Historic Sites
Step inside the “Edenton Women of Distinction Exhibit” and learn about Mrs. Josephine Napoleon Leary, a remarkable African American woman who was born in slavery and became a successful entrepreneur. The intact and classic iron-fronted building still standing on Broad Street was constructed by Theo Ralph with Mrs. Leary’s name in the pediment came from the popular “Mesker […]
Josephine Napoleon Leary Read More »
A video that is shown as part of builders and artisans exhibit in the Decorative Arts Gallery inside the Penelope Barker House Welcome Center details the architectural and cultural importance of East Gale Street — a historic, African American neighborhood in Edenton, North Carolina. This video showcases the Badham family that built the Kadesh A.M.E. Zion
A Virtual Walking Tour of Edenton’s East Gale Street Read More »
On this site in 1863, the 1st US Colored Troops encamped on this site to build fortifications and to suppress guerilla activity. Enslaved people from the surrounding area sought refuge and claimed their freedom at the camp. Some were sent to Roanoke Island while others were recruited to the USCT or employed as laborers. Visit
United States Colored Troops (USCT) Encampment Site Read More »
The Pasquotank River was an important gateway to freedom for many enslaved African Americans in northeastern North Carolina who claimed their own freedom. Freedom seekers would stow away or work their way along the maritime networks of which it was part, into the Great Dismal Swamp, or north to freedom. It was the first river
Pasquotank River and the Underground Railroad Read More »
The busy wharf was the site of much Civil War activity. Black troops, free Black Elizabeth City residents, and those escaping slavery would certainly have comingled here in 1863 when a brigade of Black soldiers—many of whom had been previously enslaved in the region—returned to Elizabeth City under the command of Brigadier General Edward Augustus
On 3 March 1891, an African-American representative from Pasquotank County in the North Carolina General Assembly sponsored a bill for the establishment of a school for the “teaching and training teachers of the colored race [in Elizabeth City] to teach in the common schools of North Carolina.” That school, now Elizabeth City State University, has
Elizabeth City State Teachers College Historic District Read More »
On August 14, 1920, this structure opened for business as the Albemarle Bank, the first African American-owned bank in northeastern North Carolina. Building off a long tradition of mutual aid within African American communities, African American-owned banks provided their clientele with savings and loans opportunities along with respectful customer service. These goods and services were
Explore Island Farm, a living history site interpreting daily life on Roanoke Island in the mid-1800s. Living on the bounty of the surrounding waters while working the land to feed their families, islanders were independent and enterprising. The Etheridge family of today’s Island Farm goes back all the way to 1757, working the land and
In honor of former Lieutenant Herbert Collins, the boathouse was opened and dedicated in his name in October 2010. Born in 1921 on Roanoke Island, Lieutenant Collins is often referred to as the last Keeper of the Pea Island Lifesaving Station. His career at the station spanned from 1940 – 1947 but he remained in
Herbert Collins Boathouse at Collins Park Read More »
On the heels of the Union’s first military victory of the Civil War at Fort Hatteras in August 1861, Northern forces took Roanoke Island in 1862 in another of the earliest Union military victories over the Confederates. Escaped slaves seeking the army’s protection began pouring onto the island. In response, the army seized local property
Fort Raleigh National Historic Site | Freedman’s Colony 1862 -1867 Read More »