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Retired U.S. Army Col. George E. Lewis III reads the Declaration of Independence during the Edenton Tea Party Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution’s annual Fourth of July ceremony at the Joseph Hewes monument in Edenton, Monday.
Father Jonathan Tobias of the Eastern Orthodox Fellowship reads a biographical sketch of Edenton resident Joseph Hewes during the Edenton Tea Party Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution's annual Fourth of July ceremony on Monday. Hewes was one of three men from North Carolina to sign the Declaration of Independence.
American Legion Post 40 members present the colors at the start of the Fourth of July ceremony in Edenton, Monday. The annual event, hosted by the Edenton Tea Party Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, includes a reading of the Declaration of Independence and is held at the Joseph Hewes monument in Edenton’s downtown.
Retired U.S. Army Col. George E. Lewis III reads the Declaration of Independence during the Edenton Tea Party Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution’s annual Fourth of July ceremony at the Joseph Hewes monument in Edenton, Monday.
Father Jonathan Tobias of the Eastern Orthodox Fellowship reads a biographical sketch of Edenton resident Joseph Hewes during the Edenton Tea Party Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution's annual Fourth of July ceremony on Monday. Hewes was one of three men from North Carolina to sign the Declaration of Independence.
American Legion Post 40 members present the colors at the start of the Fourth of July ceremony in Edenton, Monday. The annual event, hosted by the Edenton Tea Party Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, includes a reading of the Declaration of Independence and is held at the Joseph Hewes monument in Edenton’s downtown.
EDENTON — At least 400 people gathered around the Joseph Hewes monument in downtown Edenton on Monday to celebrate the Fourth of July and honor Hewes’ memory at the 23rd annual reading of the Declaration of Independence.
This year’s reading of the nation’s founding document was performed by retired U.S. Army Colonel George E. Lewis III.
The event, which has taken place since 2000, is hosted annually by the Edenton Tea Party Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The event was the brainchild of longtime Chowan County resident and NSDAR member Virginia Wood, who died at her home, Greenfield, on June 30.
Ceremony co-chair Beth Taylor acknowledged Wood’s passing in her opening remarks on Monday, telling the audience that Wood was there with them in spirit, sitting in the empty chair that had been set up in her honor.
“We planned this for 23 years together,” Taylor said of her old friend. “It was her vision to do this ceremony.”
Taylor noted that the first ceremony in 2000 welcomed about 75 people, a far cry from Monday’s 400-plus. Organizers presented a certificate to Wood’s two children, Flora Davis and Benbury Wood Jr., in honor of their mother.
Clara King, chaplain of Edenton’s NSDAR, led the assembled crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance and the “American’s Creed.” The creed, authored by William Tyler Page in 1917, reads as follows:
“I believe in the United States of America, as a government of the people, by the people, for the people; whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed; a democracy in a republic; a sovereign Nation of many sovereign States; a perfect union, one and inseparable; established upon those principles of freedom, equality, justice, and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes. I therefore believe it is my duty to my country to love it, to support its Constitution, to obey its laws, to respect its flag, and to defend it against all enemies.”
Prior to the reading of the Declaration of Independence, Father Jonathan Tobias of the Eastern Orthodox Fellowship read a biographical sketch of Joseph Hewes. Having someone read the sketch of Hewes’ life at the annual Fourth of July event had been Wood’s idea.
Hewes was one of three men from North Carolina to sign the Declaration of Independence. He died in 1779 just a few years after he signed the declaration from what Tobias said was most likely malaria.
Tobias also pointed out Hewes’ courage during the American Revolution despite being chronically ill. He also acknowledged Hewes’ role as both the “Godfather of the U.S. Navy” and a well-known resident of Edenton.
The attentive crowd then listened as Col. Lewis stepped to the podium to read the historic words of the Declaration of Independence.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” Lewis read from the document’s iconic preamble.
Taylor also made note during the ceremony that the Edenton Tea Party Chapter recently won a national NSDAR first-place award for its “Independence Day Weekend.”
Both the opening prayer and closing benediction at Monday’s event were offered by the Rev. Melvin Tatem, while the “Star Spangled Banner” and “God Bless America” were performed by Sidney E. Lassiter.
“Give to the people of our country zeal for strength and forgive our shortcomings as a nation,” Tatem prayed.
Members of American Legion Post 40 were on hand to present and retrieve the colors at the start and end of the ceremony, while Boy Scout Troop 164 handed out programs.
