Elizabeth City, Edenton, and Manteo, NC

I love old houses!  For one thing, there is a certain charm in an old house that can’t be found in modern architecture.  The intricate woodwork, the turrets and spires, the windows and their dressings, and the beautiful colors that accentuate their features all lend to the wonder of an old house.  There is also a mystery about an old house.  As you look at it, a snap shot of a days gone by, you can get lost in imagination, forming the story of those who have passed their lives within its walls.  When I was a little girl, my family moved in to a house that was around 100 years old (that seemed like the beginning of time to a 6 year old).  The house was not an elaborate mansion once belonging to some pompous aristocrat, but it was amazing to me.  I think that is when my admiration began, and I think it sprouted from my imagination’s wanderings.  Over a side door, a lattice arch over stood with morning glory vines running along it, and I could just see young lovers whispering sweet nothings on a bright day. There was a room in the basement, just beyond the boiler room (I don’t think we had a boiler, but my dad often referred to the room as the boiler room, or I may have imagined that too) that lay behind a small wooden door.  In hind site, I’m sure that used to be a storage room for coal or some fuel source, but to my young mind it had been a dungeon of sorts where the master of the house sent those who were being punished.  I imagined that the scratches on the door were made by the wrong-doer as they begged to be let out.  Huge French doors separated the dinning room from the main living room.  I would sit on the couch as the keenly dressed ladies and gentlemen enjoyed a five course dinner party and the butler scurried around.  But, my favorite room of all was the large closet on the top floor, complete with dumb waiter.  My best friend and I would lay a blanket out in the floor and spend hours creating stories of the secrets of times past. See, now, why I love old houses?

Because I love old houses, I have had a great time with Bilbo the past few days as we have driven through cities that have been a part of North Carolina since the Revolutionary War.  All of the wandering we have to report in this post happened on a whim, mostly because we had no plan when we left Ocracoke.  We just drove up to our new campground, grabbed some brochures for the area, then hit the road.  Our first stop was Elizabeth City, which is home to the Museum of the Albemarle.  Albemarle is an area in northeastern NC that was named after Lord Proprietor, George Monck, the Duke of Albemarle. 

 

The museum had two main galleries.  The first floor gallery, which may be seasonal, featured pottery by local artists amid a display of pottery artifacts and the history of pottery in the region.  There was a nice educational feel to the exhibit as well.  Posters were hung to tell you how and why pottery was made in the past and how pottery is made today.

On the second floor was an exhibit taking you through the history of the Albemarle region, from before the English landed to today’s booming tourism market.  The region was important in both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, it was home of the Wright brothers, and houses the tortured seas of Blackbeard the Pirate (whose cannon is part of the exhibit).  Admission was free, which was a big plus for us, but the museum is in to way second rate.  This small town did a great job of preserving and presenting it’s treasures!

Here is Blackbeard’s cannon…

Shoe buckles worn to the first reception of President Washington…

 

Aren’t these ladies ugly?!  They were the Edenton Tea Party, the first recorded group of women activities.

 

The next morning, we drove to Historic Edenton, NC.  This town is very proud of it’s heritage, and the preservation of the historic homes and sites within its borders.  Bilbo and I didn’t really know what to expect when we drove up to the visitor center, a very pretty pink Victorian style house, but were greeted by friendly and helpful townsfolk.  We paid $1 for a walking tour map, watched a film on the city’s history, then set to walking.  We saw…

The Chowan County Courthouse, built in 1767 and said to be the finest example of Georgian architecture in the south.   In the time of the Revolutionary War, Judges James Iredell and Samuel Johnston heard cases here.

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, the second oldest church in NC, built in 1736. Three of NC’s colonial era governors are buried here.

The site of the Battle of Albemarle Sound.

And lots of pretty old houses!

 

From there we drove to Manteo, on Roanoke Island.  This is one of our favorite stops when in NC.  It is a pretty little town on the water with an old-timey beach feel.  The first stop in Manteo is always the Manteo Bookseller, where there is a fun selection of books and pottery.  Last year, we bought two vases from a local artist who features his work in the book store.  The potter happened to be there, so the shop owner introduced us and took our picture with him.  The potter gave us his card and told us that he would make personal pieces if we ever called. We haven’t had occasion to call him yet, but we like to refer to him as our personal potter.

Another of our frequented spots in Manteo is Adrianna’s Waterfront Dining.  It is a small, classy restaurant that overlooks the water from pretty much every table.  The service there is great and the food is even better.  This time, we were informed that some circumstance had caused the restaurant to be listed as a private club, we couldn’t tell exactly what the circumstance was because the hostess had a very distinct French accent.  She informed us that all diners are now required to join the club.  Of course, the thought of, “Oh no!  We can’t afford that.  I guess we can’t eat here anymore, “ crossed our minds.  The hostess, however, said that it is only a small fee of one penny for a lifetime membership. So, we now own membership #700!

It is good to go to Adrianna’s at lunch because the prices are a bit lower and the crowd is thinner, but the quality is still on par.  Bill go the soft shell crab sandwich with asparagus.

I got the grilled fish taco, made with the fish of the day.  Both were excellent!

After lunch we hung around Manteo, stopped in a few antique shops, and relaxed before driving up to see the Currituck Lighthouse.

The Currituck Lighthouse is one of the same series that the Ocracoke Lighthouse belongs to.  It is located in Corolla, NC.  We drove through quite a few small towns along the way including Duck, the come of the famous Duck Doughnuts.  The lighthouse was made all of brick, which was pretty neat.  We didn’t climb it because, in our opinion, once you’ve climbed one you’ve climbed them all.  But we did take some time to walk around the grounds, take pictures, and look at the lighthouse keeper’s house.  From there we hit the beaches of Corolla for a few hours before heading back to the campground.

Now, I cannot neglect to tell you about this campground!   It was the North River Campground in Shawboro, NC.  The setting was in a small farming town abounding in corn and wheat.  The list of campers’ amenities boasted hot showers and free wireless internet.  As we drove down the gravel path from the office to our campsite we could hear the frequent “thud” of humungous dragonflies and mosquitoes as they kamikazed against our car.  I’m telling you, the bugs were so thick that we stayed in our car until time to go to sleep, drove to the bathroom, and avoided the outdoors at all costs!  The grounds at the site were great for RV’s, but the tent sites were not developed and seemed like an offhand idea of what to do with the extra space.  So, even though it was nice to have a hot shower (the showers at Ocracoke were cold), I don’t think we will stay there again. 

Well, that’s all about our travels for now.  The next edition will include our anniversary day at Virginia Beach. On another note, the Ramblin’ Bauers will be having occasional sporadic giveaways to add in some more fun and as a way to thank our followers.  And yes, you must be a follower to get something and it’s totally optional since you would have to provide your address for us to mail you. 

Prize number one will be given to the first follower who posts a comment…let the race begin…