This Month

On March 14, 1862, Kady McKenzie Brownell became known as the “Heroine of the Battle of New Bern.”  Kady McKenzie was born in a tent on a battlefield in Caffaria, South Africa, the daughter of a French mother who died shortly after giving birth.  Her father, Colonel George Southwell, a Scotsman, gave Kady to the […]

On February 8, 1864 the 35th Regiment of the United States Colored Infantry was organized. This Regiment was formed from the 1st North Carolina Colored Volunteers established in New Bern in 1863.  At the beginning of the Civil War, African Americans were not permitted to serve in the armed forces of the United States. Congress

A small article appeared in the 13 Jan 1897 Daily Journal (New Bern, Wed. p.2) stating “Notice is hereby given that application will be made to the next General Assembly of the State of North Carolina to change and amend the Charter of the city of New Berne.” At the next meeting in 1897, the

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