November/December 2007

Travel - Old-world Edenton

Celebrate a Colonial Christmas in "the South's Prettiest Small Town."

By Deborah R. Huso

Nestled at the confluence of the Chowan River and the Albemarle Sound lies a village known as "the South's prettiest small town." Aptly named, Edenton may just as well be called "the South's friendliest small town." If you've ever lived in a town where everyone says "hello," or even dreamed of spending time in such a close-knit community, then Edenton is a place you will readily recognize. Here, storekeepers apologize if you have to wait in a line even two persons deep, small children say "excuse me," and waitresses serve you with alacrity and a smile, even at the crowded noon lunch hour.

And every December, these same delightful folks open their homes to strangers for the annual Christmas in Edenton celebration, a weekend-long event set off by a small town parade followed by a Holiday Repast, Annual Wassail Bowl and Annual Groaning Board at several local historic site; and capped with candlelight tours of historic private homes.

Tow and a half centuries ago, Edenton served as the fledgling North Carolina colony's capital. Once a hotbed of Revolutionary-era activity, it has been home to a signer of the Declaration of Independence, a signer of the United States Constitution, two delegates to the Continental Congress, a Supreme Court Justice, and one of the first organized groups of female political activists in America. Today, Edenton has more than two dozen restored historic homes dating from the pre-Revolutionary era to the early 1900s.

The Saturday morning Christmas parade on Dec. 8 celebrates the village's heritage with homemade floats depicting colonial Christmas scenes replete with children in mobcaps and tri-corner hats singing carols as they drift lazily along Broad Street to the waterfront. The procession continues with antique cars, music by the Chowan County High School marching band, and the squealing siren song of fire engines and police cars.

After the parade, visitors flock to Edenton's historic structures. Behind the lavender, gingerbread-trimmed visitor center on Broad Street, the James Iredell House hosts a traditional holiday groaning board and lovely natural Christmas décor. The Federal-style structure was once home to the Revolutionary-era North Carolina Attorney General, and later Supreme Court Justice, James Iredell. Inside, visitors partake of the groaning board, where tables are so heavily laden with food that one can supposedly hear the boards "groan." Cookies and cider are the main fare at this holiday repast. Fortunate visitors may get to hear Edenton Historical Commission staff and volunteers offer oral history lessons or Christmas music on the harpsichord in the parlor while strands of ruby-colored cranberries and dried flowers drape the mantelpiece.

For the rest of this article, see the November/December issue of Hampton Roads Magazine, currently available on newsstands.