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Primary sourceArtifactc. 1782

Barker House, Edenton

Thomas and Penelope Barker · c. 1782

The home Penelope and Thomas Barker built around 1782 in Edenton, North Carolina, reflecting her status as a planter.

Penelope Barker co-built and owned this house, reflecting her wealth and status as a planter.

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Exterior of a two-story white clapboard house with weathered wooden siding on its upper gable, two tall red brick chimneys rising above the roofline, multi-pane sash windows, dark shutters, and a porch with white columns and railing against a blue sky with wispy clouds.
Barker House, Edenton, North Carolina, built c. 1782. Edenton Historical Commission.

About this source

What it is

Barker House is a historic home in Edenton, North Carolina. It was built about 1782 by Thomas and Penelope Barker and later expanded in the 19th century. It is maintained today by the Edenton Historical Commission.

Why it matters

The house shows the wealth and social standing Penelope Barker held as a planter's wife. That position, like much of the colonial elite's prosperity, depended on enslaved labor, which is important context for understanding her life and the society she lived in.

Look closer

  • What does the size and style of the house suggest about the Barkers' place in Edenton society?
  • Whose labor might have supported the building and upkeep of a home like this?
  • How does learning about a person's home change how we think about their public actions, like organizing a protest?

This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Penelope Barker on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Black-and-white engraved print of a woman with light hair pulled back, wearing a low-necked 18th-century gown with lace trim and holding a small flower bud. Below the image is a printed caption naming Mrs. Penelope Barker.Painting

Secondary source

Portrait of Penelope Barker

Printed broadside of the Continental Association, dated Philadelphia, October 20, 1774, with large headline text and columns of dense type. Lists of signatures of delegates from colonies are printed at the bottom. Handwritten marks and notes appear at the lower left.Document

Primary source

Continental Association

First Continental Congress · 20 October 1774

The Historic Tea-Party of Edenton, October 25th, 1774Book

Secondary source

The Historic Tea-Party of Edenton, October 25th, 1774

Richard Dillard · 1898

Scanned newspaper clipping in old black-letter type. At top is a letter extract from North Carolina dated Oct. 27, describing provincial deputies resolving not to drink tea, followed by an Edenton resolution dated Oct. 25, 1774, and a two-column list of signatures of 51 women, including Abigail Charlton, Mary Blount, and Elizabeth Johnston.Newspaper article

Primary source

Edenton Tea Party Resolves and 51 Signatures

16 January 1775

Engraved print in grey tones of a 1775 satirical scene: a group of fashionably dressed women in tall hairstyles gather around a draped table in an interior with a window and curtains. One woman writes at the table while others look on; a dog and a small seated child figure appear in the foreground, and men stand at the left doorway. Caption reads 'A Society of Patriotic Ladies, at Edenton in North Carolina' with publication details below.Painting

Primary source

A Society of Patriotic Ladies at Edenton in North Carolina

Philip Dawe · 25 March 1775

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