{"nrhp_refnum":"75001248","name":"St. Paul's Episcopal Church and Churchyard","other_names":["See Also:Edenton Historic District"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"W. Church and Broad Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Edenton","county":"Chowan County","state":"NC","lat":36.06182516600006,"lon":-76.60911313299994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1975-05-29","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Exploration/Settlement","Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A colonial brick Anglican (now Episcopal) church and its historic churchyard at West Church and Churton Streets in Edenton, Chowan County, North Carolina. Construction began in 1736 and the church was ready for use by 1760.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it the second oldest church building in North Carolina and the only colonial church still in regular parish use, and one of only three surviving colonial churches in the state. It is notable for its Flemish bond brick walls, handsome entrances, square tower and rare semicircular apse in all-header bond. It is also tied to leading eighteenth-century figures and holds an early town burial ground.","narrative":"Set amid a shaded churchyard in Edenton, St. Paul's is a gable-roofed brick church laid in Flemish bond, with a square three-stage tower, an octagonal spire, and a rare semicircular apse laid in all-header bond. Work began in 1736 and dragged on for decades because of money shortages and disputes, with the building finally ready for the vestry in 1760. William Nichols rebuilt the badly decayed interior and added the spire in 1806-1809, and Frank Wills designed oak chancel furnishings in 1848. A fire in June 1949 destroyed the roof, galleries and spire, but the walls survived and earlier studies and stored furnishings allowed careful reconstruction. The church is described as the second oldest church building in North Carolina and the only colonial church still in regular parish use. Its churchyard, older than the church, holds the graves of colonial governors and other early leaders. Members of the congregation included Samuel Johnston, James Iredell Jr. and Joseph Hewes.","period_of_significance":"1736 to present (1700-1799 checked)","architect_builder":"William Nichols (1806-1809 interior renovation); Frank Wills (1848 chancel furnishings)","architectural_style":"Colonial brick church related in form to colonial Virginia churches","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition marked excellent; the church is in regular use and was rebuilt after a 1949 fire.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:58:58.345595-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/13/7196/47719613/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/75001248.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75001248/73ce687af3-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75001248/73ce687af3-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Frances Benjamin Johnston","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St._Paul%27s_Church,_Edenton_(Chowan_County,_North_Carolina).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Frances Benjamin Johnston</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St._Paul%27s_Church,_Edenton_(Chowan_County,_North_Carolina).jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"73001316","name":"Edenton Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/north-carolina/edenton-historic-district-73001316/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47719613","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Paul%27s_Church_(Edenton,_North_Carolina)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14708175"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/chowan-county/st-pauls-episcopal-church-and-churchyard-75001248/"}