Saint Paul's Episcopal Church of Edenton
The present church, large enough for a capital, was begun in 1736 but not completed for nearly forty years, long after the capital had moved away.
It has twice undergone extensive repairs: in 1806-1809, when William Nichols installed a wooden floor and the present woodwork (Except in the chancel) and added the steeple; and in 1949-1950, after the galleries, roof, and steeple were destroyed by fire. Because the building had been stripped to its bare brick walls with all of the furnishings, even the floors, being removed for renovations prior to the fire, the Nichols pews and woodwork stand today as he left them. The chancel woodwork, designed by Frank Wills of New York, and the chancel window, date from the 1850s.
The oldest material possessions of St Paul’s are its book of vestry minutes begun in 1701, and a silver chalice and paten given to the church by Edward Moseley in 1725.
Many of the Revolutionary leaders in this area were members of St Paul’s: Joseph Hewes, soon to be a signee of the Declaration of Independence; Thomas Jones, reputed writer of the constitution of the new state of North Carolina; James Iredell, later a justice of the first Supreme Court of the United States; and Samuel Johnston, first governor of the new state and later its Senator. Even the rector, Daniel Earl, was chairman of the county committee to supply better equipment for our troops. The whole vestry on June 19, 1776, signed the Test, the new oath of allegiance of the colony to the king and constitutional government, which at the same time protested against unfair taxes, unjust meddling in colonial government, and other infractions of the rights of free people.
Over three centuries have elapsed since the organizing of St Paul’s Church. While remaining a link with colonial days and welcoming all visitors, it continues to serve as a house of worship for an active and growing congregation. Today, the members of St Paul’s continue to build on the firm foundation laid in its formative years.
