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New Bern, the Newtons, and the Underground Railroad NBHS Historian/Claudia Houston New Bern has long stood as a crossroad of risk and resilience and a waterway toward liberty for many. From the meeting of the Neuse and Trent Rivers to the broad Atlantic the waterfront was a place where Black watermen, ship captains, abolitionists, and […]

From Academy Green to Independence Hall-New Bern and the French Connection NBHS Historian/Claudia Houston As July 4th approaches, interest in the Revolutionary War and New Bern’s role in it grows. What part did this coastal town play in the struggle for independence? New Bern was home to Loyalists and Patriots alike. In the wake of

Unearthed Honor: Major Allen G. Oden NBHS Historian/Claudia Houston Greenwood Cemetery on Cypress Street is a historic Black burial ground whose years are shown by sunken stones, letters worn by weather and memorials broken. A few years ago, volunteers with brushes and trowels cleaned headstones to better reveal the identities of the soldiers buried there.

Let the Horse Decide: Fuller’s Music Story NBHS Historian/Claudia Houston At a fork on a sandy road outside Bridgeton, a wagon creaked to a halt. George Reid Fuller Sr., with a pump organ in tow and a horse out front, loosened the reins and let fate—or rather, the horse—choose the way. Left meant Vanceboro; right

The Night New Bern “Switched-On” Christmas! NBHS Historian/Claudia Houston Have you ever wondered how we celebrated the holidays in the past compared to how we do so now?  How did some of these traditions start in New Bern?  Every year, a public tree is put up downtown, and a celebratory tree lighting takes place to

A Pulitzer, a Love Story, and New Bern’s Link to the Wall Street Journal NBHS Historian/Claudia Houston New Bern has a knack for attracting fascinating people. Some are born here, some pass through, and others find themselves drawn back later in life. Two of those people lead us straight from East Front Street to the

The Forgotten Keepers of the Light   NBHS Historian/Claudia Houston The lighthouses of North Carolina helped guide ships through treacherous waters, and lighthouse keepers tended their lights with quiet dedication. Among these unsung guardians were two sisters from New Bern—Martha Annie and Susan Dena McCotter. Their remarkable yet forgotten contributions helped keep sailors safe along the

A Day of Infamy   NBHS Historian/Claudia Houston On December 7, 1941, two young men from Craven County died after a surprise attack by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, propelling the United States into WWII.  President Franklin Roosevelt, in an address to Congress and the nation, announced, “Yesterday, December 7, 1941-a date which will live

Concrete Ships Ahoy! by Claudia Houston, Historian, New Bern Historical Society Photo of the concrete boats from the John B. Green Collection #380.2.b in the Manuscripts and Rare Books Department at ECU, J.Y. Joyner Library, Greenville, NC 27858. These four ships are the four 150’ concrete riverboats built at Wilmington. Did you know that the