At the Forefront of History by Claudia Houston, Historian, New Bern Historical Society Abraham Galloway was a slave, abolitionist, spy, recruiter, and political leader who had tremendous influence in New Bern and coastal North Carolina during the Civil War. When he died unexpectedly, he was only 33 years of age. On September 1, 1870, over […]
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A New Bern Trailblazer by Claudia Houston, Historian, New Bern Historical Society Photo courtesy of https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/battle-samuel-james-1883-1966/ Samuel J. Battle was born in New Bern on January 16, 1883. Weighing in at 16 pounds, he was recorded as the largest baby born in North Carolina. Samuel would eventually grow to be 6″3″ tall and over 280
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Independence Day in History by Claudia Houston, Historian, New Bern Historical Society Courtesy vintageholidaycrafts.com We always enjoy reading about how the New Bern of yesteryear loved celebrations and parties. What better time for festivities than the Fourth of July? We all have recollections of the Fourth of July – parades, baseball, barbecue, and fireworks. Was
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A Giant Career (and it all began here) by Claudia Houston, Historian, New Bern Historical Society Art Devlin 1911, from the Bain News Service, courtesy Wikipedia It is always astonishing to learn of the many men and women from outside New Bern who found their way here and left a lasting impression. There have been
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A New Bern History Mystery by Claudia Houston, Historian, New Bern Historical Society New Bern has had many “firsts” over the years – among them, first printing press and postal service in North Carolina and first registered nurse in America. In January 1829 New Bern celebrated the arrival of a another exciting historical premier. However,
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The Elusive Veiled Lady by Claudia Houston, Historian, New Bern Historical Society On April 14, 1865 President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth. A massive investigation to determine whether Booth acted alone resulted in the conviction of eight co-conspirators. Four were hung, including boarding house owner Mary Surratt. You may remember these details
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by Claudia Houston, Historian, New Bern Historical Society Old City Hall building circa 1983 You’ve walked past it countless times — you know, the big red brick building on the 200 block of Craven Street with “City Hall” emblazoned near the roof. Built in about 1817, the Stephens Brick Block building is considered the earliest
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Band of Brothers by Claudia Houston, Historian, New Bern Historical Society While the inhumanity of war is clear, sometimes acts of humanity during war take us by surprise. One such example is that of Confederate Captain Mayo and his captor, Union Major W. B. Lowell. This is their story. A map of the battlefield, based
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by Claudia Houston, Historian, New Bern Historical Society In February 1864, in an ironic turn of events, the Tuscarora Indians participated in a pivotal Civil War battle on the very land near New Bern that they had been forced to leave nearly 150 years prior. Isaac Newton “Newt” Parker, Co. D, 132nd NY Infantry. Courtesy
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by Claudia Houston, Historian, New Bern Historical Society During the 1890’s in New Bern there was a large middle class of African American businesspeople who needed not only goods but services and institutions that would meet their specific needs. One such institution began with great promise, but by January of 1915 had to close its
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