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This Month in New Bern – March 2020

· March 1, 2020

This Month in New Bern - March 2020
Claudia Houston-New Bern Historical Society

During March of 1862 a meeting took place in New Bern which would have historical significance well after the end of the Civil War. What was this meeting about and who were the participants?

When the Civil War began in 1861, regiments were formed in villages and towns. As local and State militia were mustered into service, they were accompanied by their bands. Bands were highly valued as they not only participated in ceremonies and parades but were helpful in recruiting soldiers and raising money.

Members of the Salem Band in 1862 on furlough. Courtesy of the Moravian Music Foundation. In Salem, North Carolina, the Salem Band was composed of Moravian Pacifists, German Methodists known for their musical prowess. The Captain of the Band, Samuel Timothy Mickey, wanted to enlist with a regiment to assist the Confederate cause. The band was originally recruited by a North Carolina unit, Wheeler’s Battalion, but that unit was captured at Roanoke Island by the Union Army. In March of 1862 Captain Mickey met with Colonel Zebulon Vance at the Gaston Hotel in New Bern and requested that the band join the 26^th North Carolina Infantry. Vance agreed and the band became the 26^th North Carolina Regimental Band. There were originally eight members of the band, but they eventually became twelve. They were the smallest band in either Army.

The band departed Salem on March 5, 1862 and headed for Camp Branch at New Bern. The band was one of the best uniformed as they had non-regulation uniforms of Cadet jeans, brass buttons and capes. The first engagement for the 26^thNorth Carolina Infantry was at the Battle of New Bern on March 14, 1862. The band was drilling and almost captured during this Confederate defeat, but the band evacuated to Goldsboro, later joined by the rest of the regiment.

Band members did not fight; they served as musicians or medical aides. Their military duties included calls that announced the hours and duties of the day and transmitted orders while in camp or on the battlefield; and assisting surgeons by acting as stretcher bearers, clearing the field of wounded, acting as medics and burying the dead.

The 26^th North Carolina Infantry and band initially stayed primarily in North Carolina but as the war progressed, found themselves engaged in battles at Malvern Hill, Gettysburg, the Wilderness and the defense of Petersburg, Virginia. At Gettysburg, after the assault on Cemetery Ridge known as Pickett’s Charge, the 26^th North Carolina Infantry was decimated and suffered the greatest loss of any Confederate or Federal regiment on any day of the war. As the survivors of the assault returned, the band played “Nearer my God to Thee.”

After the evacuation of Petersburg, the band was captured near Amelia Courthouse, Virginia in the closing week of the war there. They were imprisoned at Point Lookout, Maryland for three months. They were released without their instruments and returned home to Salem on July 2, 1865. However, they returned home with their band books -the only known complete set of band books from any Civil War Regiment. This set of band books has great historical significance as a source of southern music and band history and is proudly owned by the Moravian Music Foundation, located in Winston-Salem, NC.

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This Month in New Bern, February 2020

Posted by NBHS OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR

· February 1, 2020

What Happened in New Bern in February By Claudia Houston, New Bern Historical Society

In February of 1902 an elderly black man died and his obituary was posted in the local newspaper. He was born a slave and was greatly respected by blacks and whites. Who was this man?

On February 2, 1902, The Daily Journal, New Bern, page 4 announced:

Thomas C. Battle an old and respected colored citizen died here yesterday and his funeral will be held at St. Peter’s AME Zion Church, tomorrow at 9pm. Battle was one of the founders of St. Peter’s church after the war, and before the war was a member of Centenary Church of this city when whites and blacks both attended, he joining Centenary in 1848. Battle was a brick mason, and has assisted in the construction of many buildings in this city. He was about 78 years old.

Thomas Custis Battle Sr. was born into slavery in 1825. Although enslaved, he was able to earn a living as a brick layer whose skills, like many other black artisans of the time, were in constant demand. Thomas had twenty-six children from three relationships. His last wife, Anna Vashti Velmar, also born into slavery, married him in 1869 while she was 19 and he was 45 and she would bear fifteen children. As was custom among many artisans, Thomas passed many of his trade skills to his children, but he also encouraged their education.

Thomas saved his masonry income and purchased his emancipation as well as a home at 8 Primrose Street. Thomas was self-educated and devoted to his Church. In the 1800’s the majority of blacks, whether free or enslaved, attended the Methodist meeting house on Hancock Street known as Andrew Chapel. In 1843 there was a split in the church between northern and southern congregations due to the issue of slavery. The whites in New Bern constructed a new sanctuary and the blacks retained the old one. After the Union occupation of New Bern, the church was renamed Andrews Chapel. James Walker Hood was appointed missionary to North Carolina and led the movement which united Andrews Chapel with the AME Zion Church. The black congregation focused on building a new church in the early 1870’s when the whites informed the blacks they wanted to reclaim the Hancock Street building. The church was completed and dedicated in 1886 as the St. Peter’s AME Zion Church. Bricklayer Thomas C. Battle Sr. was one of a number of artisan activists who became leaders in this new church and he soon became a Minister at St. Peter’s.

Unfortunately, oppressive Jim Crow laws led many blacks to leave New Bern during the Great Migration north, including many of the Battle children. One of Thomas’ sons, Samuel Jesse Battle, broke the color barrier in New York City by becoming the first black police officer, Sergeant, Lieutenant and Parole Commissioner.

Skilled artisan, minister, respected political activist, proud father - Thomas Battle left an impressive and lasting legacy in New Bern.

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This Month in New Bern, January 2020

Posted by NBHS OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR

· January 1, 2020

What Happened in New Bern in January

By Claudia Houston, New Bern Historical Society

Photo 1: Early daguerreotype of two unknown soldiers courtesy of Heritage Auctions.

The month of January is significant for several reasons to an early New Bern photographer. Who is he and what was his role in New Bern’s history? On January 14 of 1858, JW Watson announced that he “renovated and refitted … for the advancement of the Photographic Art; his Daguerrean Gallery over the Store of J. Whaley, on Craven Street….” Up to that time, Mr. Watson had been a traveling Daguerrean working in Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia. He settled in New Bern in the late 1850’s and early 1860’s prior to the Union occupation of New Bern. His was one of many Daguerrean studios in New Bern during this period.

Daguerreotypes were developed during the 1830’s and introduced in America in 1839. They were made from copper plates covered with silver and after a photo was processed it had a decorative mat placed over it, usually made of copper. A plate of glass was then placed on top of the photo due to the fragility of the daguerreotype. Daguerreotypes were extremely popular through the 1860’s but were then replaced by less expensive methods of photography.

During January of 1860, Mr. Watson notified residents that he would be discontinuing his business and offered to sell or rent his six room home on Craven Street along with all of his photographic apparatus, promising to give anyone who purchased his stock and materials instruction in photography. Mr. Watson left New Bern but announced in the paper on September 28, 1860 that he had returned in good health and was refitting his Gallery on Craven Street and would be making miniatures to life-sized photographs. By September 3, 1861 he requested that customers call only between the hours of 8 am and 5 pm as he would be closing his shop at 5 pm in order to drill with a military company. In October 1861, Watson placed another notice in the paper informing the public that he had renovated and refitted his gallery and had all “improvements necessary to serve the public with Photographs, Ambrotypes and Daguerreotypes etc. in as good a style as they can be made in North or South.” He also stated he could enlarge small pictures and having them colored in oil, watercolors or India ink.

Mr. Watson joined the Confederate Army at New Bern on January 27, 1862. He joined the 2^nd Artillery 36^th NC Regiment, Company F, also known as the Cape Fear Regiment of Artillery. On January 15, 1865 he was captured by Union troops at Fort Fisher. Mr. Watson was sent to Elmira prison in New York as a prison of war but returned home in July after signing an oath of allegiance. He moved his studio to Fayetteville Street in Raleigh, NC where he remained until his death. On April 4, 1889 Mr. John W. Watson, aged 61, died in Raleigh and his obituary stated, “Mr. Watson was a photographer and was well known not only in Raleigh, but throughout the State. Mr. Watson is buried at Oakwood Cemetery in Raleigh.” (Weekly State Chronicle, Raleigh, 05 Apr 1889)

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This Month in New Bern, December 2019

Posted by NBHS OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR

· December 1, 2019

What Happened in New Bern in December
By Claudia Houston, New Bern Historical Society 2019
On December 5, 1984 the first Coastal Carolina Celebration Tree Lighting was held in downtown New Bern. The New Bern downtown area was in decline, but many remembered bygone Christmas seasons when Santa had a little house on Middle Street, there was always a parade, and the Mollie Heath Tree was decorated with lights. The Mollie Heath Tree was named for Miss Mary Hall Heath, a revered first grade schoolteacher who was so beloved by her students and community that in the first half of the nineteenth century, a special cedar tree was planted in her honor and memory in
the Christ Episcopal Church yard.

In September of 1984 a Swiss Bear Christmas Committee was organized and granted permission by Christ Church to decorate the Mollie Heath Tree. A Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony was added to be held on the evening of December 5th. Strings of colored lights were donated and the City agreed to hang them on the tree.

Harold Talton, Chairman of Swiss Bear, agreed to be Santa Claus. The program was scheduled to begin at 5:30 pm with performances by the New Bern High School band and drill team, the Centenary Church Children’s bell choir and others. Everyone was to then parade from Middle Street to the corner of Pollock Street with all singing “Here Comes Santa Claus.” Two drill team members would pull Santa on the sleigh and when he arrived at the church corner, Reverend Ed Sharp, Rector of Christ Church, was to give a Christmas blessing and then Santa was to turn on the lights of the Mollie Heath Tree.

On the same day that the celebration was scheduled, it was learned that the City finished hanging wreaths on the light poles but had not yet turned on any of the lights contained in the wreaths. It was decided to connect the lighting of both the Christmas tree and the wreaths to a timer so that when Santa flipped a switch all the lights would go on.

At noon on December 5, the temperature began to drop, and it began to sleet. By 5 pm the children were freezing and crying and the musicians were having difficulty playing. It was decided to cut the performances and everyone paraded to the Pollock/Middle Street intersection. Reverend Sharp gave his blessing and everyone waited in anticipation but when Santa flicked the switch nothing happened. He tried again but again nothing happened. Finally someone realized that the timer had been set for the lights to go on at 6:30 pm, the intended time according to the original program. Since the initial part of the program was shortened, the lighting finale was 15 to 20 minutes early. Someone attempted to contact City Hall to move the timer ahead, but by the time this was accomplished, the freezing and disappointed crowd had dispersed. When the lights finally came on, only five people remained to see it.

The December 20, 1984 Swiss Bear Board minutes contained a brief entry… Christmas Committee-Agenda item #8…Linda Morris reported, “Our committee learned from our mistakes this year and will meet in January to plan for next year.”

As you stroll through the streets of downtown New Bern during the holidays, be sure to stop by the Christ Church grounds at the corner of Middle and Pollock Streets, where the majestic Mollie Heath Tree still stands in all its glory, conjuring warm memories of Christmas past.

(Information for this article from the History of the Revitalization of Downtown New Bern NC blog, December 18, 2013 by Susan Moffat-Thomas)

Categories : Announcements, Events, This Month

This Month in New Bern, November 2019

Posted by NBHS OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR

· November 8, 2019

By Claudia Houston, New Bern Historical Society

A young African American barber from New Bern died in France in this month, 101 years ago. His name is etched on a monument at the Craven County Courthouse. Who was he and what was his story?

Born in December 1896, Castillia Henry grew up with his parents and siblings at 90 ½ Queen Street in New Bern. His father, Castillia Henry Sr., had a variety of jobs: as a drayman (wagon driver), porter, and stevedore. His mother, Henrietta Fisher Henry, died prior to 1910 and Castillia continued to reside with his father and siblings. During this period he became a barber, working with his brother Amos.

During April 1917, President Woodrow Wilson declared war on Germany. Castillia registered for the draft and on 1 April 1918 was inducted into the Army in New Bern. He was sent to Camp Grant, Rockford, Illinois to begin training, and within two months found himself on board the Agamemnon on his way to France, along with other members of Company A of the 365^th Infantry, 92^nd Division of the Army.

The 92nd Infantry Division consisted of approximately fifteen thousand officers and soldiers. The Division was organized in October 1917 at Camp Funston, Kansas and included African American soldiers from all parts of the United States. Units were segregated and due to prejudices of the era, most African Americans were assigned to labor companies. The 92^nd and 93^rd Divisions were the only all African American divisions allowed in combat in the United States Army during World War I. Before they left for France in 1918, the 92^nd received the name “Buffalo Soldier Division” as a tribute to the Buffalo soldier regiments that fought in the US Army on the frontier during westward expansion. Native Americans had dubbed them Buffalo soldiers due to their tenaciousness as well as their physical appearance.

Castillia’s unit was deployed to the front lines in France during August 1918 as part of the American Expeditionary Forces, which fought alongside the British and French armies in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, one of the last Allied offenses of the War. This immense military offensive began on September 26 and ended when Armistice was declared on November 11, 1918. The deadliest campaign in US history, the offensive claimed the lives of over 26,000 American soldiers. The last push took place from November 10-11 and the 92^nd Division was ordered to take the heights in Champey. During this mission, on November 10, 21-year-old Private Castillia Henry was killed in action. Sadly, it was just one day before the Armistice.

Henry was buried at the American Cemetery in St. Mihiel, France. On 13 May 1921, his remains were disinterred and sent to Antwerp to be transported aboard the Wheaton to Hoboken, New Jersey. His body was received by his father on 30 July 1921 and Private Castillia Henry was finally laid to rest at New Bern National Cemetery, Section 12, Grave 3434. His name was later engraved on the World War I monument on the grounds of the Craven County Courthouse which honors those who lost their lives in the Great War.

During this month of Thanksgiving, let us remember young Castillia Henry and all those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom. Grave of Castillia Henry, killed in action in France, November 10, 1918.

Categories : Announcements, This Month

This Month in New Bern, October 2019

Posted by NBHS OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR

· October 1, 2019

This Month in New Bern - October

By Claudia Houston, New Bern Historical Society 2019

Two Carteret County men who came to New Bern in the 1800’s established lucrative businesses and eventually became partners, leading to a historic event of the Civil War in eastern North Carolina. Who were these men and what was significant about the month of October 1862?

Thomas Sparrow Howard began his marine business in New Bern and by 1860 he employed 25 workmen in his shipyard. Elijah W. Ellis came to New Bern in the early 19^th century and established a turpentine manufacturing business. These two successful men eventually entered into a shipyard partnership. On October 17, 1862 a contract between Howard & Ellis Shipbuilders of New Bern and the Naval Department of the Confederacy was signed. The Confederate Navy commissioned the building of an iron gunboat, the CSS Neuse, to help prevent the Union from further occupying eastern Carolina via its rivers and shores. Although the United States Navy had clear superiority due to their vast number of ships, the Confederate Navy hoped to reduce that advantage by building ironclads since they had already been proven in battle.

Howard and Ellis chose a piece of ground along the north side of the Neuse as a construction site across from the small village of Whitehall, now known as Seven Springs. The timber was supplied locally and the keel was laid by November 1862. Work continued throughout several months, and by February 1863, Howard & Ellis Shipbuilders were given their third and fourth payments from the Naval Department. During April of 1864, the CSS Neuse was completed and patrolled the Neuse River, but in its attempt to navigate to New Bern to retake the town, it became stuck on a sand bar half a mile below Kinston. When the CSS Neuse was finally freed a month later, there was no hope to retake the town from Federal forces. Toward the end of the war, the CSS Neuse was involved in the Battle of Wyse’s Forks just outside of Kinston. The men were instructed to destroy the gunboat to avoid capture and the crew scuttled it on March 11, 1865 and it sank to the bottom of the river. The ship was recovered from the Neuse River by a few local men assisted by the community between 1961-63. The State of North Carolina acquired control of the CSS Neuse in 1964 and what is now known as the CSS Neuse Civil War Interpretive Center officially opened in 1966.

So what about Ellis and Howard? After the Civil War ended, Elijah W. Ellis requested reimbursement for his losses during the war, but he was denied by the Federal Government. Ellis continued his naval stores businesses, died a wealthy man and was buried at Cedar Grove Cemetery. Thomas S. Howard remained involved in cotton ginning, grist and saw milling as well as ship building and accumulating property. He was married several times and, ironically, his last marriage was to Elijah Ellis’ daughter, Ann. He served the city for many years as a councilman, then Mayor. Howard died suddenly in December 1890 at the age of 69, and was also buried at Cedar Grove Cemetery.

Categories : Events, This Month

This Month in New Bern, September 2019

Posted by NBHS OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR

· September 1, 2019

This Month in New Bern - September

By Claudia Houston, New Bern Historical Society

Born in the month of September, a thirteen term U.S. Representative from New Bern left an immense economic legacy in eastern Carolina that lasts to this day. Who was this man and what did he do to benefit this area?

Graham Arthur Barden was born in Turkey Township, Sampson County, on September 26, 1896. He served in the Navy during WWI and in 1920 graduated with a law degree from the University of North Carolina. He established a law practice in New Bern the same year and also began to teach at the high school. He became the high school football coach and coached New Bern teams to finals in football, baseball, and basketball. His happy-go-lucky disposition earned him the nickname “Hap.” Barden was the football coach during 1922 when New Bern played in the eastern championship game in Raleigh. During the game a devastating fire soon dubbed the “Great Fire” had broken out in New Bern and the fans heard about it when a Raleigh newspaper “Extra" addition was distributed around the stadium. When the coach heard about the fire he sent someone out and bought every paper in the stadium so his team wouldn't hear about it. New Bern won the game 6-0 and anxiously headed home when the news was shared.

Barden soon became a Craven County Judge. He ran and served as a state legislator and in January of 1935 was elected to Congress as a Democrat, representing North Carolina’s Third Congressional District. He was incredibly popular and was elected and reelected with little or no campaigning on his part. He became an expert in education and labor and soon became the head of the powerful Education and Labor Committee for a decade. He helped to pass the Barden-LaFollette Act which made vocational training possible for all types of physically handicapped people and he also led the passage of the Taft-Hartley Act as well as the Landum-Griffin Act which were designed to control corruption in labor unions.

Barden was described in his day as an ultra-conservative. He distrusted bureaucracy in Washington, as well as inflation and corruption and did not want governmental intrusion in the everyday life of his constituents. While not all of his positions were universally popular, he was deeply admired for his devotion to the people and well-being of eastern North Carolina. His most enduring legacy was the acquisition during his tenure as congressman of three major military bases during the 1940’s: Cherry Point Marine Air Station in Havelock, Camp Lejeune Marine Base in Jacksonville, and Seymour Johnson Air Force base in Goldsboro. The eastern Carolina area had suffered huge economic losses in such areas as tobacco, textile and manufacturing. The acquisition of those military bases provided employment for thousands of eastern north Carolinians and a huge economic boon for the area. Thus, New Bernian Hap Barden’s legacy endures to this day.

Despite being begged by colleagues to remain in Congress, Graham Barden retired on January 3, 1961 and spent his remaining years with his family in New Bern, fishing on the Trent River. He died in 1967 and is buried at Cedar Grove Cemetery.

Categories : Announcements, Newsletter, This Month

This Month in New Bern, August 2019

Posted by NBHS OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR

· August 1, 2019

This Month in New Bern – August 2019

By Claudia Houston, New Bern Historical Society

In the 1930’s, comedian and witty political commentator Will Rogers was quite popular. But during August of 1933, Rogers wrote a newspaper column about New Bern that created a furor. What happened and why?

Over the years New Bern became a busy trading center and needed governmental services such as a post office and courthouse. By the 1930’s the town had outgrown the 1897 building at the corner of Pollock and Craven Streets, so the U.S. Department of Treasury decided to build at a new location on Middle Street.

The new building was designed by local architect Robert F. Smallwood in 1933 and was planned and built using costly decorative materials like marble and bronze. By the time it opened on April 1, 1935 it cost just under $300,000, which made it one of the most expensive buildings in eastern Carolina. Quick to spot government waste and extravagance, Will Rogers lambasted the cost of the building as well as the Congressman who obtained the funding for it, though professing to not know his name. On August 27, 1933 he wrote in a national newspaper column,

“…how I ever overlooked a town that would demand a mail structure costing $260,249! Well it just shows that I evidently overlooked the metropolis of that fine old state. This name may hit you too as rather unique as your thoughts. Go to a roster of North Carolina citadels. It’s New Bern, NC. I repeat that, New Bern.” He then continued, “… an awful lot of people that like to write letters for no reason at all, and they seem to be in doubt as to who to write to, so I will ask anyone in that state of mental incapacity to please write to New Bern, NC. I hate to see a $260,249 post office not be slightly used anyhow. Now naturally the town (or city rather) being new to you, you won’t know who to write to. Well in that case I would write to their Congressman. I don’t know his name now, but he will become famous in a very short time, for he will not doubt have the capitol at Washington moved there.”

Making fun of Congressman Charles Abernathy was one thing, but making fun of the town was quite another. Residents flooded Rogers with letters that included Alderman John F. Rhodes, whose letter was posted on the front page of the New Bern Tribune on August 29, 1933. “It is a matter of keen regret that one so well read and extraordinarily traveled as yourself should have missed our fair city, the Athens of North Carolina. City Clerk is taking steps immediately to see this phase of your education is not longer neglected. You will receive literature on New Bern by airmail. We extend you invitation to be present at dedication of our post office unless old age prevents you from making trip.”

Rogers did post a public response but it did little to appease the hurt and indignant townspeople. Will Rogers did not attend the dedication of the Federal Building nor did he ever visit New Bern. It should be noted, however, that in 1973 this architecturally significant building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and still stands proudly today at 413 Middle Street.

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This Month in New Bern, June 2019

Posted by NBHS OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR

· June 4, 2019

What Happened in New Bern in June

by Claudia Houston, New Bern Historical Society

New Bern loves to celebrate! Our history is replete with stories of parties, balls, parades, tournaments and festivals. On June 11, 1929 one such elaborate celebration occurred. What was so special about our 219^th birthday?

The date was not especially significant, but the social and economic climate of the town was. The Roaring Twenties in New Bern was a time of optimism, idealism, and great economic growth. WWI was over, business was booming and New Bern was being touted as the ideal city to live, work and invest in, even being promoted as “The Land of Enchanting Waters.”

Twenty years prior, a young woman from Tennessee, Minnette Chapman, moved to New Bern as the young bride of Dr. Richard Duffy. She fell in love with New Bern and in 1923 organized and held the first meeting of the New Bern Historical Society in her home. During the 1920’s the Society grew and New Bernians began to develop a renewed interest in their past. In 1929, with Mrs. Duffy now the President of the New Bern Historical Society, plans were made for the June 11^th “New Bern Historic Celebration and Pageant of 1929,” celebrating the history of the town.

Approximately 10,000 people attended the spectacularly successful event, including Governor O. Max Gardner and his wife, the Secretary of the Swiss delegation in Washington, DC, members of Congress, former Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels, and descendants of Baron de Graffenreid, the founder of New Bern. On June 11 at 10:30am the Governor was greeted by a cannon salute and driven through the streets in an antique carriage.

A parade then ensued from George and Pollock Streets through the business and riverfront areas of the city. There were elaborate floats of all sizes depicting historical scenes from the past, with $200 in prize money being awarded for the best float. In the line of march came marshals on horseback, the Sudan patrol, the American Legion drum corps, Boy Scouts, city officials, fire department equipment, the crews of the Coast Guard cutters Apache and Pamlico along with many other groups, dignitaries and officials.

In late afternoon fourteen colonial homes, each with an American flag and soldier stationed outside, were open to visitors. At 8pm a historical review was held at Kafer Park. A crowd of 8,000 witnessed this event and the entire cast of 1,000 members participated in the last scene. A grand Colonial Ball then took place at 10 pm, also attended by the Governor.

The funding of the spectacular celebration also has special meaning in New Bern’s storied history. Mrs. Kate B. Reynolds of Winston-Salem underwrote the expenses for the parade and pageant, advancing $5000 for the event with the provision that any funds remaining be returned to her. After the event, $3500 was sent back to Mrs. Reynolds, who then returned the check as a donation “for the restoration of Tryon Palace.” Her very generous donation was the first such contribution to the thirty-year, multi-million-dollar effort, led by Mrs. Duffy, Miss Gertrude Carraway and several other visionaries. What a remarkable event and a pivotal time in New Bern’s history it was!

Categories : Events, This Month

This Month in New Bern, May 2019

Posted by NBHS OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR

· May 1, 2019

This Month in New Bern – May 2019

By Claudia Houston, New Bern Historical Society

In 1954 a young man quit his job as a truck driver and began singing professionally as “The Hillbilly Cat.” His first Sun studio recording “That’s All Right Mama” rose to the number three spot on the Country-and-Western-charts. Despite discouraging words from the Grand Ole Opry and rejection by New York City Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts, he made a six-state tour in 1955 with Hank Snow’s Jamboree. He would appear with them in New Bern in May 1955. His name -Elvis Presley.

As part of the Hank Snow several state Jamboree tour, Elvis Presley played in Jacksonville, Florida on May 13, 1955. At the end of the performance in front of 14,000 people he said “Girls, I’ll see you backstage.” That started a full scale riot in response and fans chased Elvis into his dressing room tearing off his clothes and shoes. At each concert that Elvis appeared in, the audience chanted his name and requested more playing time.

On May 14, 1955 Elvis Presley appeared at the Shriner’s Auditorium at the corner of East Front and Broad Street in New Bern. He played third bill, behind Hank Snow and Slim Whitman and he played two sets, one at 7 pm and one at 9pm. Tickets were $1 for general admission, $1.25 for reserved seating and children were admitted for 50 cents. Some locals later met Elvis at William’s restaurant (now the Chelsea) where he ate lunch and signed autographs. Although several ladies who attended the concert stated he brought the house down, there were no riots in New Bern.

At the end of the Hank Snow Jamboree, Elvis returned to Memphis. He soon left Sun records and negotiated a contract with RCA that brought him stardom. His first single with RCA, “Heartbreak Hotel” became his first gold record.

Elvis had a unique style of music and performance all his own - a combination of country and gospel. He danced around on stage shaking his hips and many adults were shocked by his music and dancing. When he appeared on TV, he was asked not to dance or was filmed from the waist up. Elvis began to appear on TV shows such as the Milton Berle Show, the Ed Sullivan Show and the Steve Allen Show. In addition to making records and performing concerts, Elvis began to star in movies. His first movie was Love Me Tender in 1956. He also sang the title song from this movie which went number one. Over the next 15 years, he starred in over 30 movies including Jailhouse Rock, Blue Hawaii, and Viva Las Vegas.

Elvis Presley was nominated for 14 Grammy awards, winning three times. He recorded forty top ten songs, including eighteen number one hits. He died of heart failure on August 16, 1977 largely due to increased weight and drug use and was buried at Graceland (the home he bought on the outskirts of Memphis, on March 17, 1955).

Elvis was one of the great musical icons of the 20^th Century and became known as the “King of Rock and Roll” or simply the “The King.” And now you know, sixty-four years ago this month, the “The King” performed in New Bern.

Categories : Announcements, Events, This Month

New Bern Historical Society

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