State

h 20, 1937 1 H E STATE Pcge Five Picturesque Edenton ITS iiitcrc*fiii£ history anti its modorn beauty anil progressive¬ ness delighted members of the legislature who visited the town last week. THERE «re few town» anywhere in this country that ромеи the quiet dignity, peace, culture and wrenity th«t i- Edenton’»— that beau¬ tifully locate*! historic town located on Edenton Bay at the mouth of the Chowan Kiver. It i* a city of stately and comfort¬ able homes, many of which date hack a hundred years or more: of progres¬ sive and modern business establish¬ ments, of a variety of manufacturing enterprises, and of well-paved, well- lighted streets, flanked for the most part by tree's whose branch e* are bowel down with the weight of many year*. Edenton is a city of refined, cultured and hospitable people, in whose midst the stranger is a-nVcd of a warm wel¬ come at all time». The town ронеаич a settled, well-established citizenship that is sure of itself : proud of its rich heri¬ tage that has made it» present pro- gressivcncM possible. An Enjoyable Visit Members of the North Carolina Gen¬ eral Assembly and other guests who went to Edenton last week will long remember their visit. Particularly those who glimpsed the town for the first time as their trnin went aero» the fivc-uiile-long trestle that spans Albemarle Sound -the longest wooden bridge in the world. They wore royally entertained. But — interested as they were in the modern Edenton — they were even more keenly interested in it* history and in the important part it has played in the development of North Carolina. The town was settled about 1053, and for some time known as "The "Hayes," near Edenton, one of the outstanding Colonial homes of the nation. It was the home of Governor Samuel Johnston. Tow ne on Queen Anne’s Creek." An¬ other name which was given it waa ;‘The Port of the Roanoke.” And then, in 1722, the present name was adopted in honor of Governor Charles Eden, whoso grave is in St. Paul’» church¬ yard. Throughout the eighteenth century, Edenton was n place of considerable social and political importance. The legislative assembly of North Carolina met there occasionally. There, too, lived the royal governors and various well-known citizens of the province, among them being Joseph Ilowos, a signer of the Declaration of Independ¬ ence; James Iredell, Sr., a Federalist leader and later a justice of tbo United States Supreme Court; and his son. James, Jr., a prominent lawyer, for many year» a member of the state leg¬ islature, a governor of North Caro¬ lina and a member of tbo United State* Senate. And *o, it was particularly fitting and appropriate that the North Caro¬ lina General Assembly should have de¬ cided to hold a one-day session at Eden¬ ton last week ... in the same locality where legislator» of almost two hun¬ dred years ago assembled and debated the problems of state and laid the foundation for North Carolina ns we sec it today. From Virginia, for the most part, came the curly settlers of Edenton, supplemented by colonists direct from England. And many of the people residing in Edenton today are direct descendants of tho>e vigorous and sturdy people who built the first hornet on the waterfront where the city now stand*. Home of Samuel Johnston Just a short distance from Edenton lived Samuel Johnston, a prominent leader of the American Whigs preced¬ ing and during the Revolutionary War, a member of the Continental Congress, governor of North Carolina and a Federalist member of the United States Senate. Many and varied are the historic place* of interest which the people of Edenton delight in showing their guests ... St. Paul’s church, one of the old¬ est churches of the nation, with itt graveyard in which rest many dis¬ tinguished ion» and daughters of Eden¬ ton .. . the Cupola House, which was built for his beautiful brido by Francis Corbin, American agent for the Earl of Granville, one of the original Lord Proprietor» . . . Beverly Halt, formerly a state bank, which was converted bv Dr. Richard Dillon into a lovely home, with it" wealth of rare and beautiful antiques and its intriguing garden* . . . the simple but stately home of Gover¬ nor James Iredell . . . thc»c ami many other place* of interest are to be seen in and near Edenton. After one lias come in contact with (Continued on page term)