Paving Paradise
NBHS Historian/Claudia Houston
At the end of the 19th century, East Front Street was a bucolic and lovely road with stately homes overlooking the Neuse River. Cows could be seen roaming the streets at one time, while businesses and factories were located down the street at Union Point.
One of the loveliest homes of that era was the S.S. Nelson house which was designed in the early 1880’s by the firm of Sloan and Balderston. It was built for Mary Speight Donnell Shephard, the widow of Samuel Stewart Nelson, member of a prominent family in New Bern. Mrs. Shephard was elderly at the time she moved into the house in 1833, and she died soon after, leaving her home to her daughter Margaret Donnell Shephard Nelson. Mr. Sloan designed two other buildings in New Bern that are still in existence: the Bell Building and the Craven County Courthouse. This Nelson home at the intersection of Broad and East Front Street was designed in the Second Empire style of building and it overlooked the Neuse River.
In 1919, Margaret D. Nelson offered the purchase of her home to the Sudan Shriners. At a meeting held in Wrightsville Beach, NC on September 1, 1919, it was voted to purchase the property offered by Margaret D. Nelson for the sum of $42,500.00, This home became Sudan Shriners headquarters and was officially known as the Shrine Home until 1957. As the organization grew, the Sudan Shriners decided to build a large Temple, and the Shrine House was razed to make a lot next to the new Headquarters.
The new temple was met with some skepticism as it looked vastly different from the old historic homes of New Bern. New Bernians were quick to proclaim their love for the Shriners-they were just not crazy about the style of this new building. In time though, the building became quite iconic and the news that it was soon to be razed due to hurricane damage was met with many who desired that somehow it could be preserved.
The Temple had suffered damage over the years from several hurricanes, but in September 2018, Hurricane Florence left four feet of water in the 44,000 square foot structure for several days destroying all the original utilities in the building and destroying the contents of the entire bottom floor. The Shriners could find no way to rebuild this structure and in 2023 the Craven County Board of Commissioners purchased the property owned by the Sudan Shriners for 6 million dollars.
First the Nelson House and then the Sudan Temple have graced the corner of Broad and East Front Street for over one hundred and forty years between them. Change is inevitable and sometimes Mother Nature hastens that change. It is good that we have these photographs to show us what was.
[Information and images courtesy of Craven County Library, Kellenberger Research Room]