GOOD LIFESUNDAY, AUGUST 31, 2014

BruceHornsby spentmuch ofthe past three years challenginghimself on stage.Nowhehas usedthose shows to put together a newtwo-disc set that he acknowledgeswill challenge his listeners.

“SoloConcerts,” released lastweek on theVanguard label, con-tains 20 songs recorded between2011and early this year. Each per-formance featuresHornsby andhispiano,with no backingmusicians.The styles range fromblues andboogie-woogie to the highly esoter-ic12-tone classical formdevelopedbyAustrian composerArnoldSchoenberg in the1920s.

“That’s the goal here – to exposepeople to somemore adventurousmusical areas,”Hornsby said byphone fromhisWilliamsburg

home. “I’ve tried to find away toperform it in a context that couldbe accessible. It’s a very difficultchallenge to take this dissonant,chromatic –most peoplewouldjust say strange –music that I loveand find a place for it in the contextof popular songs.”

These recordings are the latestreminder thatHornsby has long-since left behind the “pop star”stage of his career,whenhe had astring of pophits from1986-90.Hestill plays a handful of those hitseach night, but he admits that ismore a nod to themore casual fanswho just assume theywill be hear-ing “TheWay it Is” and “TheEndof the Innocence.”Whenhe playsthem today, especially in the soloformat, it is in newarrangementsthat re-invent the familiar tunes.

BruceHornsby’s

new al-bum, "SoloConcerts,"

is a two-CD set

recordedon stageover the

past threeyears.

PHOTOCOURTESY

OF RED LIGHTMANAGE-

MENT

THAT’S JUST THEWAY IT IS NOWBruce Hornsby breaks new ground on ‘Solo’ByMike Holtzclawmholtzclaw@dailypress.com

See HORNSBY/Page 2

EDENTON,N.C.— “One of

America’s prettiest towns” is the

designationEdenton,N.C.,

earned fromForbes.com.

From shops selling funky and

eclectic art and a scenicwaterfront that includes a

restored1886 light-

house to historic

homes and delicious

food, Edentonmore

than exceeds that prettiest town designation.

With a population of just under 5,000 people,

this little town onNorthCarolina’s Inner Banks is

the perfect summertime—or anytime—day trip.

Many people are familiar with the coastal Outer

Banks, but the locations inside theAlbermarle

Sound should not be ignored.

As the county seat for ChowanCounty, Edenton

offers visitors Southern hospitality steeped in his-

tory dating to theRevolutionaryWar and charm

that is welcomingly infectious.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CHOWAN COUNTY TOURISM DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

A sailboat nears the cypress trees in Edenton, N.C. Edenton has been called “one of America’s prettiest towns” by Forbes.com

HISTORIC CHARM

FELICIA L. MASON/DAILY PRESS PHOTOS

Sally FrancisKehayes of theEdenton His-torical Commis-sion sets up adisplay in theBarker Houseexhibit roomabout the 1886Roanoke RiverLighthouse.The lighthouse,shown above,has beenrestored, andit opened tothe public onAug. 15.

On North Carolina’s Inner Banks, Edenton earns its ‘prettiest town’ designationBy Felicia L. Mason | felicia.mason@dailypress.com

See EDENTON/Page 10

Summer

Day Trips

INSIDEARTSVisit Hampton’sCharles H. TaylorArts Center tocheck out the2014 edition of“Virginia ArtistsJuried Exhibition,”which runsthrough Sept. 7and includes 119works. Page 3

HOME &GARDENThe Virginia Zooisn’t just aboutanimals: It has10 themedgardens thatmake up thezoo’s 53-acreexperience. BrianFrancis, the zoo’snew curator ofhorticulture,hopes toenhance thegardens evenmore. Page 8

10 Sunday, August 31, 2014 DAILY PRESS

Getting thereMyday trip beganwith a1¾-

hour drive from thePeninsulaheaded south via the JamesRiverBridge toRoutes 58 and 32. Coun-try and one-lane roads throughSuffolkmarked the journey. Thecomeback,which I expected to befaster via Route17 and Interstate664 and theMonitor-MerrimacMemorial Bridge-Tunnel, actu-ally took a longer 2¼hours be-cause of construction delays and abridge opening inChesapeake.

There are no tolls and an audiobook accompaniedmeon thedrive.

First impressionsMy first stopwas at theHis-

toric Edenton StateHistoric SiteonNorthBroad Street. And yes,thewordhistoric is in theretwice. It’s a hint about just howdeep the town’s roots run inAmerican history andhowa townwith a population of 4,993 peoplehas capitalized on that rich his-tory.

The visitor center is also agreat place to begin a day trip toEdenton. In addition to displaysabout the town and county and afriendly staff on hand to answerquestions, there’s a free15-minutevideo that provides an overviewof Edenton. From its originswiththeAlgonquin Indian tribe and itsfounding in1722—named forCharles Eden, one of the firstgovernors ofNorthCarolina— towhat the townmeans to localresidents today, the video packs alot of information into a shortamount of time.

Its industries included fisher-ies and cotton and tobacco plan-tations.

TheVirginia Peninsulawasrecognized in that video. Appar-ently town residents thoughtLordCharlesCornwalliswasheaded toEdenton andpreparedto defend themselves during theRevolutionaryWar. Cornwallis,aswe know, headed towardYorktown, thus sparing the townthat remained a busy seaportuntil theDismal Swamp canaleventually diverted business toNorfolk andElizabethCity.

I had to chuckle atmyselfwhen I pulled into a parkingspace further downonBroadStreet. I looked up to discover Iwas right in front of the office oftheChowanHerald. Leave it tothe newspaper lady to uncon-sciously hone in on that spot. Ofcourse, I purchased a copy, but Iresisted the nearly overwhelmingurge to go inside. I did, after all,come to see the town, not to talkshopwith the local journalists.

My independentwalkwas ofthemeandering sort, in and out ofshops like theEdentonBayTrad-ingCo., an eclectic place featuringwines, art, a beer tasting room,and roomsdedicated to the col-orful delights of children.

In theEdentonOffice Supply—yes, Iwent into an office supplystore, but Iwas lured there not bythe need to buy sticky notes on aday trip, but by the art in the frontwindows.

InTheGarden of Readin’, aused book shop and tearoom, Ihad the iced tea of the day, Afri-canPeach (“SouthAfrican honey-bush and real peach, naturallycaffeine-free”),whichwas servedwith aBiscoff cookie. And Icouldn’t resist purchasing a boxof EdentonHarbourTea, theshop’s house tea blended exclu-sively for theEdentonWomen’sClub, to sharewithmy tea-lovingco-workers. It’s a fusion of EarlGrey and jasmine. And if thiswere a scratch and sniff article,you’d knowwhy a special tripback toEdenton formore of thistea is in order.

Amake it yourself gallery, SideStreet Studio,was across thestreet from the book/tea shop butwas closed by the time I got there.It offers classeswith projects thatcan be completed in a day.

A themebegan to emerge: art isimportant here. Fromoriginalworks to prints, art is found andfor sale inmany of the businesses,restaurants and, of course, at theChowanArts Council Gallerywhere local and regional artists’work is on display and for pur-chase. (ThinkHampton’s BlueSkiesGallery, butmuch larger.)

Itwas there I overheard acouple bemoaning the fact thatthey should have booked anothernight so they could stay anotherday inEdenton. Iwas beginningto get the same feeling.

But I needed to pick up thepace a bit so Iwouldn’tmiss thelast trolley tour.

Around the townOne of the bestways to get to

knowaplace is to take a tour. So Idid just that via theEdentontrolley. For $10, you get a 50-minute ride in an air-conditionedtrolley. Our guide for the ridewas

SharonKeeterwho sits at thefrontwith amicrophone tellingthe stories of Edenton andpoint-ing out one interesting factoidafter another about the town’speople, history, buildings andcurrentmerchants like the PolkaDot Palm, awomen’s shop ofaccessories, coastal decor and art.

“All ladies love the PolkaDotPalm,”Keeter said before launch-ing back into historical informa-tion.

For example, in1774, 51womenrefused to purchase high-pricedgoods, Keeter said. That rebellionbecame theEdentonTeaParty,“one of the earliest instances ofpolitical activity bywomen in thecolonies,” she said.

That tea referencewould holdstrong for 240 years. Teapotsgrace theEdenton town logo.And inOctober, the town cele-brates that rebellionwith eventsthroughout themonth includingtablescapes to view at theBarkerHouse, a TeaTrot featuring tast-ings at different restaurants andbusinesses, andTeapots onPa-rade, a collection on display at thearts council gallerywhich thelocal paper said “is drawing astrong response” from residentswho are loaning antique andother teapots and tea sets for theexhibitionwhichwill include thestories about the antique teapots.

Itwas hard tomiss the blueribbons tied to street posts, onhouses and businesses through-out the town. Inquiringmindswondered and found out thewhy.

The day beforemy visit, KatyEbersole, a co-owner of theWaterman’sGrill restaurant, hadreturnedhome toEdenton fol-lowing brain surgery. In additionto a big “So glad you’re home”sign onWater Street, the towns-peoplewelcomedher back afterthe successful surgerywith theblue ribbons all over. Keeteroffered the trolley riders severaloptions forwhere to get lunch,dinner or a quick bite, but aftershe toldme this, I knewwhere I’dbe having ameal later in the day.

And that’swhere I found yetanotherHamptonRoads connec-tion. Ebersolemoved toEdentonfromVirginia Beachwhere she’dworked at the Surf RiderRestau-rant on17th Street.Waterman’sGrill with its nautical décor andmultiple dining levels, opened in1996, in a century-old buildingthat had been at various times

through the years a shoe repairshop, a fishmarket and otherrestaurants.

Mymeal, cashewcrusted friedtilapia toppedwith beurre blancsauce,was awonderful choice.The tilapiawas succulent and thesides I chose, spinach and greenbeans,werewell seasoned. Themeal camewith hush puppiesthat Iwanted to ordermore of.

Historic charmEdenton’s historic area is ideal

forwalking, and therewere twodifferent guidedwalking toursavailable the day I visited. A1½-hour tour for $6 and anhour-longtour for $4. ThePatriots Tour(start times10 a.m. and 2 p.m.)includes the James IredellHouse,homeof an associate justice onthe firstU.S. SupremeCourt andattorney general during theAmericanRevolution; St. Paul’sChurch; and the1867ChowanCountyCourthouse,which isconsidered themost intact colo-nial courthouse in the South. TheNational LandmarksTour beginsat11a.m. and 3 p.m. and includestheCupolaHouse and theCourt-house.

African-American history isalso on display and incorporatedinto the tours, including the life ofHarriet Jacobs, an escaped slavewho became an abolitionist andlater awriter publishing hermemoir “Incidents in theLife of aSlaveGirl” in1861. Available uponrequest at the visitor center is aseparatewalking tour that furtherexplores her life inEdenton. Andfeatured on the trolley tour arethemanyhouses and propertiesbuilt byHannibal BadhamSr. andhis family.

During the trolley tour, KeetersaidWessingtonHousewas builtin1850 for $10,000, and sold a fewyears ago for $1.6million to abuyer fromCharlottesville.

Renovations have been under-way since the purchase and onDec.12-13,Wessingtonwill befeatured during theEdentonChristmasCandlelight Tour, Ifound out later from the directorof the town’s historical commis-sion.

Across the street fromWes-sington is PembrokeHall, a na-tional historic landmark, circa1850,whichwas saved from fore-

closure by a group of Edentonresidentswhopooled theirmon-ey to rescue the property. Afterbeing renovated, it’s nowon themarket, but is being used as anevents venue.

The town’s historic homes“show200 years of prosperityand change,” I heard in the intro-ductory video.Water Streethomes offer a glimpse at the stillexisting prosperity.

In addition to historicmarkersall around the town, signs denot-ing the name and constructiondate of the historic properties arehard tomiss as youwalk, drive orride the trolley aroundEdenton.The first one I notedwas at theVisitorCenterwhich is housed intheLouis F. Ziegler house, circa1892.

I asked about those signswhileat theBarkerHouse. GreggNa-than, executive director of theEdentonHistorical Commission,explained that property ownerspurchase them from the samemaker, thus the uniformitythroughout the town.

“Edenton still has small towncharm, the friendliest people,”Nathan said. “As a city boy, peo-ple don’t understandwhy I’mhere.Historic homes, a vibrantdowntown, the people,” those arethe reasons hemoved toEdentonandhas stayed.

1886 lighthouseMyday trip toEdenton on

Thursday, Aug.14,was the daybefore the grand reopening of the1886Historic RoanokeRiverLighthouse. But Iwas luckyenough to be visiting the nearbyPenelopeBarkerHousewhileSally FrancisKehayes of theEdentonHistorical Commissionwas putting the finishing toucheson an exhibit about the light-house.

“The historical committeemade it possible to buy the light-house and give it to the state,”Kehayes toldme. The state ofNorthCarolina provided therestoration funding, she said, andit took two years to complete theproject.

Lighthouseswere an impor-tant part ofmaritimehistory andthe one inEdentonhas a specialdistinction. It’s believed to be thelast remaining original squarescrew-pile lighthouse.

Kehayes explained that themethodmeans the lighthousestands on piles thatwere screwedinto the river bottom rather thansecured in rock. The exhibitwillbe up throughOct. 1, she said.

And she echoedNathan’s rea-sons for living inEdenton. “Myhusband grewuphere,” she said.“Wewere living inMontana andwanted to return towarmweather andwarmwater.”

Making the decision to returntoEdentonwas easy, she said.“My friends thought Iwas nutscoming to a small town, but I loveit.”

Last thoughtsEdenton offers plenty to see

and do in a day. I returned to thePeninsula about 9:30 p.m.withthoughts of how soon I could getback there.

The venues thatweren’t openonmyweekday visit, like theCottonMillMuseumand thelighthouse, aswell as sites I’d liketo explore evenmore and theharbor cruise I couldn’t fit intomyday beckon a return trip.

Not only did I discover justwhyEdenton is one of America’sprettiest towns, I found outwhyits residents love the charmofthis historicwaterfront commu-nity.

Sense of history infuses townEDENTONContinued from 1

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CHOWAN COUNTY TOURISM DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church, circa 1736-1760, in Edenton, N.C., is thesecond oldest surviving church building in North Carolina. Three coloni-al governors are buried in the historic churchyard cemetery.

Things to see anddoPenelope Barker House. Built in 1782. Barker was the thricemarried leader of the Edenton Tea Party. Views from the secondfloor porch are spectacular. On display in the house is acentennial quilt by the North Carolina Society of the Daughtersof the American Revolution. There is a changing exhibit roomand a gift shop. Edenton Trolley Tour tickets are purchased here.505 S. Broad St. 252-482-7800. ehcnc.org.The 1886 Roanoke River Lighthouse. South Broad Street atWater Street. 252-482-2637. edentonlighthouse.org.St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. The second oldest survivingchurch in North Carolina still has an active parish. Three colonialgovernors are buried in the church’s cemetery. 101 West Gale St.252-482-2637.Edenton Cotton Mill Historic District. This district in Edentonhouses the former cotton mill which has been converted intocondos, a museum (only open on weekends from 10 a.m.-2p.m.), and a neighborhood of single-family homes originally builtfor mill bosses, and duplex bungalows that were designed forsingle male mill workers. The village reminded me a lot ofHampton’s historic Aberdeen Gardens. 420 Elliott St.252-482-7455. millvillagemuseum.org.Cupola House. Built in 1758. Its gardens were remade from a1769 map of Edenton. 408 S. Broad St. 252-482-2637. Hours:Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.Edenton Bay Cruises/Liber-TEA Harbour Cruise. A narratedand scenic tour, weather permitting. Cruises are Thursdaythrough Monday at 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.Tickets: $15, adults; children 13 and under, $10. Senior andmilitary rates. Get $3 off your harbour cruise by showing yourEdenton trolley receipt. Board on South Broad Street at ColonialPark. 860-367-5786.Edenton Farmer’s Market. Open every Saturday, 8 a.m.-noonfrom May through November. Corner of Virginia Road andGranville at the Agricultural Extension Center. 252-482-0826.The Garden of Readin’. Unfortunately, since my visit, the ownerposted that due to illness, he’ll be closing the shop Oct. 15 unlessa buyer is found. The Garden of Readin’, 103 E. King St.,252-482-7323. Hours: Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.;Sunday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. facebook.com/edenton.usedbooksEdenton Tree Walk. Edenton has been named a Tree City USAevery year since 1978. See the town as well as its lovely trees in aone-hour self-guided walking tour that begins at the HistoricEdenton State Historic Site. Pick up a brochure there.Rocky Hock Playhouse. A Christian musical dinner theater.252-482-4621. Performances and times vary. Tickets: $29.95,adults. Discounts for seniors, children and groups.rockyhockplayhouse.com.

Where to eatEdenton offers several coffeehouses and fast food restaurants.If you’d like your day trip to include a picnic in one of the townparks, you can pick up eats at one of the local shops or at FoodLion.For meals that provide the flavor and spirit of the town, try:Waterman’s Grill, Seafood, steaks, pasta, and sandwichesserved on two levels. Bar included. 427 S. Broad St.252-482-7733. watermansgrill.com.Bayside Marina & Grill. Serves breakfast and lunch. 802 W.Queen St. 252-482-5343.visitedenton.com/bayside-marina-and-grill.Nothin Fancy Cafe and Market. Home cooking and Southernmeals. 701 N. Broad St. 252-482-1909.309 Bistro & Spirits, Classic American cuisine. 309 S. Broad St.252-482-0997. Find them and daily specials on Facebook.Kristy’s Place. Italian cuisine. 321 S. Broad St. 252-482-7655.

Want to go?For more information about Edenton, N.C., go tovisitedenton.com, edenton.net and townofedenton.com.

MoreonlineSee a photo gallery of images from Edenton atdailypress.com/features.

About the seriesSummer Day Trips takes a look at five places to make a quickgetaway for the day before the season ends. All within drivingdistance of the Peninsula, join us each Sunday in August forSummer Day Trips.TODAY: Edenton, N.C.Go to dailypress.com/features for photos and to read aboutour day trips to The Northern Neck, Carytown/Richmond, TheEastern Shore and Petersburg.

FELICIA L. MASON/DAILY PRESS PHOTO

Street view in Edenton, N.C., showing the Waterman’s Grill restaurant.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THECHOWAN COUNTY TOURISMDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

1767 Chowan County Courthouse.

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GOOD LIFE