Edenton, NC

The town of Edenton, NC has a rich history and they have done a marvelous job conserving and promoting that history.  Edenton was the first official capital of the North Carolina colony from 1722-1766.  Although it is forgotten by most, NC was also the first colony to call for independence from Great Britain. 

Southern Style in our slip in downtown Edenton

She kind-of-sort-of-fits (almost).

We only stick out of the slip a little bit

Once we squeezed into the slip, Pengi was ready to go exploring

We decided to take the trolley tour of town to get us started.

Here are just some of the highlights from town.

There was a very historically significant "tea party" that occurred in Edenton, led by a woman named Penelope Barker.  Born in Edenton in 1728, Penelope was married to her 3rd husband Thomas Barker at the time when the British Parliament was imposing taxes on its colonies that were gaining increasing protests.  Thomas Barker had left for England in 1761 as an agent of the North Carolina colony.  Penelope was a strong, intelligent woman and ran the household and took care of affairs at home during her husband's absence.   As tensions with England rose, her husband could not safely return to the colonies.  In October of 1774 Penelope organized 51 other Edenton women to boycott the use of tea and cloth taxed by Great Britain.  They wrote and sent a signed letter/resolution to this effect to the King of England.  Although the women were applauded in the colonies; London papers portrayed them as bad mothers with loose morals.  The event is significant in that this was the first recorded women's political demonstration in America.  It took place just months after the Boston Tea Party; and unlike in Boston where participants wore disguises, the women of Edenton signed their names leaving no doubt as to their identities.  Penelope's husband was finally able to return to America in 1778, 17 years after he left.

Penelope Barker House

Bronze Tea Pot erected in 1905 to commemorate the women of the Edenton Tea Party

The Roanoke River Lighthouse was built in 1886.  It was originally located in the Albemarle Sound at the entrance to the Roanoke River.  This lighthouse was a screw pile lighthouse which meant the structure rested on a base of wooden screw piles (the piles were carved with threaded grooves) that were quite literally screwed into the bottom of the sound.  This design was a new innovation at the time as previous lighthouses rested on round or square piles driven into the bottom.  Although the first lighthouse was lost to severe weather within the year, another was built the following year in 1887.  This one was two stories instead of one and had steel screw piles.  It had a fourth-order Fresnel lens and survived until it was decommissioned in 1941.  Eventually the lighthouse was moved to land and then moved again over land to its current location over the water at the town park and docks in Edenton.

Edenton 1887 Lighthouse

The Chowan County Courthouse is the oldest public building in North Carolina.  Originally built in 1718 and rebuilt in 1724, the final building as it stands today was constructed in 1767.  With Edenton as the capital of the North Carolina colony, the courthouse was a very important building.  Many prominent North Carolinians used this courthouse including a signer of the Declaration of Independence, Joseph Hewes and the signer of the U.S. Constitution, Hugh Williamson.  George Washington's Supreme Court Appointee James Iredell also conducted business here.  The courthouse is still used for private and public functions.  Court cases are also conducted here periodically by the North Carolina Supreme Court.

1767 Courthouse

View out over the town green from the second floor of the courthouse

Revolutionary War cannons were delivered by Captain John Boritz who was commissioned by the provincial government of North Carolina to acquire and deliver the cannons in 1778.  He was able to procure 8 cannons in France and despite bad storms and British blockades made it to Edenton.  Lore has it that upon arriving in Edenton, the North Carolina colonial government could not pay for the cannons.  Instead of incurring additional expenses to off-load and store the cannons, Captain Boritz is said to have dumped them into Edenton Bay.  They were recovered in the mid 1800's and are on display along the waterfront today.  The larger cannon seen below is a Civil War cannon.  These were cast from bronze bells taken from the courthouse and local churches in order to build the cannon for the Albemarle Artillery in 1862.  These howitzers were called the Edenton Bell Battery.

View of the waterfront and one of the howitzers of the Edenton Bell Battery

Three generations of the Badham family lived in Edenton and were known for their expertise in carpentry.  Between the early 1800's through about 1930, family members built numerous homes, churches, schools and other buildings in the Edenton area.  The house below was one of the families personal homes which shows the rounded peaked roof and ornate cornice work the family was well known for.  The home has obviously fallen into disrepair but hopefully can be restored in the future.

Hannibal Badham House

Saint Paul's Church is a lovely spot in town.  The parish was established in 1701 and the first church building was built in 1702.   The current church and location was built in 1736.  Many prominent people of the area are buried here.  Perhaps the most notable is the first Colonial Governor of North Carolina, Governor Charles Eden.  The oldest material possessions of the church are its book of vestry minutes begun in 1701 and a silver chalice given to the church in 1725 by Edward Moseley (Surveyor General of the Province of North Carolina).

The Cupola House was built in 1758 by Francis Corbin a prominent citizen of Edenton.  He had a long and somewhat controversial political career and died in 1767.  The house today is restored and open for tours.  There is a colonial garden that has also been restored at the front and back of the home.  It is considered one of the finest examples of Jacobean architecture south of New England.

The Cupola House

I really have only scratched the surface of all the historical information about Edenton that is around town.  Hopefully this will give everyone an overview.  In addition to all its history, there are also several shops and restaurants around town.  A great place for boaters or other visitors.  It is a small town well worth a stop.  Edenton certainly lives up to its name as one of the "Prettiest Little Towns in America".

Hertford, NC

After leaving Hampton, VA, Captain Keith and I cruised the ICW to Coinjock, NC then into the Albemarle Sound in NC to visit a few of the towns along this stretch of water.  Our first stop was Hertford, NC.  This town has a very long history dating back to the 1660's when the land was purchased from the local Native Americans, the Yeopim Indians.  The town was incorporated in 1758.  Therefore, there is a colonial heritage to this area.

Southern Style at the dock in Hertford, NC

Walking in downtown Thursday morning

The town is the home of baseball pitcher Jim "Catfish" Hunter.  Hunter was born and raised in Hertford.  He excelled in both football and baseball, but baseball became his calling.  He was signed to play for the Kansas City Athletics 4 days after graduating from high school in 1964.  During his career he played for the Kansas City/ Oakland A's and NY Yankees.  Hunter was an 8 time All-Star Selection and 5 time World Series Champion.  He is also in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.  In 1979 at the age of 33 Catfish Hunter retired from baseball and returned to Hertford, NC.  He settled back into the life he loved of fishing, hunting and other outdoor activities.  Diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS) in 1998, he passed away at his home in Hertford a year later at the age of 53.

In addition to "Catfish" Hunter, Belivdere, NC, which is just a few miles from Hertford, is the final resting place for the DJ, "Wolfman Jack".  While Wolfman Jack was not originally from Belvidere, he married a girl from there and he and his wife retired to the small town in the 1990's.  Wolfman Jack passed away in Belvidere in 1999.

After visiting the Catfish Hunter Museum in the visitors center and getting a great tour from "Sid" Eley, who is on the town council and grew up with "Jimmy" Catfish Hunter, we went to Woodard's Pharmacy for lunch.  Woodard's Pharmacy still has a small lunch counter and 4 booths inside the store.  It was truly a step back in time.  Keith and I had pimento cheese and turkey sandwiches and Keith got 2 scoops of ice cream for desert.  The ice cream was $1.07 (you just cannot beat that).

Woodard's Pharmacy

The Hertford "S" Swing Bridge is said to be the only remaining one in the country, and it is soon to be no more.  This unique bridge crossing the Perquimans River and connecting the greater Hertford area to downtown was built in 1929.  It is called the "S" bridge because of the significantly curved road approaches to both sides of the bridge. For over ten years the state has been exploring replacing the bridge, however locals love the bridge and wanted to keep it.  Unfortunately as of July of this year, work has begun to construct a new bridge.  We were lucky to be able to experience this historic bridge before it is gone.  It is said that the bridge was the inspiration for Benny Davis' song Carolina Moon.

The "S" swing bridge in Hertford

Getting ready to replace the old swing bridge, this crane and barge were parked just alongside the swing bridge

I took a late afternoon kayak paddle up the Perquimans River.  This is really a beautiful area.  I would say it ranks right up there with some of the best kayaking I have had as far as scenery.  The cypress trees are really cool.

My kayak paddle up the Perquimans River

Our next stop will be Edenton, NC.  I am excited for this stop as there seems to be a good bit of history in this town as well.  Hopefully the weather will cooperate.  It has been quite toasty, and they are calling for possible showers and thunderstorms the next several days.  Maybe it will bring some more fall like temperatures.

Hampton, VA

Bluewater Yachting Center in Hampton, VA has been our home for the last several days.  We arrived on Wednesday afternoon September 11th.  The following morning the yard pulled Southern Style out of the water to check and repair a small leak in the back of the boat by the rudder post.  They had us back in the water Friday morning.  Unfortunately by Saturday morning the leak was again visible.

Southern Style in the slings at Bluewater Yacht Yard

We are staying here in Hampton as our new dinghy is also here in the area getting fitted out.  If all goes as planned, the dinghy should be ready for us by the end of the week.

The new dinghy in the garage to be rigged with new electronics

While here in Hampton, Keith has been able to play some golf and I have done some quilting.  We also had dinner in Norfolk with friends Dr. Mike and Debbie.  They were in Norfolk for the boat show so we got together Saturday evening.  We ate outside at a little place in downtown Norfolk.  The weather was great and their black labs were also able to come along.

Reggie, one of Mike and Debbie's black labs looking exceptionally cute at dinner

On Thursday, September 19th, Keith and I drove the rental car over to Fort Monroe.  The area where the fort is located is only about 5 miles from the marina.  There has been some sort of fortification at this location since the 1600's.  However, the stone fort that stands today was started in the 1830's.  It is the largest stone fort in the United States and was called the Gibraltar of the Chesapeake.  President Lincoln stayed at the fort while planning the attack on Norfolk, and Jefferson Davis (President of the Confederate States) was imprisoned here for 2 years after the Civil War.  In 2011, the fort was declared a National Monument and became a national park.

The mote around the outer walls (outer walls are 10 feet thick)

Centurion Church (below) was built in 1858 and has numerous beautiful stained glass windows, several of which are the original Tiffany windows.  Unfortunately the church was not open when we were there. 

The "Lincoln Cannon", pictured below, is a 15 inch Rodman gun weighing 49,000 lbs.  It could shoot a canon ball weighing 300 lbs up to 4 miles.  Cast in 1860 it was used in the Civil War.  This gun was the very first cast and put into service.  It is serial #1 and served at Fort Monroe protecting the fort from Confederate ships including the CSS Virginia (the Confederate iron clad) that were located just across the way at Sewell Point.  Although the state of Virginia was a confederate state, Fort Monroe was always under Union control throughout the Civil War.

The Lincoln Canon 

Live oaks are numerous along the parade grounds.  This one is estimated to be 400 years old.

Quarters 1 is one of the oldest houses in the fort and was the headquarters of the fort for many years.  It was built in 1819.  Lincoln stayed here during his 1862 visit to plan the attach on Norfolk.

Casemate museum

Cell where Jefferson Davis was confined from May to October 1865.  Because his health was 

deteriorating his physician arraigned for him to be moved into Carrol Hall within the fort. 

Jefferson Davis remained within the confines of the fort until May 1867 when he was released on bail.  He was never brought to trial, but did loose his citizenship.  In 1978 President Jimmy Carter posthumously restored citizenship to Jefferson Davis in what was called the final act of reconciliation of the Civil War.

Our visit to Fort Monroe was a nice way to just get off the boat for a bit.  The National Park Service now runs much of the fort and it is free to walk around the grounds and through the museum.

We are hoping to get our new dinghy in the next day or two.  Our plan is to hang out in Hampton until Monday and then start heading into the Albemarle Sound.  We hope to visit 3 places along the Albemarle Loop over the next week to 10 days and then head to Oriental, NC for the Back Porch Music Festival the beginning of October.

Rock Hall

     Once Hurricane Dorian got out of the way, we started to come down the Chesapeake Bay on Saturday Sept. 7th.  Our good friends Maggie and Rich Selo contacted us and said that they were going to be in Rock Hall, MD for a few days.  It was perfect for us to head there from Chesapeake City, so we did.  It was great to see them again.  The last time we saw each other was when we left Atlantic Yacht Basin back in the middle of June.  The 4 of us got caught up on our summers and had dinner together Saturday and Sunday evening.  Maggie is also a quilter, and it just so happened there was a cute quilt shop in Rock Hall.  Maggie and I decided we needed to support the local economy and put a dent in the quilt shop's inventory.

   Rock Hall is a very cute town.  They have really made an effort to be a destination on the bay.  There are several marinas, shops in town several restaurants and a grocery right in downtown.   The shops and homes in town are well kept and the people are very friendly.  They have also done murals around town.  It really makes the town look nice.

Some of the murals in Rock Hall

They even have done paintings around the storm drains, here is one example.

From Rock Hall we made an overnight at Solomon's Island, MD and then another overnight in Deltaville, VA.  Both travel days on the "Bay" were quite nice.  We saw large ships and light houses.

Here are some of the sites on our trip down the "Bay".

Cargo ships

The Bay Bridge

Point No Point Light (that really is the name).

Cove Point Lighthouse

And then there was this crazy looking contraption that came up behind us.  Some type of military boat.  Really strange looking thing.  I was almost afraid of getting into trouble by taking pictures of the thing.

Our next stop will be Hampton, VA at Bluewater Yachts to have a few things looked at on Southern Style.  They should be on board Thursday September 12th.  We should have a better idea of what they might need to do and how long it will take by Friday.  Cross your fingers for a quick and simple yard visit (they never are so I am not holding my breath).

Making Way Under Way

So originally our plan was to spend the majority of the month of September exploring Long Island Sound.  But, boating is always subject to change.  Over the summer we noticed a small leak in the back of the boat near the swim platform.  We decided we wanted to go to a boat yard in Hampton, VA to have it looked at before going to Ocracoke for a month in the fall.  In order not to cut into our Ocracoke time, we are heading to Hampton so as to be there earlier rather than later in September.
     We left Block Island on Saturday August 31st and cruised to Montauk Yacht Club at the tip of Long Island for Saturday and Sunday of the Labor Day weekend.  There we met up with an old client of Keith's and had drinks and a great visit Sunday.

Sunset in Montauk, NY

Monday (Labor Day) we cruised from Montauk on Long Island to New Rochell, NY.  This is just to the north of NYC.  Keith and I have another good friend  there.  We stayed in his marina and visited with him Monday and had dinner.  It is always nice to visit with friends along the journey.

Leaving New Rochell in the morning

     Our next run took us from New Rochelle on Tuesday September 3rd down the East River past NYC and down the coast of NJ to Cape May.

Sights coming down the East River and out New York Harbor

     We had dinner Tuesday evening with Keith's younger brother in Cape May, NJ.  With the weather still holding steady in front on Hurricane Dorian, we left Cape May Wednesday and cruised up the Delaware Bay and into the C & D Canal (Chesapeake/Delaware).  About midway along the canal is a small marina at The Chesapeake Inn.  It is a great little spot for bad weather and with the hurricane heading north along the coast, we decided it was a good spot to stay until the weather was over.  After getting in around 10:30 AM on Wednesday, we rented a car and drove to NJ to see all of Keith's brother's family.  We even got to see the youngest niece play tennis.

Courtenay in action

The brothers

     We stayed overnight and returned to the boat on Thursday September 5th.  Friday sounds like it will be an all day rain event and then Saturday the weather should start clearing up.  This will give us a rainy day to get laundry done and relax then start down the Chesapeake Bay over the weekend.

Our hurricane hole in Chesapeake City, MD