MG Magazine
profiles
region^ 3-A
COA Dean Winslow
is participant
In Leaders Program
Edenton part
of new book
on coastal towns
.2-B
2-A
Wednesday, April 25,2001
CHOWAN HERALD
ypl- LXVIH, No. 16 Published in historic Edenton... The prettiest town on the North Carolina coast. Single Copies 500
Pilgrimage draws almost 2,000 visitors here
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Editor
The 2001 Historic Edenton
Pilgrimage drew close to 2,000
visitors to the community last
WCCRCllU, UCHgllL-Lllg
organizers.
“We were so
blessed with the good
weather, and very
pleased with the
turnout,” said Bar
bara King, who co
chaired the event
with Marty Badger.
King said that visi
tors came from as far
away as Canada and
California for the
weekend’s tour of
historic homes,
sites, and related
events. Other tour
goers arrived from a
little closer to home,
with Wilson, NC and
the Hampton Roads,
v area ura w mg u>p
numbers, according
to an informal poll
by the Edenton
Woman’s Club,
which co-sponsors
the event.
She added that
their research showed a great
many of those who came to the
tour said they learned about it
through reading newspapers,
followed by hearing about it on
the radio or watching televi
sion.
King noted that the 1,830visi
tors seemed delighted with
One of the visitors' most unusual greeters was no
doubt this lovely porcelain doll dressed in period
costume, gracing the porch at the O.C. Byrum
house. The porch was filled with lovely flowers that
enhanced the colors in the doll's costume. (Staff
photo by Helen Kerr Outland)
what they found upon arriv
ing. She said the homeowners,
too, found it a positive experi
ence.
“The homeowners we spoke
with seemed very pleased with
the way everything went,” she
said. “We didn’t hear one nega
tive comment from either the
v ionui o
homeowners. Every
one seems to have
had a wonderful
time.”
King said that the
key to the success of
the event, she be
lieved, was plenty of
advance preparation
- combined with lots
of support and coop
eration on the part of
local business own
ers and community
residents.
“I just loved seeing
the way people got
involved,” she said.
“From people like
Linda and Steve
Lane, who brought
uit; ucunage uiiveis
into their home and
fed them on Satur
day, to all the busi
nesses and
homeowners who
went out of their way
to beautify their
homes and offices. We were
See TOUR On Page 3-A
Gunman
robs local
business
BY HELEN KERR OUTLAND
Staff Writer
According to Chief of Police
Greg Bonner, at approximately
11:36 a.m. Monday moiling his
department received a call stat
ing that Time Finance of 703 N
Broad car Street in Edenton
had been robbed.
Upon investigation officers
were informed that a white
male had entered the business,
slammed his hand on the
counter, began spraying O C (a
pepper spray) and yelling
“Cash! ” The suspect then went
around the counter, grabbed a
money bag and removed
money from it, then placed the
bag back on the counter.
The suspect left the Time
Finance parking lot in a car.
Witnesses were able to get a
description of the suspect and
a license plate number. The car
was described as a big, older
model faded blue car. A Check
on the license number revealed
the tags were fictitious for that
car and registered to a Nissan
Truck belonging to one James
Tomlin of Hertford.
Area departments includ
ing Chowan and Perquimans
County Sheriff s Offices were
See ROBBERY On Page 7 A
May Play
Day is set
for May 5
The 21st annual May, Play
Day, a community festival that
has become a tradition in
Cho'wan County, will be held
Saturday, May 5, at the Rocky
Hock Community Center. Ac
tivities will get underway at 10
a.m. and will continue until 10
p.m.
“May Play Day is designed
to be a family fun day that will
focus on games, activities and
entertainment for children,
See MAY On Page 7-A
t
Dale Elks, Rotary district governor, presents a plaque to NC Rep. Bill Culpepper, D-Chowan, in
honor of his being named a Paul Harris Fellow. The award was presented during the Edenton Rotary
Club's 75th anniversary celebration Thursday night. Culpepper represents the 86th House District
in the NC House of Representatives. (Staff photo by Helen Kerr Outland)
Edenton Rotarians gather
to mark 7 5 th anniversary
BY HELEN KERR OUTLAND
Staff Writer
Area Rotarians, guests, and
friends gathered at the Ameri
can Legion on Thursday
evening to celebrate the 75th
anniversary of the Edenton
Rotary Club. District Governor
Dale Elks was on hand for the
V
i i
celebration and to present Rep
resentative William T.
Culpepper of the 86th District
with the Paul Harris Fellows
Award for his service to the
Edenton Rotary.
District Governor Elks
spoke highly of the Edenton
Rotary recalling some of its
distinguished history. “On
i§
February 19,1926 Charles Wood
was the Organizational Chair
man and here’s where the story
brings us today in the Rotary
Foundation. On May 3rd, a de
cedent of Wood, Ben Wood, of
the Elizabeth City, but has
roots right here in Edenton will
See ROTARY On Page 3-A
A pie eating contest is just one of the fun events at May Play Day, set for May 5 this year
Visitors gather to engage in some small talk on the porch at the Homestead, home of Ross and
Frances Inglis, during the weekend's Historic Edenton Pilgrimage. The tour drew visitors from as
far away as Canada and California. (Staff photo by Helen Kerr Outland)
Domestic violence
call ends in death
of Chowan man
This photo shows the bullethole that creases the front window
of a patrol car damaged during a shootout with local law
enforcement officers that left a Chowan County man dead. (Staff
photo by Helen Kerr Outland)
BY HELEN KERR OUTLAND
Staff Writer
Justice Department statis
tics agree that a domestic vio
lence situation is potentially
the most dangerous call to
which a law enforcement of
ficercan respond. Violence has
already begun. Someone is al
ready hurt. Emotions are out
of control. More than likely
there is some type of weapon
involved.
Yellow crime scene tape
hangs from the driveway post
of a home on Davenport Lane
as a stark reminder of a worst
case scenario that ended in a
death in Edenton Saturday af
ternoon. All these factors were
present as Chowan County
deputies responded to frantic
calls from neighbors. When
deputies arrived they found
Joseph Sawyers’ wife, Barbara,
lying in the front yard of the
couple’s home, wounded. As
the deputies were pulling the
woman to safety more gun
shots rang out.
A report from the Chowan
J
1
County Sheriffs Office tells
what happened next:
“At this time,officers heard
a shot discharged from the resi
dence. Officers ordered the oc
cupant of the mobile home to
put the gun down and come
out. The suspect refused to do
so and fired another shot at the
officers. The bullet went
through the windshield of the
patrol car and lodged in the
rear section of the patrol car.”
Records indicate this was not
Joseph Sawyer’s first encoun
ter with law enforcement. The
majority of calls, over time, to
that neighborhood had been in
response to activities in the
Sawyer home, law enforce
ment officials said. Joseph
Sawyer, they noted, had been
charged with assault on a gov
ernment official in the past.
This encounter would prove
to be a fatal one for Sawyer. As
he continued to fire at the offic
ers, the official report says,
“Sheriff Spruill fired through
the front door of the mobile
See SHOOTING On Page 3-A
1