Wednesday, October 10, 2012

The Hawthornes Are In New Bern, North Carolina.

After a quick tour of Bath,
the Hawthornes headed to New Bern for the night.
Founded in 1710 at the confluence of the Neuse and Trent rivers,
New Bern is North Carolina's second oldest city.

The Neuse River is the longest river in North Carolina,
stretching 248 miles.
At it's mouth, it is the widest river in the United States,
at 6 miles across.

Points for anyone who can tell me North Carolina's oldest city.
Just wanted to see if you've been paying attention.

When King Charles was restored to the throne in 1660,
he issued a "Carolina Charter," 
granting his loyal supporters and drinking buddies,
the Lords Proprietors, a vast area of land in the New World.
By the way, the name Carolina came from
 the Latin word for Charles, "Carolus."


New Bern was settled by Swiss and German colonists
led by Baron Christopher de Graffenried
from Bern, Switzerland.

John Lawson, an English naturalist, explorer and writer
was instrumental in the exploration and eventual settlement
of New Bern.
In May, 1700, Lawson set sail for Charleston, South Carolina.
In December, 1700, he led a small expedition
consisting of 5 Englishmen and 4 Native Americans
on a 550-mile journey, ending in February, 1701.
His  journey ended near the mouth of the Pamlico River,
just north of New Bern.
Lawson settled here and began work as a land surveyor.
Eventually, Lawson built a house on some high ground
near a creek, still known as Lawson Creek,
near the Indian town of Chattoka, now know as New Bern.
Chattoka means "where the fish are taken out."

In 1709, Lawson returned to London to oversee the publication
of his book about his adventures in Carolina.
A New Voyage to Carolina was widely read in Europe,
resulting in many Europeans becoming interested in the new land.

In 1710, Lawson returned to Carolina with Von Graffinreid
and settled the area now known as New Bern.
In 1711, both men were captured by Tuscarora Indians 
while exploring the Neuse River. 
Von Graffenreid was released,
but Lawson was tortured and killed.
Shortly thereafter, the bloody conflict
known as the Tuscarora Indian War erupted.

Von Graffenreid invested in the Georg Ritter Company,
a venture that proposed to mine American silver deposits
 and to settle indigent Swiss in the New World.
The Ritter company purchased nearly 19,000 acres
around the Neuse and Trent rivers from the Lords Proprietors
and Graffenreid left England in 1710 with 
150 Swiss passengers and 650 German.
Among the passengers was Lawson
who had promised to guide them to their new colony.


This is the view from our hotel room.
We're overlooking a town park 
with lots of ducks and geese begging food.


This is Tryon Palace.
We didn't visit here this time
since we've already done the tour.
Tryon Palace is the
First State Capital of North Carolina.

New Bern is home to a lot of firsts:
New Bern was the first city in America to celebrate
George Washington's birthday.
Washington visited New Bern
and danced at Tryon Palace.

The state's first printing press was set up
in New Bern in 1749.

The first public banking institution
in North Carolina was established in New Bern in 1778.

The first bookstore in North Carolina opened
in New Bern in 1783.

North Carolina's first Postal Service was established
in New Bern.

North Carolina's FirstPresbyterian Church
organization and building in Presbytery
was established in New Bern in 1817.

New Bern is home to the first Roman Catholic Church
and parish in North Carolina.

Pepsi was invented and first served in New Bern in 1898.

The first motion picture theater in North Carolina
was built in New Bern.

In 1903, Josephine Burton of New Bern
became the first Registered Nurse in North Carolina
and therefore the first Registered Nurse in the United States.

New Bern is home to the first Charted Fire Department in North Carolina.


Ready for Halloween.



New Bern is the birthplace of Pepsi Cola
and this is the actual site where Pepsi was invented.
A pharmacist, Caleb Bradham,
invented Pepsi here at his pharmacy in 1898.
Bradham mixed syrup of coca,
kola nut extracts, and rare oils
with carbonated water to create the fizzy beverage
known today as Pepsi Cola.

Caleb Bradham
1867-1934
"Brad's Drink,"
which he created in pharmacy here
was marketed as Pepsi-Cola after 1898.

Birthplace of Pepsi-Cola
This building marks the site of
Bradham's Pharmacy
where Caleb D. Bradham created
Pepsi-Cola
in 1898.

A portrait of Caleb Bradham
hangs in the soda shop.

In case you want to start making your own Pepsi,
here's the original formula:

Sugar - Standard Confectioners ......7500 pounds
Water, sufficient quantity to ............1200 gallons
Caramel - burnt sugar color ................ 12 gallons
Lime juice ................................................12 gallons
Phosphoric Acid S.G.1.750 .................. 58 pounds
Alcohol .................................................1/2 gallon
Oil Lemon....................................................6 fluid ounces
Oil Orange..................................................5 fluid ounces
Cinnamon Oil ............................................5 fluid ounces
Oil Nutmeg................................................2 fluid ounces
Oil Coriander ...........................................2 fluid ounces
Oil Petit Grain .......................................... 1 fluid ounce

Mix; Stir two hours; Boil Sugar and Water

The current Pepsi formula is a revised version of the original.

Inside the pharmacy.

The shop is now a soda fountain
and store dedicated to soft drink memorabilia.

Naturally, I had to ask the soda jerk
for a coke.
Now, who's the jerk?

Of course, he gets that all the time.


Our next stop was Christ Episcopal Church,
founded in 1715.


 Parish History
The first church on this site was completed on the Southwest corner in 1750.  The Rev. James Reed, who arrived from England late in the year 1753 as a missionary of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, served as first rector until his death May 7, 1777.  He was chiefly responsible for the establishment of the local school, first incorporated school in North Carolina.  His grave is in the churchyard.  Still in the possession of the parish are a five piece silver communion service, a bible, and a book of common prayer presented in 1752 by King George II.  A second church, larger than the first was consecrated on this spot Feb. 1, 1824.  It was burned down Jan. 10, 1871.  The present edifice was consecrated May 23, 1875.  Two Episcopal dioceses have been organized here:  North Carolina in 1817, and East Carolina in 1883.

James Davis
1721 - 1785
Established the art of printing
in North Carolina 1749
Public printer to the colony and the state
Published first book, first newspaper,
and first magazine in North Carolina.
Member of the council of state,
of the central assembly,
of the provincial convention,
of the provincial congress,
and of committee of safety for the
county of Craven and town of New Bern.
Judge of the admiralty court,
justice of the county court,
sheriff of Craven County,
postmaster and contractor to
convey the public mails from
Suffolk to Wilmington.
Printed currency for the colony.



Do you know the difference
 between a cemetery and a graveyard?
A graveyard is attached to a church.
A cemetery is not.




Spanish moss hanging from the trees.



Welcome
This outdoor chapel with its burial
floor is a historic and sacred place.
You are welcome to enter for worship,
prayer, reflection, remembrance and
rest.  We ask that you treat this area
with reverence and respect. 
Please do not enter the altar area.

The walls on this site are erected over
 the brick and ballast stone foundation
of the first house of worship of colonial
Craven Parish which was established in 1715.
The brick Anglican church was completed in 1750,
and it continued in use until the early 1820s.
The foundation underground is of the same thickness as
these walls which provide the shape and form
of the old church.  Openings in the
north and south walls indicate approximate window
locations in the church which stood here.
George Whitefield, the famed evangelist
of the Great Awakening in the eighteenth century,
preached here on Easter day in 1765.
President George Washington and
James Monroe both worshiped in
Old Christ Church on visits to New Bern.





And you know Rosie has to get her stained glass:










The four-faced turn-of-the-century Baxter clock
is extremely rare. 
It is one of three Seth Thomas post clocks still in use 
and is now listed on the National Register.

When Bern, Switzerland,
was founded, it was named by a group of hunters.
They named the city for the first animal
 they came upon on their hunting expedition - a bear.

Officials from Bern, Switzerland, 
presented their red and gold city flag
to New Bern officials in 1896.
The bear has become the unofficial New Bern icon
and you'll find decorated bears everywhere.
 The bears proudly displayed throughout the city
come from the Swiss city's name,
taken from the German word "baren"
( with two dots over the a)
or "bears."


 I snapped only a few of the bears
as we were driving through town.












Almost forgot to tell you where to eat in New Bern.
The BBQ is wonderful
and they have fried everything.
Oysters are terrific.



Goodbye New Bern.

3 comments:

Catherine said...

Dear Rosie, I am so glad to see you are having a beautiful trip!!

That seems like my kind of town...It just looks so quaint and peaceful.

Blessings, Catherine xo

Rosie Hawthorne said...

It's a lovely town, Catherine.

Anonymous said...

Rosie, I got such a kick out of the Showboat story from your Bath visit! & Now I want to visit New Bern again. Looking forward to your posts from Charleston and Savannah. Wishing you good weather and no road construction!!! Becky