History & Heritage

Long before Swiss and German immigrants established the town of New Bern in 1710, the fertile confluence of the Neuse and Trent Rivers was home to thriving Native American communities. For thousands of years, indigenous peoples utilized these coastal waterways for trade, agriculture, hunting, and seasonal settlement, shaping the ecological and cultural landscape of Eastern… Early Native American History & Artifact Discovery in New Bern, NC: Read Article »

On December 1, 1922, disaster struck New Bern when a catastrophic fire ignited in a lumberyard along the Neuse River. Driven by gale-force winds, the blaze swept across the city, consuming over 40 city blocks, destroying more than 1,000 homes, and leaving 3,200 residents homeless in a single afternoon. It remains one of the worst… The Great Fire of 1922: Resilience and Rebuilding in Five Points, New Bern: Read Article »

Situated directly across the Trent River from historic downtown New Bern, the community of James City stands as one of North Carolina’s most historical and culturally significant micro-markets. Founded during the turmoil of the American Civil War in 1863, James City originated as a Freedmen’s Colony—a self-governing refuge for thousands of formerly enslaved African Americans… The Legacy of the James City Freedmen’s Colony: Freedom, Resilience, and Heritage in New Bern: Read Article »