Giving Diligence its Due by Claudia Houston, Historian, New Bern Historical Society Did you know that Founding Father Alexander Hamilton features in one of Gertrude Carraway’s list of impressive New Bern Firsts?* This connection dates back to Treasury Secretary Hamilton’s 1790 establishment of a revenue cutter service, the precursor to the United States Coast Guard. […]
This Month in New Bern History – February 2024 Read More »
What’s in a Name? by Claudia Houston, Historian, New Bern Historical Society 1862 Plan of the Battle of Newberne “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet.” ― William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet Among the questions we are asked the most are “Why is New
This Month in New Bern History – January 2024 Read More »
To Love and to Cherish, ’til Death do us Part by Claudia Houston, Historian, New Bern Historical Society Photo courtesy of Afroculture.net Our 3d annual History Quest historical scavenger hunt featured the touching story of Zelmyra and Herbert Fisher, a local couple buried side by side in a small James City cemetery. The Fishers have the
This Month in New Bern History – December 2023 Read More »
Giving Thanks in the Midst of War by Claudia Houston, Historian, New Bern Historical Society Alfred R Waud sketch, Thanksgiving 1861, courtesy of the Library of Congress via www.ancientfaces.com During November our thoughts often turn to family, food and home in preparation for Thanksgiving. Although we often associate the story of the Pilgrims’
This Month in New Bern History – November 2023 Read More »
With a Name Like Schmocker… er, Bern, It Has to be Good by Claudia Houston, Historian, New Bern Historical Society New Bern, NC City Hall clock tower; photo courtesy https://downtownnewbernhistory. blogspot.com/2012/06 The April 1, 1982, New Bern Sun Journal newspaper had an interesting article about the number of towns, cities, townships, and other geographic entities
This Month in New Bern History – Oct 2023 Read More »
High Hopes and Steadfast Belief by Claudia Houston, Historian, New Bern Historical Society Map courtesy David Rumsey Historic Map Collection; https://davidrumsey.oldmapsonline.org/. At the start of the Civil War in 1861, the small towns of Deer Isle, Maine and Charlotte, North Carolina were about as far apart geographically, ideologically, and socioeconomically as they could be. Situated
This Month in New Bern History – Sep 2023 Read More »
Celebrities Who Served by Claudia Houston, Historian, New Bern Historical Society A number of men and women who have served in the military in North Carolina became famous for their careers in film, sports, and NASA. How many of these stories do you know? Old-time movie aficionados will remember the matinee idol Tyrone Power, the
This Month in New Bern History – Aug 2023 Read More »
A Grand House Finds A Home by Claudia Houston, Historian, New Bern Historical Society Photo credit Ben Lindemann, New Bern, @benlindemannphotography The Historical Society’s 100th Anniversary celebration continues and with it comes an opportunity to reflect upon our long history as an organization. The Society had a rousing start, but due to the Depression and
This Month in New Bern History – July 2023 Read More »
Recollections of My Slavery Days by Claudia Houston, Historian, New Bern Historical Society “I have lived through the greatest epoch in history, having been born August 10, 1835, at Newbern, North Carolina. That was not so many years, you see, after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence and the winning of the Revolutionary War.
This Month in New Bern History – June 2023 Read More »
Another New Bern History Mystery by Claudia Houston, Historian, New Bern Historical Society Poster published on behalf of the Naval Rendezvous, New Berne, North Carolina, 2 November 1863. Photograph from the Naval Records Collection in the U.S. National Archives. During the Civil War, women were not allowed to enlist in the military. In previous articles
This Month in New Bern History – May 2023 Read More »
