Court House Cannons
CANNON—On Court House Green
The green facing the Court House has been part of the Court House property ever since the town was laid off in 1712. By 1718 it was the site of the first Chowan County Court House, the “Council Chamber” built especially for meetings of the General Assembly of the Colony of North Carolina.
The three cannon at the foot of the green (and several others serving as corner markers here and there) were, according to tradition, brought to Edenton in 1778 by William Borritz, captain of a French ship, THE HEART OF JESUS. These were saved when the ship was wrecked in Albemarle Sound. The few still left in Edenton in 1862 were put out of commission by Federal troops who observed that they were a greater danger to the men behind them than to the enemy in front.
The green facing the Court House has been part of the Court House property ever since the town was laid off in 1712. By 1718 it was the site of the first Chowan County Court House, the “Council Chamber” built especially for meetings of the General Assembly of the Colony of North Carolina.
The three cannon at the foot of the green (and several others serving as corner markers here and there) were, according to tradition, brought to Edenton in 1778 by William Borritz, captain of a French ship, THE HEART OF JESUS. These were saved when the ship was wrecked in Albemarle Sound. The few still left in Edenton in 1862 were put out of commission by Federal troops who observed that they were a greater danger to the men behind them than to the enemy in front.