1767 Chowan Courthouse to get preservation work thanks to $750K fed grant

The 1767 Chowan County Courthouse, North Carolina’s oldest public building, is set to get some preservation work thanks to a $750,000 National Park Service grant.

U.S. Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C., announced the grant on Monday.

Funding for the grant comes from the third year of the National Park Service Semiquincentennial Grant program, an initiative commemorating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. The grant for the Chowan courthouse is one of 19 supporting historic preservation projects across nine states.

“The rehabilitation of the historic 1767 Chowan County Courthouse not only preserves a significant part of North Carolina’s heritage. It also contributes to the broader effort to celebrate our nation’s rich history,” Davis said in a press release. “I am looking forward to commemorating our nation’s 250th anniversary.”

Tyler Newman, a spokesman for the town of Edenton, said the town was “happy to learn” that the courthouse will be receiving the grant money from the National Park Service.

“This critical asset in our community has and will continue to fuel appreciation for historic preservation in the town that does it best,” he said. “The grant aligns well with the upcoming celebration of the Edenton Tea Party’s 250th anniversary this October, and the nation’s Semiquincentennial in 2026. We would like to congratulate our partners over at Historic Edenton State Historic Site for this award.”

Congress created the Semiquincentennial Grants in 2020 and funded them through the Historic Preservation Fund. The grants fund projects that restore and preserve sites and structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

“Since its founding, our nation has been shaped by an exceptionally diverse collection of cultures, events, and places,” said National Park Service Director Chuck Sams. “The Semiquincentennial Grant Program supports our efforts to present a more complete telling of our country’s history as we approach its 250th anniversary in 2026, and beyond.”

Established in 1977 and administered by the National Park Service, the Historic Preservation Fund has provided more than $2 billion in historic preservation grants to states, tribes, local governments, and nonprofit organizations.