This Month

December 1, 1922 started out in anticipatory fashion as over 400 people from New Bern left for Raleigh to attend the Eastern Carolina Football Championship between New Bern and Sanford. By the end of the day, New Bern would suffer from the worst fire in North Carolina history, leaving 3,200 — one fourth of the […]

On November 26, 1787, in New Bern, a judicial milestone was set in the landmark case of Bayard vs. Singleton. The case is significant not just for the judicial precedent set in this case, but also for the number of attorneys and judges who played major roles in the history and development of our new

On September 1, 1870, Abraham Galloway — slave, abolitionist, spy, recruiter, and political leader — died in Wilmington, NC. He was only thirty-three years old when he succumbed to fever and jaundice. He was born to a white father and a black mother, who was a slave in Smithville, NC. His owner allowed him to

Samuel J. Battle, born January 16, 1883 in New Bern, was recorded as the largest baby born in NC at 16 pounds. He would grow to be 6”3” tall and over 280 pounds. By the time he died in New York City on August 7, 1966, he was a legend in the NYC Police Department.

Another New Bern First In 1749, the North Carolina Assembly voted to create the office of public printer so that a printing of revised colony laws could be completed. They chose James Davis, who was originally from Williamsburg, and had apprenticed under William Parks, the first printer in Virginia. Davis brought his press and type

The afternoon of May 26, 1864 seemed like any other day for the Union soldiers in camp near Bachelor’s Creek. Soldiers and civilians alike began to assemble near the railroad tracks to await the train that would arrive at 4 pm from New Bern. Some were hoping for letters or packages, and some just wanted

During this month in history, one of the biggest celebrations in New Bern occurred at the completion of the Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad from Goldsboro to New Bern on April 29, 1858. Fifty-one men were part of the committee to plan and provide the celebration. John D. Whitford, who was president of the railroad,

In March 1938, Our State Magazine published an article entitled, “New Bern Has History Month” written by local historian Gertrude Sprague Carraway. According to Ms. Carraway, this was the second year in a row that New Bern was observing “History Month.” What exactly did that entail? An initial program was given at a public meeting