Photo by Bryan Lopez on Unsplash.com A Blast from the Past by Claudia Houston, Historian, New Bern Historical Society On December 27, 1909, the New Bern Daily Journal reported that the day after Christmas, New Bern was treated to a display of Chinese fireworks “that was the grandest display of any kind of fireworks ever seen
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The Circus is Coming to Town! by Claudia Houston, Historian, New Bern Historical Society If you were living in New Bern in 1884, what would you do for entertainment? You might attend concerts and plays at the Masonic Theater, take part in boat excursions or picnics organized by a civic group or church, or if
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A Man With a Vision by Claudia Houston, Historian, New Bern Historical Society New Bern’s history is replete with tales of ordinary men and women who do fascinating and extraordinary things. Our story this month is about a man whose visionary invention could have changed the course of history. Who was this man? Keep reading!
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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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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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