Edenton, oh Edenton, I still hear your sea winds blowin'....

We're off to Edenton tommorow to do a little song and dance. Little did I know when I submitted a proposal to them two years ago that we would be doing a Civil War Navy Living History event on the lawn of the 1767 Chowan County Courthouse. I assumed that we would be expanding our age of sail events which fits into the standard interpretations of the quaint Colonial-era town. However, the powers-that-be wanted us to portray Civil War Navy. We'll split the crew with half portraying Confederate sailors and the other half Union sailors. Actually, it makes sense as Edenton played host to both Confederate and Union sailors throughout the war. Before Eastern NC fell to the Union forces, the Confederate (and NC) Navy spent time there purchasing steamers for its fledgling fleet. Both the CSS Curlew and CSS Seabird were purchased from people in Edenton. Also, the town raised an artillery unit, the Edenton Bell Battery, so named because brass bells from the town and the town of Columbia on the south shore of the Albemarle Sound donated bells that were melted in cast into four cannons. Edenton has located two of the four and they are currently on display outside the Barker House along the waterfront. Ya'll come and see us!