Edenton Tea Party
Edenton, Chowan County, North Carolina
Marker Inscription
Edenton Tea Party. Women in this town led by Penelope Barker in 1774 resolved to boycott British imports. Early and influential activism by women.
Erected by North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
The Story
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.
Why it matters
The Edenton Tea Party is remembered as one of the first organized political demonstrations by women in American history.
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Related people
- · Penelope Barker
Related events
- · Edenton Tea Party, 1774
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Barker House
Edenton, NC
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.
Dr. Hugh Williamson, Constitution Signer
Edenton, NC
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.
Chowan County Courthouse
Edenton, NC
Built about 1767, the Chowan County Courthouse is the oldest courthouse still in use in North Carolina and one of the finest Georgian public buildings in the South. During the Revolution it served as a gathering place for local Whigs who backed the Patriot cause. For more than two and a half centuries it has remained a working seat of county government.
Joseph Hewes, Declaration Signer
Edenton, NC
Joseph Hewes built his fortune as an Edenton merchant and shipowner before politics carried him to the Continental Congress, where in 1776 he became one of North Carolina's signers of the Declaration of Independence. Overseeing naval matters, he is often remembered for helping lay the groundwork of an American navy. His store once stood a few blocks south of here.