from 1722 to 1743, with the governor establishing his residence there and the population increasing during that period. William Byrd II , who visited the town in March 1729, provides a description of Edenton in his The History of the Dividing Line : This town is Situated on the north side of Albermarle Sound which is there about 5 miles over. A Dirty Slash runs all along

1020-514: The homespun movement ). Northern women had spinning bees for the production of homemade material. A ship-load of imported East India Company tea was locked away in a port in Charles Town (now Charleston, South Carolina ) for months because it could not be sold with the tax. At the start of the Revolution, a group of patriots gathered the tea and sold it to other patriots to fund the rebellion against

1071-607: The Back of it, which in the Summer is a foul annoyance, and furnishes abundance of that Carolina plague, musquetas . There may be 40 or 50 Houses, most of them Small, built without Expense. A Citizen here is counted Extravagant, if he has Ambition enough to aspire to a Brick-chimney. Justice herself is but indifferently Lodged, the Court-House having much the Air of a Common Tobacco -House. I believe this

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1122-668: The British. They had also ousted royal officials and agents at the time. The Daughters of Liberty , like the Sons of Liberty , boycotted British goods. In 1908, a plaque was dedicated by the Daughters of the American Revolution of North Carolina and placed in the state Capitol Building in Raleigh, North Carolina . It honored her leadership at the Edenton Tea Party. In 1940, a marker was placed at West Queen Street ( US 17 Business ) in Edenton by

1173-556: The Democratic-Republican governor of North Carolina and then became a United States senator. His home may be toured through the Historic Edenton Visitors Center. Easy sea access halted with a 1795 hurricane which silted Roanoke Inlet . Completion of the 1805 Dismal Swamp Canal took business elsewhere by diverting shipping to Norfolk, Virginia . Locals rejected construction of a railroad, a lack that impeded

1224-811: The Hayes house itself, including the Hayes Gatehouse, which James Johnston lived in prior to the construction of the Hayes house. James Cathcart Johnston was known as a bachelor. Recent research published in 2013 reveals that although Johnston never married, he was the father of four daughters by his manumitted mistress, Edith "Edy" Wood, of nearby Hertford, N.C. Two of his girls died at the age of eight and nine in 1836, and his eldest daughter, Mary Virginia Wood Forten (daughter-in-law of wealthy African American abolitionist, James Forten ), died in Philadelphia of tuberculosis in 1840, leaving behind her three-year-old daughter,

1275-524: The United States of a rectangular frame building built for a screw-pile base. The lighthouse was in commission from 1887 until 1941. Edenton is home to numerous early houses and public buildings, including the Cupola House . It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1970, a designation also accorded the 1776 Chowan County Courthouse. The courthouse is still used for official court events. The city

1326-450: The age of 25 in 1772. Her stepson John Hodgson died in 1774. Betsy Barker married a successful planter William Tunstall from Pittsylvania County in the Colony of Virginia . During the Revolutionary War, Barker protected her residence from the British, Being informed by a servant that some British soldiers were taking her carriage horses from her stables, she snatched her husband's sword from

1377-403: The average family size was 2.95. In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.7% under the age of 18, 14.3% from 18 to 24, 21.3% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 20.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 78.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 71.4 males. The median income for a household in the town

1428-511: The children inherited his estate and she became the richest woman in the Province of North Carolina . For the third and final time, she married Thomas Barker, an attorney and a member of the House of Burgesses in Edenton in 1757, who was 16 years older than her, becoming Penelope Barker. He was previously married and brought a daughter named Betsy into the marriage. They had three children—Penelope, Thomas, and Nathaniel—all of whom died very young, from

1479-983: The future diarist, poet, and equal rights activist Charlotte Forten Grimke . Johnston's youngest daughter, Annie Wood (1831–1879), was just six years older than her niece Charlotte, and the two girls were raised by Edy Wood until Edy's death in 1846. The girls continued to be raised with the Forten-Purvis clan while Annie Wood was adopted by Amy Matilda Cassey , daughter of African American Episcopal priest, Peter Williams, Jr. and wife of wealthy African American financier and benefactor, Joseph Cassey . In 1850, after Joseph Cassey's death, Amy Matilda Cassey married antislavery orator, Charles Lenox Remond , and moved from Philadelphia to his home in Salem, Massachusetts, taking Annie Wood with her. While in Salem, Annie Wood married her childhood sweetheart, John G. Webb, grandson of Vice President Aaron Burr and brother of Frank J. Webb , author of

1530-631: The home including the North Carolina Supreme Court, the North Carolina House of Representatives, Governors Terry Sanford, James B. Hunt Jr., Pat McCrory and numerous other dignitaries. The main house , considered by architectural scholars to be "one of the South's most accomplished examples of a five-part palladian villa ," was designed by English-born architect, William Nichols, Sr. , famous for his early Neoclassical -style buildings in

1581-585: The house of her grandmother, a freedwoman, on the northern side of West King Street, a few steps from Broad Street. She famously had to stay there concealed in a crawl space for seven years before she was finally able to escape to New York, where she wrote Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl , now considered an "American classic". In 1862, during the Civil War , the Albemarle Artillery was recruited at Edenton by

Penelope Barker - Misplaced Pages Continue

1632-494: The local economy. Supreme Court Justice James Wilson , a signer of both the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution , died in Edenton on August 21, 1798, at age 55, while riding his judicial circuit. Harriet Jacobs and her brother John were born into slavery in Edenton in 1813 and 1815, respectively. They, and later Harriet's children, were baptized at St.Paul's . Their early childhood

1683-462: The organizer of the first political action by women in the colonies, is operated as a house museum and to interpret colonial history. The home of James Iredell Sr. is in Edenton and operated as a North Carolina Historic Site. Edenton has many religious institutions. Some of the churches in the community include: St Annes Catholic Church c. 1821 First Presbyterian Church of Edenton c. 1946 For two years, 1951 and 1952, Edenton's Historic Hicks Field

1734-428: The plantation. Barker died in 1796. She and her husband are buried alongside each other in the small graveyard called Johnston's cemetery at Hayes Plantation , near Edenton. Barker was known as a patriot of the Revolution and ten months after the famous Boston Tea Party , she organized a Tea Party of her own. Barker wrote a statement proposing a boycott of British goods, like cloth and tea. Followed by 50 other women,

1785-409: The population. There were 1,983 households, out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.0% were married couples living together, 24.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.7% were non-families. 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and

1836-493: The second African American novel, The Garies and Their Friends . James Cathcart Johnston paid for Annie Wood's education, made generous payments to her as she grew up, and promised her an "independence." James C. Johnston died at the end of the Civil War and left Hayes to his "friend and advisor" Edward Wood of Greenfield Plantation. Edward Wood had several children with his wife Caroline Gilliam- Wood. However, Wood also fathered

1887-514: The state's first two United States Senators , serving from 1789 until 1793, and served later as a judge until retiring in 1803. Samuel Johnston died in 1816 at "the Hermitage," his home near Williamston in Martin County, N.C. The residence known as Hayes was completed by his son, James Cathcart Johnston, a year after Samuel's death. There are numerous other structures on the property, some predating

1938-557: The stories about the people behind these public buildings and homes. The Lane House dates from 1719 and may be the oldest house in the state of North Carolina. Edenton played a key role in the development of the colonies, the state and the nation. The Cupola House , a registered National Historic Landmark, was built by Francis Corbin in 1758 on the waterfront at Edenton where it stands today. The 1767 Chowan County Courthouse , another National Historic Landmark, has been used since its construction. The Barker House , home of Penelope Barker ,

1989-543: The town. As of the census of 2000, there were 5,394 people, 1,983 households, and 1,294 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,076.3 inhabitants per square mile (415.6/km ). There were 2,204 housing units at an average density of 439.8 per square mile (169.8/km ). The racial makeup of the town was 42.86% White , 55.23% African American , 0.20% Native American , 0.63% Asian , 0.02% Pacific Islander , 0.44% from other races , and 0.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.45% of

2040-623: The wall, went out, and with a single blow severed the reins in the officer's hands, and drove her horses back into the stables. The British officer declared, that for such an exhibition of bravery, she should be allowed to keep her horses, and she was never afterward molested. Thomas returned in September 1778. In 1782, Thomas and his wife built a home, known today as the Barker House . Thomas died on December 10, 1790, Barker inherited her husband's estate of 25 enslaved people, their luxury furnishings, and

2091-481: Was $ 25,241, and the median income for a family was $ 34,132. Males had a median income of $ 27,192 versus $ 18,281 for females. The per capita income for the town was $ 13,264. About 20.3% of families and 25.1% of the population were below the poverty line , including 34.1% of those under age 18 and 20.1% of those age 65 or over. Located in northeastern North Carolina, Edenton is a small unique town known for its authentic 18th-, 19th- and early 20th-century architecture and

Penelope Barker - Misplaced Pages Continue

2142-447: Was Betsy Barker, who lived to adulthood and married William Tunstall, a successful planter. Dillard described her as "one of those lofty, intrepid, high-born women peculiarly fitted by nature to lead; fear formed no part of her composition. Her face bears the expression of sternness without harshness, which a cheap novelist would describe as hauteur. She was a brilliant conversationalist, and a society leader of her day." Penelope Padgett

2193-409: Was a planter and politician. From Doughton, Yorkshire , England, he immigrated to Colonial North Carolina by 1734. They did not have any children of their own. Barker brought income into the family by renting out some of their enslaved people and selling sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, and packs of cards. She purchased luxury items like rum, salt, sugar, molasses, and chocolate. When James died in 1755, she and

2244-412: Was a teen, her father and married sister, Elizabeth Hodgson, died consecutively, leaving her to raise Elizabeth's children, Isabella, John, and Robert. Her brother-in-law and later husband, John Hodgson, managed her father's estate. Barker married her deceased sister's husband, John Hodgson, in 1745 at about the age of 17. Their first son was Samuel. Only two years after their marriage, John died, when she

2295-518: Was born June 17, 1728, at Blenheim Manor in Edenton in the Colony of North Carolina , one of three daughters to Samuel Padgett, a physician, and Elizabeth Blount. Her sisters were Sarah and Elizabeth. Padgett was the granddaughter of Anne Willis and James Blount, a prominent planter of Chowan County . The Padgetts lived on a 2,000-acre plantation. As she grew up, Penelope lived a comfortable life of teas, church suppers, parties, and balls. By 1745, when she

2346-470: Was centered around Horniblow's tavern, the town's only colonial hotel, on the northern side of East King Street, just west of Chowan County Courthouse . Twelve-year old John Jacobs was sold at public auction in 1828, probably at Market House (junction Water Street / Broad Street). Both siblings became enslaved to an abusive master, the local physician, Dr. James Norcom, living with him at his house on West Eden Street. In 1835, Harriet Jacobs went into hiding in

2397-725: Was home to a professional minor league baseball team. The Edenton Colonials played in the Class D Virginia League in 1951 and the Class D Coastal Plain League in 1952. Since 1998 Hicks Field has served as the home park for the Edenton Steamers of the collegiate summer Coastal Plain League . Hayes Plantation Hayes Farm, also known as Hayes Plantation , is a historic plantation near Edenton, North Carolina that belonged to Samuel Johnston (1733–1816), who served as Governor of North Carolina from 1787 to 1789. Johnston became one of

2448-458: Was moved to Brunswick . The town was the site of the Edenton Tea Party , a protest organized by several Edenton women in 1774 in solidarity with the organizers of the Boston Tea Party . It was the birthplace of Harriet Jacobs , an enslaved African American whose 1861 autobiography , Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl , is now considered an American classic. Edenton gained notoriety for

2499-547: Was pregnant with their second son Thomas. She also had her sister and husband's three children to raise. She ran the Hodgson plantations, with 25 enslaved people. When she was 21 years of age, the Court doubted that she was old enough to raise and educate five children. They threatened to remove her children. In October 1751, she was returned to the guardian of her three stepchildren. In 1752, Barker married wealthy bachelor James Craven, who

2550-655: Was published in colonial newspapers and in London. Barker also sent a "fiery letter" to London. The women were mocked in the London papers. A political cartoon entitled "Edenton Tea Party" was published and released in London on January 16, 1775. The cartoon portrayed the women as bad mothers with loose morals and received misogynistic ridicule. The women were praised as patriots by the Colonial American press. Other women followed suit by swearing off tea. Southern women danced in ballgowns made from homespun fabric (that started with

2601-512: Was the first permanent European settlement in what is now the state of North Carolina . Edenton was established in 1712 as "the Towne on Queen Anne's Creek". It was later known as "Ye Towne on Mattercommack Creek" and still later as "the Port of Roanoke". It was renamed "Edenton" and incorporated in 1722 in honor of Governor Charles Eden , who had died that year. Edenton served as the second capital of

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