Swiss settlers, first led by naturalist explorer John Lawson and Swiss Christoph von Graffenried, built their town at the confluence of the Neuse and Trent rivers in 1710. Later, Col. Thomas Pollock, a wealthy landowner took over the leadership necessary to keep people both safe and interested in maintaining useful businesses trading with other coastal cities and with England. Before the settlers came, the Tuscarora Indian lived in the area and fished the waters around their town aptly named Chattoka, the Indian word for “where the fish are taken out.”
Upheaval of very long established Native American traditions began when Charles II of England created the Carolina Charter of 1660, granting vast areas called proprietorships in the New World to his eight noble advisers. Under Lord Proprietor William Craven, the area now including New Bern was explored, charted and publicized by Lawson before he brought settlers in.
From 1711 to the late 1720s, the Tuscarora, fought for their way of life. They lost their struggle to soldiers and Indians friendly to the British under Cols. John Barnwell and James Moore and were relocated to New York State. Until the late 1720s the Coree, a neighboring tribe, continued attacks and chased settlers off, leaving the city virtually uninhabited, although Pollock was selling lots from 1720 on.
Settlers dribbled in during the latter part of the decade, building the town value as a port and a political center from 1730 to 1754 when then Territorial Governor Dobbs established his New Bern residence. In 1765 Governor William Tryon saw to legislating New Bern as permanent capital of the colony, completed Tryon Palace in 1770 and enhanced a flourishing economic and cultural life in the city even though more centrally located Raleigh took the title capital in 1792. Until the abrupt decline in the mid-1830s, when Wilmington's deeper waters and railroad to Raleigh took major port business, New Bern remained the largest port and the largest settlement in the Southeast.
Lumber business rebuilt New Bern's economy from the 1840s to the 1920s, as domestic building flourished throughout the colonies, barring the years of the Civil War and Reconstruction. Along with the rest of the country, the New Bern area struggled with the Great Depression, but grew again with the ever-increasing military growth along the southeast coastal waterways and new national affluence with retirement plans and family vacations. The newer directions capitalize on the rich history, fine climate, transportation, manufacturing and recreation opportunities in the area with boat builders, golf courses, cultural heritage, forest and water abundance and a favorable tax rate compared to nearly anywhere. New Bern bustles with a good variety of activities to appeal to every age group and grows every year with a keen eye on preservation of what keeps people coming back.
Historic markers point out the houses where the first elected assembly in the colonies met in defiance of the crown in 1774, where a signer of the U.S. Constitution lived and where George Washington slept — twice. Markers also point out the office of jurist William Gaston, the first chief justice of the state Supreme Court and composer of “The Old North State,” the state song.
New Bern is the site of more firsts. The state's first printing press was set up and the state's first book and newspaper were published here. The state's first public school opened here. The first official celebration of George Washington's birthday was held in New Bern, and it was here that the world's first practical torpedo was assembled and detonated. In the 1890s C. D. Bradham, a New Bern pharmacist, invented Brad's Drink, now known as Pepsi-Cola.
Without question, New Bern's centerpiece is Tryon Palace, the lavish Georgian brick mansion named after British Colonial Governor William Tryon. The original palace burned in 1798. It was reproduced in the 1950s from the original plans, which were found in England. It is a sumptuous showplace inside and out, and now part of a complex including the Carolina History Center.
New Bern has four historic districts with homes, stores and churches dating back to the early eighteenth century. Within easy walking distance of the waterfront are more than 164 homes and buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Also nearby are several bed and breakfast inns, hotels, restaurants, banks, antiques stores and specialty shops. The historic districts also are home to many of the town's 2,000 crape myrtles — New Bern’s official flower — and glorious gardens. During the spring explosion of dogwoods and azaleas, a ride through many town neighborhoods is unforgettable.
Downtown New Bern sits on a point of land where the rivers meet, now the site of Union Point park, the city’s major celebration spot for events such as the Christmas flotilla, Neuse River Days and the Fourth of July. In 1979 local government gave Swiss Bear Downtown Revitalization Corp — a nonprofit corporation of civic leaders — the authority and responsibility to capitalize on the potential of the failing downtown area. Today, art galleries, specialty shops, antiques stores, restaurants and inns have resurrected downtown and the waterfront into a social hub. Improvements are continuously underway. Built and dedicated in 1995 through the efforts of Swiss Bear, James Reed Lane is a downtown mini-park and pedestrian walk-through on Pollock Street across from historic Christ Church. Private restoration efforts return many of the downtown buildings to their turn-of-the-last-century elegance.
New Bern's southeastern boundary is only a few miles from the Croatan National Forest, a 157,000-acre preserve sheltering deer, bear, alligator and the rare, carnivorous Venus flytrap. Canada geese and osprey are often seen along with resident great blue herons along the rivers. Gardens, both public and private, extend throughout the city and its suburbs. Summertime brings day lilies, dahlias, zinnias, black-eyed Susans and petunias. Home gardens produce tomatoes, herbs, squash, corn and other favorites. In fall chrysanthemums paint vibrant color in nearly every yard. (See our New Bern Annual Events chapter for information about the fall festival known as Mumfest.) Flowering cabbage and pansies brighten the winter.
As New Bern has no public transportation system, visitors driving or taking taxis to get around cannot help but note an overabundance of traffic lights on U.S. 17. Drivers heading south need to catch the lights just right on Dr. M. L. King Jr. Boulevard and expect too many stops along U.S. 17. And, at the peak hours of 8 AM, noon and 5 PM, bottlenecks are inevitable around the road’s intersections with Simmons Street, U.S. 70, McCarthy Boulevard and Glenburnie Road.
As for New Bern's nightlife, there are a few lounges, some live music in restaurants, wine bars and coffeehouses and two movie theaters, but those wishing more need to hit town at the right time. New Bern has good professional and amateur acting groups (including the annual Shakespeare festival), several subscription performance seasons, an annual Chamber Music festival and an annual Sunday Jazz Showcase worth the wait. The town also has wonderful festivals and shows. Mumfest, New Bern Preservation Foundation's Antique Show and Sale, the Spring Homes and Gardens Tour, Ghostwalk and Tryon Palace Christmas Candlelight Tours are among the favorites. Otherwise, the town's social life takes place in private homes and social clubs and at various civic and charity functions staged on an annual basis.
The river city is a treasure hunt where gems are revealed in walking pretty streets, noticing historic markers and talking with the people in their gardens and on their porches. Variety includes sailors from California, cyclists from New Zealand, urban refugees from New York and retired shop owners from Honolulu. Striking up a chat is easy. New Bernians like to talk about their town