A Society of Patriotic Ladies: A New Special Collections Exhibit

A Society of Patriotic Ladies at Edenton North Carolina – Image credit: Robert Sayer and John Bennett (Firm), and Philip Dawe. Mezzotint. 1775.

This year we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Edenton Tea Party, an important display of female activism in eastern North Carolina. We hope you will join us in celebrating by visiting the new Special Collections exhibit titled “A Society of Patriotic Ladies”. It was curated by Kristen Daniel, who is the Special Collections Instruction and Outreach Librarian at Joyner Library. The exhibit will be displayed on the 1^st floor and will be available for viewing from September 4^th – December 17^th.

The Edenton Tea Party is one of the earliest examples of political activism organized by women. On October 25th, 1774, a group of “patriotic ladies” from Edenton, North Carolina signed a document expressing their support for the North Carolina Provincial Congress and their shared intent to boycott British goods. This document, along with the 51 signatures, was circulated in both American and British newspapers and is now known as the “Edenton Resolves”. While the British response was largely mockery, the Edenton Tea Party is still recognized as an important event in American history, especially in eastern North Carolina.

All of the materials on display are from the Elizabeth Vann Moore Papers (#1215). Among other topics, Elizabeth Vann Moore did extensive research on the Edenton Tea Party, and her papers served as the foundation for this exhibit. Due to her expertise in history and genealogy, Vann Moore collaborated on projects with a variety of local and state organizations (Edenton Historical Commission, the Chowan County Courthouse Research Committee, the North Carolina Literary and Historical Association, etc.), many of which awarded her lifetime achievement accolades.

Additionally, she wrote numerous works related to Edenton, North Carolina, including the Guide Book to Historic Edenton and Chowan County, as well as her unpublished manuscript about the Edenton Tea Party. Though she passed away on January 1st, 2010, Vann Moore continues to be celebrated for her contributions to Edenton. The Edenton community declared November 20th as Elizabeth Vann Moore Day, which honors her passion for historical research in conjunction with the Elizabeth Vann Moore Biennial Series for Preservation Studies. Her legacy lives on through this exhibit and through those who continue to research the Edenton Tea Party.