Surveys of Arrowhead Beach--possible site of the sixteenth century Chowanoke Indian village--and an underwater survey of Edenton Harbor in 1980 are major archaeological projects in the county. Over 125 sites known throughout the county are recorded in the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office's statewide inventory for Chowan County.
State and federal grant projects assisted by Historic Preservation Office staff have included architectural surveys of the county (1985-86) and the town of Edenton (1986-87), the latter published as Edenton: An Architectural Portrait.
State grants aided substantive restoration projects at the Chowan County Courthouse, the Cupola House, and the Barker House, plus work at St. Anne's Catholic and St. John's the Evangelist churches. Federal matching grants totaling $68,146 and State appropriations of $650,279 have been awarded since 1971.
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
A large historic district in Edenton and nineteen individual properties have been listed in the National Register in Chowan County with Historic Preservation Office assistance. The Chowan County Courthouse, the Cupola House, and Hayes Plantation have also been recognized as National Historic Landmarks.
LOCAL PRESERVATION COMMISSIONS
Upon local request, the Historic Preservation Office provides consultation services to the Edenton Historic District Commission. The Town of Edenton designated the Edenton Historic District in the 1970s and expanded the district to include the Edenton Cotton Mill and Village in 1996.
Sixteen tax credit projects have been completed in Chowan County at a total construction investment of $3,181,400, including the former E.A. Swain Graded School in Edenton; three additional income-producing projects are currently undergoing renovation. One residential renovation has been completed to utilize the new state tax credit for non-income-producing structures, and eight additional residences are being renovated under the program. The Historic Preservation Office reviews and provides restoration technical services for all tax credit projects.
PUBLIC EDUCATION AND PUBLICATIONS
The Historic Preservation Office assisted the Edenton Women's Club in publishing the findings of the architectural survey in Edenton: An Architectural Portrait in 1992. The Historic Preservation Office sponsored workshops at the Chowan County Courthouse in Edenton in 1993 and 1994 to teach the proper techniques for repairing and tuck-pointing historic masonry. Historic Preservation Office staff provided a workshop on historic preservation tax credits in Edenton in September, 1995.
The Historic Preservation Office provided technical assistance for the restoration of the Cupola House, the Barker House, and the Chowan County Courthouse. Many privately owned houses have also received technical advice, especially the Charlton-Warren House, Beverly Hall, the Edenton Cotton Mill Village, and several rural properties.