Dr. Hugh Williamson, Constitution Signer
Edenton, Chowan County, North Carolina
Marker Inscription
Dr. Hugh Williamson. Signer of the Federal Constitution, member of Congress, historian. Home was 4 blocks S.E.
Erected by North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
The Story
Dr. Hugh Williamson wore many hats — physician, scientist, Revolutionary patriot, and scholar — but he is best remembered as one of North Carolina's signers of the U.S. Constitution in 1787. He also served in Congress and wrote an early history of the state. His Edenton home once stood four blocks to the southeast.
Why it matters
As a signer of the Constitution, Williamson helped frame the enduring blueprint of American government.
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Related people
- · Hugh Williamson
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Barker House
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The Barker House was home to Thomas Barker, North Carolina's colonial agent to England, and his wife Penelope, remembered as the reputed leader of the Edenton 'Tea Party' of 1774. That October, some fifty women signed a public resolution to boycott British tea and cloth, one of the earliest recorded political actions by American women. The house stands three blocks south, overlooking Edenton Bay.
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In October 1774 some fifty women of Edenton, led by Penelope Barker, signed a public pledge to boycott British tea and cloth in support of the colonial cause. Their coordinated stand — one of the earliest known political actions by American women — drew mockery in the British press but real admiration at home. It announced that women, too, would take sides in the coming Revolution.
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