Established as the seat of provincial government in 1712, Edenton’s courthouse has stood at the center of North Carolina’s public life for more than two centuries. After earlier structures proved inadequate, the present Chowan County Courthouse was completed in 1767 on East King Street. Considered the finest Georgian courthouse in the South and the oldest public building in North Carolina, it is one of the most important surviving civic buildings of colonial America. Attributed to architect John Hawks, the T-plan structure reflects classical British design, built by local artisans using local materials and distinguished by its Flemish bond brickwork, central courtroom, and second-floor assembly room adorned with raised paneling and fireplaces.
From the struggle for independence through the early republic, the courthouse served as the heart of civic, political, and social life in Edenton and Chowan County. Citizens gathered here during the Revolution, and leaders of the new nation—including Joseph Hewes, Hugh Williamson, Samuel Johnston, and James Iredell—conducted public business within its walls. In 1792, Edenton was designated a site for U.S. District Court, further cementing the building’s national importance. Still in active use today, the courthouse has hosted generations of public meetings, religious services, and community events, standing as a lasting symbol of North Carolina’s colonial and Revolutionary heritage.
Edenton, North Carolina