Chowan County, North Carolina
Historic newspapers, landmarks, and county history layers for genealogists and local historians.
At a glance
SummaryThe National Register of Historic Places includes 27 listed properties in the county, first listed in 1970; 3 are also National Historic Landmarks. Most listings are in or near Edenton, Smalls Crossroads, Somer.
Summary generated automatically from the source data on this page.
Newspapers
Library of CongressNewspaper directory data for North Carolina is not yet loaded on this site. Browse Chowan titles at the Library of Congress.
National Register of Historic Places
NPS NRHP19 of 27 listings mapped; some locations are restricted by NPS to protect sensitive sites.
27 listed properties
| Property | City | Listed |
|---|---|---|
| Albania | Edenton | 1976 |
| Athol | Edenton | 1980 |
| Barker House | Edenton | 1972 |
| Chowan County Courthouse NHL | Edenton | 1970 |
| Cullins-Baker House | Smalls Crossroads | 1982 |
| Cupola House NHL | Edenton | 1970 |
| Edenton Cotton Mill Historic District | Edenton | 1999 |
| Edenton Historic District | Edenton | 1973 |
| Edenton Historic District (Boundary Increase II) | Edenton | 2007 |
| Edenton Historic District (Boundary Increase) | Edenton | 2001 |
| Edenton Peanut Factory | Edenton | 1979 |
| Edenton Station, United States Fish and Fisheries Commission | Edenton | 2002 |
| Frinks, Golden Asro and Ruth Holley, House | Edenton | 2023 |
| Greenfield Plantation | Somer | 1976 |
| Hayes Plantation NHL | Edenton | 1973 |
| Hicks Field | Edenton | 1995 |
| Iredell, James, House | Edenton | 1970 |
| Jones, Cullen and Elizabeth, House | Edenton | 2006 |
| Moore, Susan J. Armistead, House | Edenton | 2005 |
| Mulberry Hill | Edenton | 1976 |
| Pembroke Hall | Edenton | 1976 |
| Sandy Point | Edenton | 1985 |
| Shelton Plantation House | Edenton | 1974 |
| Speight House and Cotton Gin | Edenton | 1980 |
| St. Paul's Episcopal Church and Churchyard | Edenton | 1975 |
| Strawberry Hill | Edenton | 1980 |
| Wessington House | Edenton | 1973 |
Source: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Property links open NRHP nomination files at the National Archives.
County formation
Newberry AHCBChowan was formed in 1671 (1671-12-31) from unknown / original county.
[c. 1671] Shaftesbury Precinct (now CHOWAN) created in ALBEMARLE; southern and western boundary limits were indefinite.
Source: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
Population by decade
CensusChowan County population from 1790 to 2020 (Census historical series).
| 1790 | 1800 | 1820 | 1840 | 1860 | 1880 | 1900 | 1920 | 1940 | 1950 | 1960 | 1980 | 2000 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5,011 | 5,132 | 6,464 | 6,690 | 6,842 | 7,900 | 10,258 | 10,649 | 11,572 | 12,540 | 11,729 | 12,558 | 14,526 | 13,708 |
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau historical county population (Forstall 1790–1990) and public-domain / CC0 county population series through 2020.
Cemeteries & historical places
USGS GNIS5 cemeteries and 0 historical populated places (ghost towns / former settlements) recorded in USGS GNIS for this county.
Cemeteries — 5 of 5 listed
| Name |
|---|
| Beaver Hill Cemetery |
| George Lassiter Family Cemetery |
| Johnston Cemetery |
| Nixon Cemetery |
| Vine Oak Cemetery |
Source: USGS Geographic Names Information System (public domain). Cemeteries from the 2021 NationalFile archive; historical places from GNIS HistoricalFeatures topical extract.
Civil War battlefields nearby
ABPPAmerican Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP) Civil War study areas near this county.
| Battlefield | Study acres | Dist. |
|---|---|---|
| Albemarle Sound | 46,070 | 17.4 km |
| Plymouth | 1,236 | 32.7 km |
Source: NPS American Battlefield Protection Program Civil War Study Areas (public ArcGIS feature service).
Historical markers
HMdb linkMarker text and photos from the Historical Marker Database (HMdb) are not embedded here. HMdb allows non-commercial reuse with attribution, but commercial/compensated use needs written permission; this is a commercial site, so we only link out.
Search HMdb for Chowan County, North Carolina
Terms: hmdb.org/copyright.asp. Linking is encouraged by HMdb.