Edgecombe County Courthouse

Edgecombe County Courthouse is located in the heart of Tarboro, the county seat.  The courthouse is best viewed from "The Square" where townsfolk sit and visit while children throw wishing pennies in the wading pool. 

The courthouse's beautiful architecture is based on an 18th century hospital built in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. 
 

Town Common

Located in the heart of the Tarboro Historic District adjacent to downtown, the historic Town Common was established by Tarboro's founding fathers in 1760 and is now listed in the National Register of Historic Places.  It was originally established for the common grazing of livestock, community outings and military drills, but now  stands today as an extraordinary centerpiece to Tarboro with its statuesque trees.  Several historic monuments can be found here, as well as the 1860 Cotton Press, the beautiful Herb Gardens area, and the nature walk along McBryde Trail.  Surrounding the commons are beautiful stately homes built between 1890 and 1910.

 The North Carolina Symphony holds an annual concert here each Spring which is free to the public. 
 

Blount-Bridgers House

The 1808 Blount-Bridgers House, a national historic landmark, is home to a permanent collection that celebrates the 200 year-old material culture of Edgecombe County and the creative achievements of Tarboro-born artist, Hobson Pittman (1899-1972). In addition to the oil paintings, pastels, drawings, prints and watercolors by Pittman, the Blount-Bridgers House exhibits locally made antique furniture and nineteenth century paintings of Edgecombe County citizens, including work by painters Thomas Sully, Thomas Landseer, and William Garle Brown.  Nineteenth century ceramics and twentieth century Jugtown pottery are featured, along with silver and iron utilitarian objects.  The textile collection includes clothing, quilts and household linens.  Archival records and architectural information about Edgecombe County homes are actively collected and preserved.
 

Pender Museum

Built about 1810 for Silas and Rebecca Everitt, this modest hall-parlor house with a broken pitch gable roof is typical of the coastal plain house for middling and small North Carolina farmers throughout most of the nineteenth century. This small house is finished in a manner comparable to larger houses along the Tar River, including tapered porch post with molded caps, intricate dentil cornices and decoratively painted interior paneling and mantels.

In the 1980s the Pender family of Edgecombe County donated funds to move and preserve this house from the county to the grounds of the Blount-Bridgers House. Today, the museum is furnished with local hand-made furniture of the coastal plain. Many of these pieces are from local Edgecombe County families.

The Pender Museum of History is open by appointment only. Please call 823-4159.
 

Monika Flemming, a local historian and author, leads walking tours of the historic district on Saturday mornings during the Summer and Fall, for more information, contact the Blount Bridgers House @ 252-823-4159.

Edgecombe County Military Veteran's Museum

Established to recognize and preserve the history of the tremendous sacrifices and contributions Edgecombe County veterans have made to our nation's security, the Edgecombe County Military Veteran's Museum serves as an enduring memorial to those who have helped defend American's freedom.  Exhibits in the museum recall the  American Revolution, Civil War and World Wars I and II. 

General Henry Hugh Shelton serves as Honorary Chairman of the Museum. Admission is free. Call (252) 823-0891 or (252) 823-4159 for museum hours.
 

Fountains at the Albemarle

An upscale retirement complex with five levels of living from independent to Alzheimer's care.  A quaint little community of family and friends located at the edge of downtown, the Fountains at the Albemarle offers services and amenities that bring out the personal best in everyone, and allows residents the freedom and independence to choose whatever they wish to do or to be.  Services are expertly performed by dedicated, well-trained professionals and are tailored to meet the residents' needs and desires.
 

Edgecombe County Cotton Press

Located in the Town Common, this press was moved from an Edgecombe County farm in the early 20th century before being restored.  It  is the last of its kind in North Carolina.  Mules and oxen were used to turn cotton into bales or crush fruit for cider and wine.

 

Calvary Church and Churchyard

Calvary Episcopal Church was designed just before the Civil War, and its gardens feature original Victorian plantings and design.  Rector J. B. Cheshire planted the botanical treasure house, described as "defining the character of Tarboro, historically and aesthetically."  Free to the public. 


Indian Lake Park