After the edenton cotton mill shut down 12 years ago, the burg of Edenton (population 5,500) on the Albemarle Sound in North Carolina, was stuck with a century-old brick mill and 57 run-down worker cottages, some abandoned, others still occupied by former employees.

Before bulldozers could roll in, Preservation North Carolina (PNC) saved Mill Village, using hard-to-pass-up prices and, later, state tax credits for historic rehabilitation to lure adventurous buyers. The charm of coastal Edenton and this collection of clapboard cottages—many barely 1,000 square feet—also has turned the area around. PNC has sold all but three houses, and owners have carefully renovated their new homes. Six infill cottages (new construction in established neighborhoods) now stand on a half dozen once-empty lots. Even the mill has been converted to loft condos.

Thanks to diverse and energetic residents, including families of former mill workers, the historic community hums with fresh purpose. Paula Munck, a graphic artist and illustrator who owns a four-room cottage with pine floors and two porches, says, “Until 10 years ago, the village was literally on the wrong side of the tracks. Now the wrong side of the tracks has done an about-face.”

Lessons from Edenton Mill Village
Most residents have lawns and gardens that flow into those of their next-door neighbors, giving the village an open feel that small, delineated yards could never provide. Residents say the common green space feels neighborly.