All About New Bern

300 Years of History - New Bern North Carolina

New Bern, the second oldest city in North Carolina, was settled in 1710 by German Palatine and Swiss colonists led by Baron Christophe von Graffenreid. He purchased the land from the Tuscarora Indians who had a small settlement here known as Chattawka, which meant "where the fish are taken out." As a point of interest, the oldest water elm tree in the US still stands in the historic section of downtown, and under that tree the treaty with the Indians was signed!

Named for the city of Bern Switzerland, the town was located on the triangle of land where the Trent and Neuse Rivers meet. The original settlers suffered with the climate, a lack of provisions, diseases and Indian problems. Namely, the Tuscarora War broke up in 1713. A tour of an archeological dig concerning this war is here. Among the finds pictured on this site was a vase taken from New Bern, which was recorded in a bill of lading coming from Europe. It was with masts made from the tall pine trees taken from the former Tuscarora hunting grounds that the English came to rule the waves, a little known fact that changed world history.

A "Carolina Charter" was issued by King Charles II after he was restored to the throne in 1660 granting his loyal supporters and drinking buddies, (The Lords Proprietor) wide areas of land in the New World. The Carolina Charter spread from Virginia to the Spanish border of Florida. The name Carolina came from "Carolus", the Latin word for Charles. William, Earl of Craven was one of the original Lords Proprietor and Craven County bears his name.

The royal governor William Tryon, saw the need for a permanent capital in the growing colony and selected New Bern as the site. Tryon Palace, first colonial and state capital building of North Carolina was designed by the English architect, John Hawks. the palace was completed in 1770. It was a political center during the Revolution, the then governor fled the capitol for safety in 1775, and the port sheltered many privateers during that War. Even before the Revolutionary War.

New Bern was known and visited by the pirates who terrorized the Carolina shoreline. Nearby Beaufort has one of Blackbeard's houses, "Hammock House" where purportedly his men and/or a wife stayed on shore leave. Blackbeard's famous ship "Queen Anne's Revenge" was discovered in the shallow waters off the Beaufort coast.

After the Revolution, New Bern became wealthy and developed a rich cultural life. In fact, at one time New Bern was called "the Athens of the South." The Tryon Palace was the capital of the independent State of North Carolina. It is a town of many firsts: The first school to be chartered in North Carolina, first Roman Catholic church and the first Jewish synagogue in North Carolina. Renowned in the South were the Masonic Temple and the Athens Theater, both still very active in the town.

Union forces (called "federals" at the time) captured New Bern early in the Civil War (March 14, 1862). The officers occupied the larger homes in the town, and the town was filled with Union troops for the rest of the War. For this reason, there was less damage to New Bern than to many small Southern towns.

After the difficulty of Reconstruction, New Bern came to life again and by 1916, there were 16 lumber mills here. A thriving pitch and turpentine trade was established. It was also a source of seafood that was shipped far and wide.