[piano intro] - Next on "North Carolina Weekend", join us from Edenton as we explore what this Inner Banks town has to offer.

History, restaurants, inns, and more, coming up next.

- [Announcer] Funding for "North Carolina Weekend" is provided in part by Visit NC, dedicated to highlighting our state's natural scenic beauty, unique history, and diverse cultural attractions.

From the Blue Ridge and the Great Smoky Mountains across the Piedmont to 300 miles of barrier island beaches, you're invited to experience all the adventure and charm our state has to offer.

[upbeat music] [upbeat music continues] [upbeat music continues] - Welcome to "North Carolina Weekend", everyone.

I'm Deborah Holt Noel, and this week, I am in Edenton, a fascinating town to visit.

This historic town on our state's Inner Banks has something for everyone, an illuminating past and even brighter today.

We'll go on a boat tour, sample unique flavors, and show you some wonderful places to spend the night.

Now, I've heard the best way to get to know this town is on an Edenton Trolley Tour, so let's hop aboard board and explore Edenton.

[soft classical music] - Welcome to the Edenton Trolley Tour.

My name is Barbara, and I'll be your guide.

And this is Clayton, our amazing driver.

- Welcome, folks!

Welcome to our hometown of Edenton.

- We're like a living museum of history and architecture with a sprinkling of hospitality thrown in.

[trolley bell ringing] - [Deborah] History, stories, restaurants, and views.

The trolley tour is the perfect way to get a lay of the land.

- Can you think of a staircase that's been moved five times?

The other day when we asked that question, we had a little boy in the front row, and his hand shot up, and all he said was, "Hogwarts!"

- Smiling faces, friendly waves, and beautiful restoration efforts give a glimpse of what makes the town special today and just how important it is to the people who live here.

Now that I've gotten the tour, I'm ready to dig in a little deeper and experience it all up close.

[trolley bell ringing] As part of learning Edenton's rich history, I'm learning about the people who made a mark and leave an impact today.

Harriet Jacobs was an enslaved person born in Edenton, who escaped from her owner and hid in an attic for seven years before making her way north to freedom.

Her autobiography is one of the most widely-read slave narratives written by a woman.

It's called "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl".

I'm with Johnica Rivers, a curator-at-large with the Harriet Jacobs Project.

Johnica, an you tell me if a visitor comes to Edenton and wants to learn more about Harriet Jacobs, how can they do that?

- Yes, a visitor can start out at the historic Edenton Visitor Center, where you will begin A Sojourn for Harriet Jacobs, which is a tour focused on the life of Harriet Jacobs here in Edenton, or what I like to call a close read of "Incidents".

We start out at the Providence Burial Ground, which is where Harriet Jacobs' parents and her grandmother, Molly Horniblow, are buried.

And that sets the tone for the experience and ceremony.

You enter that experience in silence and you enter the land and waters of Harriet Jacobs.

Molly Horniblow, Harriet's grandmother, is buried here, as well as both Harriet's mother and father.

And this is significant to her flight of freedom, because an incident she writes about in times of distress and contemplative moments, she would visit her parents' graveside.

And on a particular visit, she heard her father speak to her from the grave and say, "To freedom or death."

She began to think about and orchestrate a plan to flee.

[soft pensive music] - [Deborah] Tell me about the place where we're standing right now.

- We are in the 1767 Chowan County Courthouse, which is a historic courthouse that is older than the United States.

And this is significant to the story of Harriet Jacobs because it is where her grandmother, Molly Horniblow, orchestrated her freedom.

Harriet Jacobs' grandmother essentially freed herself by giving money to a white ally who then purchased her at auction, and that would've happened here.

And her being free is what allowed her to then go on and become a business owner and a homeowner, and her home is the place where Harriet Jacobs was able to hide for seven years.

Now, many of the actual buildings are no longer here, but we like for visitors to visit what we call the footprints of those locations.

So, the former site of Dr. Norcom, who was her harasser, his home, the former site of it, is on this block that we're standing on on King Street.

The site of Samuel Tredwell Sawyer's home.

Samuel Tredwell Sawyer was the father of Harriet's two children.

The former site of Molly Horniblow's home, which is what we like to call the site of her loophole of retreat, which is where Harriet hid.

That is now the parking lot of Edenton's True Value Hardware store.

While in hiding, Harriet found that her uncle had left behind a gimlet tool, and she used it to puncture nine holes, three rows of three, and then she connected them to create a loophole, which in "Incident", she calls her loophole of retreat.

And through this hole, she would watch her children play, she would watch the comings and goings on King Street in town, including her harasser, Dr. Norcom.

She would see him walk to and from work.

Behind us is the Chowan County Jail.

Now, to lure Harriet out of hiding, her children, including her 2-year-old daughter, were held in what was then the Chowan County Jail.

And of course, the Bay of Edenton, which is right in front of the courthouse.

Those are the waters that carried Harriet to freedom.

[soft music] She finally made it onto a boat that was a part of the Maritime Underground Railroad, and she made her way to Philadelphia.

[soft music continues] Those are some of the sites that visitors can engage with on the Harriet Jacobs tour.

[water splashing] - Edenton doesn't have an official museum yet, but in a lot of ways, the town itself is like a living museum.

I just love strolling the neighborhoods and looking at some of the historic homes.

[bright music] I'm at the lovely Edenton Tea Company, where Lorrie and Patrick Dablow have created a beautiful space for teapots and other gifts.

[bright music continues] - Well, we're a unique combination of Patrick's unique, his original art, which we then take the images of and turn into all kinds of products.

Whether it's the teapot, the Edenton teapot, or his flowers or birds.

- And when you come here and you see what's here, the water, the sky, the birds, the flowers, the teapot, which is behind our building, it's just regional art.

And it's all colorful and it just expresses what Edenton is.

I mean, it's really a garden of Eden.

[laughs] - But we bring all those together.

There's art and tea and gifts all under one roof.

- [Deborah] Tell me, how does this tea shop represent Edenton's culture?

- We have been very intentional, Deb, about designing products that honor and pay tribute to an incredible moment in history, the Edenton Tea Party, one of the most under-reported events in the American Revolutionary history, but also one of the most important.

And this little teapot is the symbol of 51 women patriots who signed a declaration to King George and said, "You know what?

We are tired of this oppression."

It has the inscription on the back which tells about the story of the 51 women.

What's really amazing about these, too, is that they're hollow underneath, so they're perfect for the Christmas tree.

- [Deborah] Ah, and so, these are one of a kind, right, Patrick?

- Exactly, yeah.

Each one is different.

The base color's all the same, but they are hand-burnished, so no two are ever the same.

- [Deborah] A real piece of art.

- Absolutely.

- Edenton has four beautiful inns that are popular with folks who want an overnight stay with a touch of coastal charm and hospitality.

I'm staying at the Granville Queen.

[soft music] Renovated in 2022, the Granville Queen features eight rooms.

My suite had a luxurious king bed.

[soft music continues] And a gas fireplace near the tub.

Downstairs, the spacious parlor offered treats, lovely flowers, and a beautiful plaster ceiling.

[soft music continues] Next door, the Captain's Quarters, also owned by The Carolina Experience, has eight rooms and a wonderful porch for relaxing.

Just a few blocks away sits the Inner Banks Inn, a lovely property with four separate lodging options and a restaurant, all under the ownership of Susan Martin Cyr.

- Sure, the Inner Banks Inn began in 2014.

This had previously been an inn way back in the day, but the properties had been separated and had become private.

And now, we are the Inner Banks Inn, comprised of four homes and a carriage house restaurant.

And the span of the property, the architecture ranges about 250 years.

Right now, we're in the Lords Proprietor's House.

That's named after the original inn that was here.

The official name of the house is the White-Bond House, and this was built in 1901.

There are eight rooms in this house, all with their own bathrooms.

And this is a classic Victorian and it's about 6,400 square feet.

Next door is the Satterfield House, and it is the oldest original home on Broad Street here in Edenton, and it was built in 1801.

And then, we have the Pack House, which was moved to the property in 1987.

It dates to 1915.

And then, there's the Tillie Bond Cottage.

We have guests that come to us from all over the United States and world, and we will have couples that will do a romantic getaway or a girls' getaway.

But it's not uncommon for them to come back and plan their weddings with us.

- About 10 miles from Downtown Edenton on the banks of the Albemarle Sound sits an impressive Federal-style home called Mulberry Hill, and it's a real step back in time.

[rousing music] Good morning.

- Welcome to Mulberry Hill.

- Thank you.

- We're delighted you're here.

Mulberry Hill was built by Clement Hall Blount and his mother, Ann Hall Blount, in the early 1800s.

- This house has been in my family since about 1810.

- We have a lot of history buffs.

In fact, we had the Antiques Forum from Williamsburg come just last October.

We are having the Colonial Dames come.

We've had Wendell Garrett, and he wrote a book called "Classic America".

We have a copy in there.

And fortunately, my sister called, and she said, "Jane, you made the cut.

There's Mulberry Hill in it."

So, we were thrilled he had come to visit.

[rousing music continues] - After a lovely chat with two more historic interpreters at Mulberry Hill, it was time to return to Edenton for an early dinner.

One of Edenton's local landmarks is Waterman's Grill, serving up fresh seafood and other favorites for close to 30 years.

Let's check it out.

[upbeat music] - People feel comfortable, people feel at home here.

We always wanted to have a casual restaurant, and that's what we got.

A lot of our fried foods are very popular, especially the fried flounder.

That's our number-one seller.

A lot of people come here just for the fried flounder.

But we also incorporate steaks and sandwiches and try and do some sort of fresh fish on our special board that we rotate.

Tuna's a big seller.

When we moved here from Virginia Beach, we were welcomed with open arms.

We didn't know if we'd make it a year, and it was just putting one foot in front of the other, and one year led to the next year, and we just kept going.

And it's a little bit of magic, I guess.

I don't know, really.

Can't put your finger on it.

Maybe I don't wanna find out why it worked, but it did.

We would tell people, "We're from Edenton," and it's surprising how many people say, "Oh, Edenton, Waterman's Grill!"

We're associated with Edenton.

We've become iconic.

I just think that's pretty cool.

It's a neat thing.

[upbeat music continues] - The next morning, I'm starting the day at the Farmer's Market, which is right downtown.

Grab a coffee, check out the art, and buy some fresh produce while you're at it, directly from the farmers who grew it.

[upbeat music continues] Another great way to explore Edenton is on the water.

This is the Liber-Tea, an electric-powered touring boat that's run by Edenton Bay Cruises.

And Captain Mark is about to take us on a tour.

[upbeat music] - This is our 1886 Roanoke River Lighthouse.

In the heyday of the light service, before Eisenhower's Interstate Highway System, all our waterways were the highways, and these were known as inland lighthouses.

And in the heyday of the light service, there were over 100 at that specific design up and down the Eastern Seaboard.

But of all the originals, that's the only survivor.

And so, we're very, very blessed with having that.

But if you go out here to the center and you turn left, you go 75 miles, and you come to the outer banks and access to the ocean.

And so, that put Edenton on the maritime map.

And right here where we are, this is where all the sailing ships would drop anchor and conduct their business with the town.

- Be sure to sign up for a cruise on the Liber-Tea on your visit to Edenton.

It's a fun way to explore this town on the water without getting wet.

[upbeat music continues] As I disembarked, Captain Mark also showed me the waterfront's newest historical marker, a tribute to the submariners that have served our country and made the ultimate sacrifice.

Today, I'm having lunch at Downtown Roots, popular new sandwich shop with hefty portions.

If you're hungry, come here.

[bright music] - When I was small, my mom always cooked, so growing up, eating at the dinner table and having food was always special to me.

It was family.

Welcome in, how are you doing, sir?

What really hit home to me was, this is my roots.

Great!

My dream, a sandwich, salad shop.

The next two are gonna be salt and a vinaigrette.

- All right.

- We use a lot of meat and cheese, but also a lot of fresh ingredients added to it that go well together, that combine together.

Our number one sandwich since we, from day one, it's always been up in the sales.

It's a classical sandwich.

It's our Chowan Club.

We use really fresh ingredients.

Bacon is really crispy and delicious, adds a nice salty tone and texture to it.

The ham and the turkey go well together.

They're both smoked.

A salad that we do, our strawberry beet salad, is probably one of our staple dishes here that really bring out the flavor and the depth of who we are in downtown.

There's no better place to be than Downtown Edenton.

- [Deborah] Everywhere I went in Edenton, I ran into people excited to either be from there or new to town.

Longtime residents, like the friendly pharmacist at Blount's, who was happy to show me his memorabilia, to new shop owners at Artemis and Io, offering tastefully curated incense and plants.

Or Don Vaughn, who's renovating an old house to make a new home.

And of course, Baxter.

- He's five years old and he's the unofficial town ambassador.

Everybody knows Baxter, and he makes sure he goes by every shop and says hello.

He's got his own Facebook page called Walks with Baxter.

And at least once a week, he stops in front of a business and does a shout out for 'em.

- Well, all right, Baxter!

[laughs] This is one of Edenton's newest restaurants, The Herringbone On The Waterfront, and it gets its name because this building was once an ice house for the herring that was caught on the Albemarle Sound.

Today, it's been repurposed into a fine dining restaurant, but it still has gorgeous views of the sunset.

I met owners Joe and Stephanie Wach, who are proud to show me around.

- We're glad you're here.

We wanna welcome you into our space here with some of our artifacts.

Everything here is representative of Northeastern North Carolina, from the wood that's used to the artifacts that have been donated by people in the area.

- And Deb, these light fixtures are made from fishing baskets from the herring fishing industry, and we've just collected em and made 'em into a light fixture.

- And we have our photo wall, here, that depicts the herring fishing industry in Edenton.

These archival photos are, they show the hardworking people of this area and how important the fishing industry was to Edenton.

Well, we were looking at places we might want to do our next chapter after we launched our kids.

And we were looking around on the internet and we found Edenton.

Started digging a little bit, and we came across this video that was a PBS video about this little town.

And we watched the video and said, "We have to go there."

- [Deborah] So, I'm responsible!

- Yes, you are, absolutely!

- You are!

- [Deborah] I'll take that credit.

- [Stephanie] Edenton was our first stop.

We thought, "Well, we'll scratch it off our list, 'cause it can't be that great."

- It was 15 minutes in, I think, when we, it wasn't long.

- I was like, "I'm moving here."

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

- [Deborah] What did you see that drew you so?

- Well, we rolled up and happened into Eden Bay Trading Company, and Malcolm greets us.

- Hello, there.

- We're like, "Hey, you're the guy from that video!"

It was like seeing a celebrity, right?

So, we met Malcolm, and then we quickly met Eddie and Melissa that happened to be there, and they said, "Come out with us and watch this parade."

And it was a tractor parade.

You couldn't have made it more small-town America with all these tractors going down the main street.

And Stephanie just, I looked up, she had tears in her eyes.

She's like, "This is it."

- [Stephanie] I said, "This is what America should be."

- [Deborah] That video of "North Carolina Weekend".

- Every time I tell this story, I still cry, 'cause it was like everything you've ever dreamt of.

Since it was the ice house for the herring fishing industry, we wanted to keep everything as original as possible.

And then we added into it what our industry is here, cotton, peanuts, farming.

- It's American food, but done with this southern flair.

We have great succotash, we have a great pork chop, great fish because we're on the water, so we have fresh fish, of course, every day.

And we also have a wood-fired pizza oven, so we can do wood-fired pizza.

Herringbone is a place you're gonna experience great food, great people, and you're gonna be able to live the history of Northeastern North Carolina.

[upbeat music] - At Old Colony Smokehouse, you'll find more than just delicious cuisine.

I mean, the owners have Southern cooking down to an art.

And their hard work has paid off, because this is one of Edenton's most popular restaurants.

And since it's all about barbecue, we sent Bob Garner to check it out.

- [Bob] Edenton's Old Colony Smokehouse is the brainchild of Adam Hughes, who grew up in neighboring Bertie County, learned hog-raising and the butcher business from his parents, eventually went on to become a competition barbecue expert, and was crowned a champion on the Food Network's hit show "Chopped".

So, if you're barbecuing competitively and then you have a hit TV appearance, you have to find a way for people to try your food, right?

- After the "Chopped" episode aired, our little team's social media page just started blowing up with people asking, "Hey, where can we come try your food?"

We didn't have a restaurant at the time, and they weren't allowed to eat our competition barbecue, so the obvious answer was, "Hey, let's give 'em a restaurant."

And at the same time, Edenton, which is where we live, was a tourist destination for a Southern small town, but there's no barbecue restaurant in Edenton at the time.

So, we decided, hey, everything's aligning!

- [Bob] The push-pin map showing Old Colony's visitors from up and down the East Coast, as well as the Heartland, West Coast, Alaska, Hawaii, and the Caribbean certainly shows that things have lined up, along with lots of customers.

So, what lies ahead for Adam, his wife, and two kids?

- The future for Old Colony Smokehouse to me is exactly what we're doing now.

We've just moved into this new building that we were able to purchase, and we're growing every day.

We're trying to reach as many people as we can.

People ask, "Can you franchise?

Can you open a new location?"

We're really not looking into doing that.

We're not in this to make money.

We're not in it to be rich and famous.

- Lunch and very early dinner is what it's all about, here.

And remember, they close at six.

You have to be excited when you come face to face with an Old Colony Smokehouse tray of what they call their everyday meats, things that are available every day, plus a lot of their terrific sides.

I can't wait to dig into that.

Jalapeno cheddar sausage, smoked turkey, smoked chicken, pulled pork, ribs, brisket, brisket ends, a popper that I can't wait to get into.

And then, we're down here with some collard greens with their smokehouse beans that has everything but the kitchen sink in it, and green beans that they actually cook pork belly as the seasoning meat for the green beans.

Adam grew up with his family making this jalapeno cheddar sausage, so of course I have to try that.

Mm, you can see why people bring coolers and take this stuff all across the country.

[laughs] Now, brisket has thoroughly invaded North Carolina.

This is brisket and these are the burnt brisket ends.

Mm.

[laughs] This is the Carolina Twinkie, which has pimento cheese, jalapenos, encased in sausage, and then wrapped in bacon and smoked.

Mm, very, very unusual.

You've got to try one of those when you come into the Old Colony Smokehouse, really.

The smokehouse beans has everything but the kitchen sink, almost literally.

It has all of the meat.

All of the meats that go through the grinder are in there.

It has roasted peppers and onions, it has peaches and apples and other things, and then a good dose of nice smoke.

I've never had anything remotely like that.

You will love the smokehouse beans.

Don't forget pork shoulders turned into Eastern North Carolina's signature vinegar spice chopped barbecue, awesome deeply smoked and glazed chicken, and superb pork ribs.

Banana pudding belongs in any North Carolina restaurant, and certainly in any North Carolina barbecue restaurant.

Mm!

Just brings the whole circle to a close.

I've been hearing so many great things about Old Colony Smokehouse, about the vibe in Edenton, and I am so happy I got to come and be a part of this.

You need to get yourself here quickly.

- Well, that is it for tonight's show.

We have had a wonderful time exploring Edenton.

And you know, this is not your typical coastal trip.

The folks here in Edenton are very proud of their town, and I can see why.

And if you've missed anything in tonight's show, just remember, you can always watch us again online at pbsnc.org, and you can find all of our stories on our YouTube channel.

Have a great North Carolina weekend, everyone.

[soft music] [upbeat music] [upbeat music continues] [upbeat music continues] [upbeat music continues] [bright music] - [Announcer] Funding for "North Carolina Weekend" is provided in part by Visit NC, dedicated to highlighting our state's natural scenic beauty, unique history, and diverse cultural attractions.

From the Blue Ridge and the Great Smoky Mountains across the Piedmont to 300 miles of barrier island beaches, you're invited to experience all the adventure and charm our state has to offer.

[bright music]