Edenton Cotton Mill Historic District

Built beginning in 1899 on the eastern edge of Edenton, the Edenton Cotton Mill Historic District is a compact mill village of seven blocks containing a large brick mill, a brick office, a brick-veneered church, and frame worker dwellings. The mill was designed by C. R. Makepeace of Providence, Rhode Island, whose firm planned more than 250 textile plants, and it features a three-stage tower, a monitor roof running about 550 feet, and segmentally arched window bays. The company was organized in 1898 by local investors seeking to keep textile profits at home. Most of the one-story frame houses were built in the 1899-1923 period, including duplexes with shared kitchens and single-family units, and many retain original porches and six-over-six sash windows. The entire complex remained under company ownership until 1995, which limited alterations and outbuilding construction. Its cohesion and integrity are regarded as unusual for mill districts in eastern North Carolina.