When you check into a hotel, your room is usually just a number. Room 212. Suite 405. A place to sleep that’s identical to dozens of others down the hall. But when you stay at our North Carolina bed and breakfast in historic Edenton, your suite carries a name, and with it, a story that connects you to the rich tapestry of NC history.
Almost every one of our 21 unique accommodations honors a person or place that shaped North Carolina’s past. From colonial governors and Revolutionary War signers to Native American tribes and local waterways, each name was chosen to celebrate the history that makes Edenton one of the state’s most significant towns. Walking through our five historic buildings becomes a journey through North Carolina history itself, where every door you open reveals another chapter in the story of how this region, and this nation, came to be.
Let’s explore the names behind the rooms and discover the North Carolina history woven into every stay at our NC bed and breakfast.
The Lord Proprietors’ House: Colonial Leadership and Literary Legacy
The Lord Proprietors’ House takes its name from the eight Englishmen granted ownership of Carolina by King Charles II in 1663. These men shaped the colony’s early development, and several of our suites honor the leaders and visionaries who followed in their footsteps.
Hugh Williamson Suite
Hugh Williamson was a true Renaissance man of early America. Born in Pennsylvania in 1735, this physician, scientist, and statesman represented North Carolina at the Constitutional Convention in 1787, where he signed the United States Constitution. Williamson served in the Continental Congress and later in the U.S. House of Representatives. His contributions to medicine, astronomy, and politics made him one of the most accomplished North Carolinians of his era.
Joseph Hewes Suite
Joseph Hewes brought his merchant skills from New Jersey to Edenton, where he became one of the town’s most prominent citizens. As a delegate to the Continental Congress, Hewes signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776, forever linking Edenton to the birth of American independence. He played a crucial role in establishing the Continental Navy and worked tirelessly for the Revolutionary cause until his death in 1779.
Charles Eden Suite
Governor Charles Eden gave Edenton its name. Elected by the Crown, he served as governor of North Carolina from 1714 to 1722 during a pivotal period in the colony’s development. Though his legacy is complicated by allegations of friendship with the pirate Blackbeard, Eden’s tenure saw significant growth in northeastern North Carolina, and the town that bears his name became the colony’s capital.
Inglis Fletcher Suite
Inglis Fletcher brought North Carolina history to life through her novels. This 20th-century author wrote the celebrated Carolina Series, historical novels set in colonial North Carolina that introduced generations of readers to the region’s rich past. Her meticulous research and vivid storytelling made her one of North Carolina’s most beloved historical fiction writers.
Daniel Earle Suite
Daniel Earl was an Anglican clergyman, school teacher, and missionary who served St. Paul’s Parish in Edenton from 1759 to 1778. Born in Ireland, Earl arrived in the Albemarle region in 1757 and became rector of St. Paul’s upon the death of the aging minister Clement Hall. He built a plantation called Bandon, fifteen miles above Edenton on the Chowan River, where he became known for teaching local residents improved farming methods, particularly weaving and preparing flax. Though he refused to sever his connection with the Church of England, Earl actively supported the Revolution, presiding at a revolutionary meeting in Edenton in 1774.
Penelope Barker Suite
Penelope Barker organized one of the first political actions by women in colonial America. In 1774, she led the Edenton Tea Party, where 51 women signed a resolution supporting the revolutionary cause by boycotting British tea and cloth. This bold act of defiance occurred months before the more famous Boston Tea Party and demonstrated that the spirit of independence burned bright in Edenton. The iconic Barker House, where she lived, serves as Edenton’s welcome center for visitors.
Harriet Jacobs Suite
Harriet Jacobs was born into slavery in Edenton in 1813. Her powerful autobiography, “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl,” published in 1861, remains one of the most important firsthand accounts of slavery’s brutality and the strength required to escape it. After hiding for seven years in a cramped attic space in Edenton, Jacobs eventually escaped to freedom and became an abolitionist and author whose words continue to educate and inspire.
Samuel T. Sawyer Suite
Samuel T. Sawyer was a prominent Edenton attorney and politician who served in the U.S. House of Representatives. His connection to Edenton’s history runs deep, representing the legal and political leadership that shaped the region during the antebellum period.
The Pack House: North Carolina’s Native Heritage and Natural Landmarks
A former tobacco barn moved to the property from Strawberry Hill Plantation, the Pack House celebrates the original inhabitants of this region and the geographic features that defined their world and ours. Each room name connects guests to the land and waters that shaped life in northeastern North Carolina for thousands of years.
Arrowhead Room
The Arrowhead Room honors the Native American peoples who lived in this region for millennia before European settlement. Archaeological finds throughout the area reveal arrowheads and tools crafted by indigenous peoples, reminders that this land sustained communities long before Edenton’s founding.
Chowan Room
The Chowan River and Chowan County take their name from the Chowanoke Indians, an Algonquian-speaking people who inhabited the region. The river remains one of the area’s defining features, its waters connecting Edenton to the wider world just as they did for the native peoples who first called these shores home.
Sandy Point Suite
Sandy Point carries a dual legacy in Chowan County history. The Sandy Point Plantation, built in 1810 by James Sutton as a sidehall plan house, was later enlarged in the 1830s by Thomas Benbury, Jr., who transformed it into a stunning Greek Revival center hall home. The house faces directly onto the Albemarle Sound with an expansive front lawn rolling down to the water’s edge.
Sandy Point also refers to the beloved Sandy Point Beach, once a popular destination for locals and visitors. The beach featured an iconic concession building that has since been moved, but the memory of summer days spent along these shores lives on in the hearts of those who remember when Sandy Point meant sunshine, swimming, and simple pleasures by the sound.
Yeopim Suite
The Yeopim Indians, also known as Weapemeoc, were an Algonquian-speaking tribe that inhabited the lands around present-day Edenton, particularly near the North River. In 1660, their King Kiscutanewh granted land to Nathaniel Batts, creating the first land deed in North Carolina history. By 1704, the colonial government established a reservation for the Yeopim, though within decades the tribe had largely dispersed. Their name lives on in local geography and in this suite, honoring the original stewards of this land.
Albemarle Suite
The Albemarle Sound dominates the geography of northeastern North Carolina. Named after George Monck, Duke of Albemarle (one of the original Lords Proprietors), this vast body of water has been central to the region’s history as a transportation route, fishing ground, and natural wonder. Edenton’s location at the head of the sound made it a natural site for settlement and commerce.
Queen Anne Suite
Queen Anne’s Creek meets Edenton Bay right at the town’s waterfront. The creek, named during the colonial period when Queen Anne ruled England (1702-1714), provided a natural harbor that helped establish Edenton as a significant port. The town’s early maps show its founding at the confluence of this creek and the Albemarle Sound.
Pembroke Room
Pembroke Creek flows through Chowan County, one of many waterways that create the region’s distinctive landscape. These creeks and rivers served as highways for Native Americans and colonists alike, making water navigation essential to daily life in early North Carolina.
Drummonds Point Room
Drummonds Point is a geographic cape along the Yeopim River in Chowan County, one of many points and peninsulas that define the complex waterways of northeastern North Carolina. These natural landmarks served as navigation aids for Native Americans, colonists, and mariners traveling the sounds and rivers. Today, Drummonds Point Road still bears the name, connecting modern residents to the geographic features that shaped life in this water-dominated landscape for centuries.
The Tillie Bond Cottage: Celebrating Local Legacy
The Tillie Bond Cottage holds one of Edenton’s most touching preservation stories. Built in the late 1800s, this charming home has been moved three times, earning the title of Edenton’s most-moved home. But its most significant journey wasn’t about distance; it was about saving history.
Tillie Bond Suite
Miss Tillie Bond was the last private resident of the Cupola House, one of North Carolina’s most treasured historic landmarks. As financial pressures mounted, she sold the dining room’s 18th-century woodwork to the Brooklyn Museum to help make ends meet. When townspeople learned of this and feared further dismantling of the irreplaceable Cupola House, they came together with a compassionate solution: they purchased this smaller cottage for Miss Bond. Their efforts led to the founding of The Cupola House Association in 191, one of America’s earliest preservation groups, predating even the Historic Charleston Foundation by six months.
In a beautiful twist of fate, the original 18th-century woodwork that Tillie once sold has recently been returned to the Cupola House and is now being lovingly reinstalled where it belongs.
Martha Edwards Suite
Martha Edwards represents the often-unsung local residents whose daily contributions created the warm, welcoming community that Edenton remains today. This room is a reminder for guests that history isn’t only made by the famous; it’s built by generations of people who chose to make this place their home.
The Satterfield House: Honoring Community Pillars
The Satterfield House itself honors a family with deep roots in Edenton. Built in 1801, it’s the oldest house along Broad Street.
Granville Suite
The Granville Suite honors Earl Granville, born John Carteret, whose name looms large in North Carolina history. When the other Lords Proprietors sold their shares of Carolina back to the British Crown in 1729, Granville refused. He retained his one-eighth share, which became the Granville District, a vast tract encompassing the entire northern half of North Carolina, including Edenton. From 1744 until the Revolutionary War, Granville (who never set foot in America) controlled land distribution across this region through colonial agents. The Granville District shaped settlement patterns, land ownership, and colonial politics throughout northeastern North Carolina.
Satterfield Suite
This premium suite occupying the entire second floor of the Pack House honors the Satterfield family name itself. Representing generations of Edenton residents who contributed to the town’s education, culture, and community life.
The Loft
The Loft offers a more contemporary space while maintaining the historic character that defines every accommodation at Inner Banks Inn. Like the town itself, which balances centuries of history with modern comfort, The Loft provides a perfect retreat for guests who appreciate both the past and the present.
Become Part of the NC History at our Edenton Bed & Breakfast
At Inner Banks Inn, we believe that where you stay should connect you to where you are. Every suite has been thoughtfully restored and decorated to honor both its historic namesake and your modern comfort. You’ll sleep in beautiful surroundings that respect the past while providing every amenity you need.
Book your stay in one of our historically named suites and become part of the ongoing story of Edenton and North Carolina. Every room tells a story. Which one will be yours?
