New Bern guards the crucial intersection of the Neuse and Trent Rivers. Ideally situated for waterborne commerce, this city has been important in North Carolina history since its founding in the 1700s. In fact, New Bern served as the colonial capital until the Revolutionary War, then as the first capital of North Carolina until the early 1790's.
Today, New Bern is a thriving coastal city that has managed to retain much of its earlier charm. Excellent motels and restaurants are within easy walking distance of the waterfront. Currently, one large marina on the Trent River provides excellent dockage. Keep in mind that you must pass through a swing bridge with 13 feet of closed vertical clearance and a restricted opening schedule to reach this facility.
New Bern boasts a dynamic, revitalized downtown business district and many historical buildings, including Tryon Palace, one of the most memorable structures in all of North Carolina. It's easy to see why more and more cruisers are setting their sights on this fortunate community on the banks of the Neuse and Trent Rivers. I highly suggest you join this happy throng.
New Bern Attractions
New Bern is a must stop for those interested in the history of coastal North Carolina. The city is proud of its heritage and has worked diligently to maintain and restore many artifacts of its rich past.
It's only a short step from the waterfront to New Bern's premier historical attraction. Tryon Palace and two other associated houses of later vintage are "must see" points of interest. Though the main building was destroyed by fire during the late 1700s, and though all but one of the original outlying structures fell victim to the slow march of years, the entire complex has been lovingly restored to the specifications of Governor Tryon's day.
In addition to tours, the palace complex offers daily demonstrations in colonial cooking, basket and candle making, and blacksmithing. I found the costumed craftspeople to be knowledgeable and responsive to visitors' questions. In my opinion, the palace craft activities compare favorably to similar attractions in Williamsburg, Virginia.
For those who do not wish to visit the palace, a "gardens only" ticket is available at a reduced price. This ticket allows visitors to tour the extensive gardens and the two gift shops on the grounds.
Tryon Palace boasts two additional points of interest.
Just to the left of the palace's main gate, the 1828 Dixon-Stevenson House gladly accepts visitors. This magnificent Federal-style house features a widow's walk and an impressive collection of authentic Federal furnishings. The house was built on land auctioned off from the palace grounds following the destruction of the main building. During the Civil War, it served as a hospital for the Ninth Vermont Regiment.
The nearby 1783 John Wright Stanly House features memorable Georgian architecture. Stanly was one of New Bern's staunchest patriots during the American Revolution. However, he did not live to see that war's greatest hero visit his beloved mansion. Two years after Stanly's death, in 1789, President George Washington spent several days at the late patriot's homeplace during his tour of the Southern states. Visitors will be impressed by this historic home's luxurious trappings.
The New Bern Academy Museum (at the corner of Hancock and New Streets) gives a penetrating insight into early North Carolina education. New Bern architecture and builders and the city's Civil War history are also featured.
The New Bern Historical Society, one of the most diligent organizations of its type in the state, maintains the 1790 Attmore-Oliver House (511 Broad Street). Tours are given from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday except during January, February, and March; tours are by appointment only during these winter months. The society has worked diligently to acquire and display an impressive collections of 18th- and 19th-century furnishings and memorabilia. Cruising visitors are encouraged to patronize this most worthwhile attraction.
And if all these points of interest are not enough to convince you to visit New Bern, the city has for many years maintained one of the few museums in the country that focuses on firefighting. The New Bern Fireman's Museum (410 Hancock Street) is dedicated to the display of early firefighting equipment, including steam pumpers and Civil War relics. This facility, expanded a few years ago through the dedicated efforts of the local fire department and volunteers, is drawing more visitors every month.
One of the community's newest attractions is the New Bern Civil War Museum (301 Metcalf Street). This notable museum's sole purpose is to preserve New Bern's rich Civil War history. It houses one of the finest private collections of War Between the States memorabilia and weapons in the United States. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from April 1 to September 20 and weekends only between October and March. An admission fee is charged.
Obviously, there is much to see and do in New Bern. The list of attractions has grown quickly since the first edition of this guide was printed in the early 1980s. Now, New Bern can truly lay claim to having one of the most well-appointed historical districts on the North Carolina coast. Thanks to all these attractions and New Bern's impressive docking facilities, this progressive city is becoming a very popular port of call for visiting cruisers.
New Bern Events
As you might expect from such a vibrant community, New Bern hosts a number of special events and festivals throughout the year which will be of interest to cruising visitors.
During the second weekend in April, New Bern hosts the Spring Historic Homes and Garden Tour. Many of the city's private, historic homeplaces are opened to the public. This celebration is held in conjunction with the Tryon Palace Tulip Festival, during which the gardens are open free to the public.
New Bern celebrates the Chrysanthemum Festival from October 10 to October 12, when thousands of mums are in bloom. There is an associated street festival. Again, the Tryon Palace gardens are open to the public without charge.
October 24 and 25 bring on ghostly visitations in downtown New Bern. The "New Bern at Night Ghost Walk" allows visitors to meet "historic ghosts" in many of the town's venerable homeplaces and cemeteries.
During the Christmas season, the evening candlelight tours of Tryon Palace are a must. Call the palace for times and reservations.
New Bern History
Almost since its founding in 1710, New Bern has been one of North Carolina's leading coastal cities. Like Edenton and Bath, New Bern was for many years a center of the state's government and culture. New Bern served as the colonial capital, then as the state capital until 1794, when the center of government was moved to the newly created city of Raleigh.
John Lawson, who also had more than a little to do with the founding of Bath, first visited the New Bern area in 1705. He quickly recognized the value of the location between the Neuse and Trent Rivers, both of which are quite navigable. He found an Indian town called Chattawka, meaning "where the fish are taken," and persuaded the Indians to sell him 1,200 acres, on which he built a cabin.
In 1710, Baron Christopher de Graffenried, with the sanction of the British government, led a group of German and Swiss colonists to the region. The settlement grew quickly at first, but the Tuscarora Indian War decimated it in 1711. The colonists had settled on scattered tracts, an arrangement that made it easy for the Indians to quietly and methodically murder the inhabitants.
Around 1720, the town had a second start under the leadership of Cullen Pollock, who had inherited substantial land in New Bern from his father. Pollock tirelessly promoted the community. Soon, the town was well on its way to becoming a major seaport and eventually the capital of the colony.
By 1739, New Bern had apparently recovered from the effects of the Indian wars. In that year, the Reverend George Whitfield visited the town and was "grieved" to see the minister encouraging dancing and even trying to find a dance master.
The colonial assembly first met in New Bern in 1737. By 1746, various state offices were located in the community. When New Bern became the state capital, the city's trade and importance increased. The town surpassed both Bath and Beaufort as a port, and many of its merchants became well-to-do exporters.
In 1749, James Davis brought North Carolina's first printing press to New Bern. He set up shop and began to publish the state's first newspaper, the North Carolina Gazette.
Between 1767 and 1770, at the request of Royal Governor William Tryon, a governor's "palace" was built in New Bern; in lovingly restored form, this structure continues to astonish visitors to this very day. Tryon Palace was built at a cost of 16,000, quite a sum of money in those days. The seemingly needless extravagance of this expenditure was apparently one of the leading causes of the War of Regulation, which culminated in 1771 in the Battle of Alamance, fought between the militia of Governor Tryon and a group of backwoodsmen known as the Regulators. The first provincial congress met at Tryon Palace in 1774 in defiance of the Crown. In 1774, Royal Governor Josiah Martin was forced to flee the palace at the less-than-gentle request of New Bern's hostile patriots.
After the Revolutionary War, commerce continued to grow. In 1819, regular steamboat service to New Bern was established. By 1851, it was reported that more than 100,000 barrels of turpentine, 35,000 barrels of resin, 1,900 bales of cotton, and 275,000 shingles had recently passed through the port. The Civil War brought occupation by Union forces, but New Bern continued to progress even after the war.
New Bern can boast several inventors among its one-time citizens. James Gill invented the revolver here in 1829, and Frederick Lente, born in 1823, devised a machine to transfuse blood. Caleb Bradham formulated the first Pepsi-Cola in New Bern during 1898 and served the drink at a downtown drugstore.
The first free public school in North Carolina was established in New Bern in 1766 by Dr. Elias Haroes. For many years, New Bern was known as "the Athens of North Carolina" because of the great local interest in education.
New Bern survives not only as a modern city but as a reminder of a storied past. Today, many buildings more than 200 years old are still standing.
New Bern, North Carolina
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