We’re counting down to this year’s Christmas Candlelight Tour! Please enjoy the full text of the Tour House descriptions by the Christmas Candlelight Tour Committee below.
1886 Roanoke River Light House Water Street
Built in 1886, the fully restored Roanoke River Lighthouse now stands proudly in the harbor at Edenton. The Lighthouse first served as a guide for ships navigating the waters of the Albemarle Sound into the Roanoke River. Now managed by Historic Edenton State Historic Sites this year the lighthouse will be your first stop on the Christmas Candlelight Tour! Join the staff of State Historic Sites for their Christmas interpretation of the Lighthouse Keeper’s family Christmas of long ago.
Corner Bayside Retreat 406 South Granville Street
The owners of this home are the newest Edentonians to open up for Candlelight Tour 2025. Having moved to Edenton in 2024, they are loving their home’s expansive water views, and plan to emphasize their outside bulkhead during the tour. Of note, a century ago when commercial fishing was a pillar of Edenton’s local economy and its waterfront was much more industrial, old fishing houses were located on this spot. The current residence was built in 1991, after the lot was redeveloped for residential use. The homeowners describe their holiday decorating style as traditional, showcasing stockings, exterior decor, and Christmas trees trimmed with ornaments collected during their travels over the years.
Looking ahead , extensive renovations to the home are currently being planned. With any luck, its appearance on the Candlelight Tour will be the first of many!
The Old Ice House, 101 Blount Street
The Old Ice House is, arguably, one of Edenton’s most interesting historic buildings. Originally build circa 1840 to, quite literally, store ice, its walls are constructed of brick that is two-feet thick and once served to keep large blocks of ice cold in the days before refrigeration. The Old Ice House was ultimately converted into a home. Today, while the house still has a solid, timeless feel, it is at the same time a warm and inviting abode. The current resident, a lifelong Edentonian, is another veteran Candlelight Tour host. He describes Christmas in Edenton as being about family, friends, and “that small-town magic that never really changes.” Excited to open up again this year, his holiday decorating strategy is to pack the Old Ice House full of greenery, build a roaring fire, play the black-and-white “A Christmas Story” on loop, and sit back and enjoy the magic of another Edenton Candlelight Tour.
The Bennett House 110 West King Street
The owners of the Bennett House have resided in the residence for 16 months and, though they are only the most recent stewards of the 243-year old home, it is easy to see that they love and respect its historical beauty and significance. Both of the homeowners grew up celebrating traditional Christmases, as reflected in the fact that they put up only one tree each year and decorate it with ornaments collected from childhood. They describe their Christmas motto as “warm and cozy,” and it is one that they admittedly live by throughout the year. Visitors to the Bennett House will notice that the front formal rooms are decorated to honor the home’s early Colonial years, with Williamsburg-inspired florals, newel posts and greenery. While it is hard to single out special aspects of this home, the dining room features a spectacular mural, commissioned by the current owners, depicting the house’s various incarnations over the course of its 243-year old history. Beautiful crystal sconces, also seen in this room, belonged to the owner’s grandmother. Much documentation of this home’s history still exists today and is being put to good use by the owners who, among other things, are in the course of reinstating the back garden as it was almost 100 years ago.
Wessington House 120 West King Street
Wessington House has undoubtedly been a special Edenton landmark since it was constructed in 1850. Owned for nearly 100 years by the Graham family, it was used as a headquarters for
Union troops during the Civil War. The current owners purchased the home less than four years ago. Unintimidated by its grandeur and history, they and their five children quickly made it their own happy family home, by imbuing it with colorful contemporary touches while at the same time preserving its unique historic characteristics. Note the elaborate wrought iron railings on the exterior porches. While a visit to Wessington is a treat at any time of year, it is especially dazzling during the holidays when the homeowners’ design talents are on special display. As further testament that this is, above all, a family home, one of the the owners’ favorite holiday traditions is trimming the tree with their children using ornaments that they have created over the years.
Sea Captain’s Revival 104 Blount Street
Visitors to this well-proportioned home, set generously back from Blount Street, may be surprised to learn that the original structure was built in the 1800s by a sea captain who sailed ships between Edenton and China. The only visible remains of that first structure are the foundation and the center stairwell. The home’s current owners have resided here for 35 years. Interestingly, his grandfather originally came to Edenton from Baltimore as the business partner of a Mr. Richard Baer, a lumber mill owner, who purchased and extensively renovated the residence in the 1940s. When the house later became available at the same time the homeowners were looking for a residence for themselves and their two young daughters, the homeowner’s father, recalling Mr. Baer and the “solid renovations” he had made to the home half a century earlier, encouraged his son and daughter-in-law to consider it. It appears to have been excellent advice! The home still shows the influence of Mr. Baer, lumber mill owner, in the extensive tongue and groove paneling and built in cabinetry. At Christmas, the homeowners enjoy decorating with fun and whimsy in their family rooms, and a Christ-centered theme in formal rooms. Visitors will notice the use of items from the owners’ childhoods, as well as natural materials such as grapevines, pinecones and feathers, in a nod to her Chowan County roots.
The Littlejohn Byrum House 218 West Eden Street
This circa 1790 home, lived in by the current owners since 2020, with its center hall plan, high ceilings, and refined woodwork, represents one of the finest Federal interiors in Edenton. Upon entering the home, visitors will notice several old shoes displayed in the entry hall. Curiously, during a 1960s renovation, the shoes were discovered within the walls of the home, likely stemming from a superstition dating back to 16th century England and Europe, whereby shoes placed in a home’s walls were believed to ward off evil spirits. Over 30 shoes, thought to date back to the home’s original construction, have been found in the Littlejohn-Byrum house, making it second only to the John Quincy Adams house for the number of such “wall-shoes” found in a home in all of North America. At Christmas time, the homeowners enjoy hanging family stockings dating back four generations. Pride of place, however, goes to the beautiful bisque Nativity set displayed on the family’s piano, which was handmade by one of the
homeowner’s talented father in the early 1960s, when he was home on sick leave from the US Air Force.
G.W. Spry House 219 West Eden Street
A perfectly maintained and decorated bungalow, this home was expanded in the 1990s from its original tiny design. During the seven years they have resided here, the current homeowners have significantly reconfigured and updated the home to suit their needs, while successfully striving to preserve its charm. They are excited to share their home with this year’s Candlelight Tour visitors. As she tells it, the homeowner was seven years old when her perspective onChristmas was forever changed. That was the first year that she understood the REAL meaning of Christmas; that it was all about “this baby Jesus” who was born in a stable and laid in a manger. She further shares that she and her husband have many collections of special Christmas decorations, but none more cherished than their collection of nativities, angels and wisemen. This year, they hope to bring their visitors “back to Bethlehem,” by highlighting their collections and incorporating them with touches of “God’s handiwork;” i.e., pinecones, seeds, greens and good sticks foraged right here in Edenton. Additionally, be on the lookout for Santas, gifts, and an impressive collection of Christmas quilts, many of which were fashioned by the talented homeowner, herself.
Bayview Federalist 107 Pembroke Circle
Once visitors have taken in the enviable views from this elevated waterfront residence and the homeowners’ wonderful art collection, they will notice that this a home for a large and busy family. Only the second family to live in the residence, the current homeowners relocated here three years ago from a historic home just a few blocks east, citing a desire to be on the water and have more room to entertain friends of their four children. Their Christmas decorating style runs the gamut from the very traditional — think fresh magnolia and smilax gathered from Mulberry Hill Farm, mistletoe from the homeowner’s “secret stash,” child-created Christmastree ornaments, and a nutcracker collection that dates back to the homeowner’s grandmother and continues to grow each year — to the not-so-traditional — as in, the you- can’t-miss-it large plastic manger scene, a flea-market find of one of the owners, that resides in the yard
every December and has become a neighborhood favorite. As you tour the lovely home, be on the lookout for the newest family member, Gus the playful kitten, who made his appearance after catching a ride “home” in the car engine of one of its teenaged sons. Hopefully, he will not be hiding in the tree!
Welcoming Red Brick 98 Pembroke Circle
Stepping into this home is a bit like opening a treasure chest, as it is much more sprawling and full of surprises than one might suppose from the charming exterior. The same family has resided in the home for 18 years, and it has been for them a wonderful place to celebrate holidays with extended family, especially when their grandchildren were young. The residence is warm with the personality and special touches imbued by collected items, including angels, crosses, and — most appropriate as the current resident is a highly regarded local chef — cutting boards. From the large back den with its impressive fireplace and collection of white stoneware, to the inviting front porch where the homeowner enjoys sitting and looking across to the water, you are sure to experience the spirit of Christmas during your visit to this welcoming home.
Live Oak on the Bay 203 Blount Street
Although the owners of this home are veteran Candlelight Tour participants — this will be their fifth Candlelight Tour, and their fourth in this location! — a visit to their stylish and hospitable residence is never disappointing or repetitive. The large live oak tree in the front yard is a fitting “welcome,” as it and the waterfront location are what first attracted one of the homeowners, a native of Louisiana, to the home 26 years ago. This family loves everything about celebrating the Christmas and Advent season, and it shows in the thoughtfully curated Christmas decorations displayed throughout their home, as well as an abundance of fresh flowers and greenery, and — always — a real Christmas tree. When asked about her favorite holiday traditions, the homeowner enthusiastically replied, “All of them!” As you pass through, glance out towards the water and you may be treated to a holiday surprise on the family’s adjacent boat lift.
The West Customs House 108 Blount Street
The West Customs House saw much turnover in ownership during its early years. Local merchant William Blount built the gracious Georgian home in 1772, but relocated to Newbern several years later. The residence was then purchased by Swiss sea captain William Borritz, who never lived there but is notable for bringing Edenton’s famous cannons to town for use in the Revolutionary War. Edenton’s colonial customs collector, Samuel Treadwell, bought the home in 1799, ushering in approximately 70 years when taxes were collected at this location; hence, the house’s name. The current homeowners, who have generously opened their home for the Candlelight Tour numerous times during their 33 years in residence, have undertaken careful restoration of the house over the years, conscientiously preserving its original charm and elegant woodwork, while simultaneously creating a home that is warm and welcoming to family and friends, at any time of year and especially during the the Christmas holidays. Some of their Christmas decorating hallmarks include the ample use of fresh greenery throughout the home, lovely home-made wreaths adorning the exterior front of the residence and, for the last couple of years, a “joy” tree on the sidewalk in front of the house.
Many thanks to our wonderful Christmas Candlelight Sponsors!
