The Sudan Shriners will vote Nov. 21, 2020, on a motion to raze its landmark Temple Devan at 403 E. Front St., which has gone unused since it was devastated by Hurricane Florence in September 2018. The existing building, known for its distinctive Middle Eastern architecture, is valued at $1.75 million, according to Craven County records. It includes an auditorium, clubhouse, and general office, all built in 1951, along with 1.28 acres. Another quarter-acre parcel, located at the corner of Broad and East Front streets, is valued at $205,000. It is used as a parking lot. A larger parcel, located between East Front Street andRead More →

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In: Board of Aldermen, Community, Community issues, Downtown New Bern, History, Hurricane
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Celebrate Constitution Day with an online community gathering Join local attorneys Brenda C. George and Linda R. Monk at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18, for an online conversation celebrating Constitution Day and exploring how that document continues to guide us. “Establishing Justice” will focus on the emphasis the founding fathers placed on the fair and impartial interpretation of the law in the United States. George, who is seeking the Superior Court 3B seat 2 on Nov. 3, retired as a principal legislative analyst for the N.C. General Assembly. For 27 years, she worked on both sides of the political aisle to research, draft, and analyzeRead More →

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Like most non-profit organizations, the New Bern Historical Society runs on the efforts of its volunteers. Each year, the Society takes time to publicly recognize a number of those who go above and beyond, usually at a special banquet. But not in this COVID-restricted time. Scroll down to see more pictures The Newcomer’s Award was presented to two outstanding volunteers for their significant contributions over the last two years. Lori Favre was recognized for her efforts as Ghostwalk cemetery director and script writer, and her work on Honour, The Musical. Jay DeLoach earned the award as the new editor of the annual Historical Journal. The Battlefield AwardRead More →

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Susan Moffat-Thomas’ compelling tale of New Bern’s journey from waterfront eyesore to beautiful award-winning downtown will finish the Historical Society’s first virtual series of presentations from New Bern’s past. New Bern’s Downtown Renaissance, the fourth in the series, will be presented on the New Bern Historical Society’s Facebook page on Wednesday, July 29 at 2pm. The online audience will be able to comment and ask questions in real time. Moffat-Thomas, retired Executive Director, Swiss Bear Downtown Development Corp., is intimately familiar with that part of New Bern history. She’ll describe that 40-year process that brought New Bern to its current delightful state. She’ll provide anRead More →

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Stories and reminiscences of New Bern’s “used to be” — Captain Ratty’s used to be Duffy’s Drug Store; First Citizens Bank sits where there used to be the Hotel Queen Anne. “New Bern Then and Now” by New Bern Historical Society Curator Jim Hodges is chock full of historic photos and images and is one of the Society’s most popular presentations, selling out 4 times. Now it is going virtual and free of charge.  Be sure to be on the New Bern Historical Society Facebook page at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, July 8 when they will live stream the presentation, and he will be on handRead More →

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The city is proposing that Stanley White Recreation Center be moved to a new location with Broad Street frontage so that it won’t be further damaged by future flooding. Here’s why it’s important to do as much as humanly possible to keep it exactly where it is. In a map of the predominately black Duffyfield area of New Bern, Stanley White Recreation Center is located toward the center. The city proposes moving the center to Duffyfield’s very edge. It would be more of a Broad Street-oriented structure, almost right next door to the tony, nearly all white DeGraffenreid neighborhood. Stanley White Recreation Center was builtRead More →

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Stanley White Recreation Center is named for Stanley Augustus White, who was athletic director for Cedar Street Recreation Center and a minor-league baseball player who died in an electrical accident during a game on Father’s Day, June 20, 1971. More about Stanley White Cedar Street Recreation Center was built between 1948 and 1952 for $258,200 and was built for New Bern’s African American residents during a time when courts ruled that segregation was permissible as long as facilities were “separate but equal.” “Separate” was taken literally, but “equal” was another matter. Around the corner on George Street, a much nicer facility for whites had beenRead More →

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Craven County continues to outpace its neighbors in the growth of COVID-19 cases, rising 11 cases in the past 24 hours by North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services records, or three cases by Craven County Health Department records. The two agencies often differ in their daily count but jibe over longer periods of time. The Craven County Health Department keeps more detailed records, however. Three of the active COVID-19 cases are currently hospitalized. There are 132 active cases, a number that has risen sharply over the past two weeks, while 45 cases are reported as recovered, a number that has stayed the sameRead More →

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In light of Gov. Roy Cooper’s state of emergency declaration and guidance regarding canceling or postponing large gatherings in an effort to limit the spread of COVID-19, some upcoming special events and programs scheduled for March and April at the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort, the North Carolina Maritime Museum at Southport and the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras have been canceled. These events include: North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort March 19           Beaufort’s Dolphins, Getting to Know Them (lecture)               25           By Hook or ByRead More →

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Editor: I am reading a prize-winning history by Philip Dray, At the Hands of Persons Unknown: A History of Lynching of Black America (2002).  A Pulitzer-prize finalist, I don’t recommend the book to either the weak-of-heart or the weak-of-stomach. Mr. Dray does not attempt a complete account of all lynchings in the United States, and North Carolina and New Bern, are, fortunately,  not mentioned often, but when they are, at least in three incidents, mistakes of either omission or commission are made.  New Bern is mentioned as follows: In 1919 a lynching occurred of a man accused of murdering someone at the Roper Lumber Company,Read More →

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