A Bear-y Good Day

Beaufort  

We have driven in, around, and through New Bern on many occasions in the last month. Today was our day to stop and walk the historic Downtown district. New Bern was settled in 1710 by Swiss and German immigrants who named the settlement after Bern, the capital of Switzerland (and hometown of their leader). "Bern" is the Germanic word for bear and the bear has become the symbol of the city. The image is found on just about everything including the welcome sign and on banners draped on all lamp posts. Outside of City Hall, a small monument of Christopher de Graffenried honors the founding of "the first organized and substantial colony in North Carolina on September 11, 1710." A separate plaque in front of the bust marks the site of the first printing press in North Carolina, established by James Davis in 1749. He printed Swann's Revisal of the Laws (NC's first book) and the North Carolina Gazette (NC's first newspaper). Adorning the front facade of city hall are "beargoyles." I enjoy locating the town clock whenever we visit a new spot. The 20-foot tall Baxter Clock is four-sided and has brass and steel works contained in a spherical cast iron case. It is reported to be one of three operating clocks of its kind in the country. 

We walked around a while enjoying the warm sunshine before stopping in at the Visitor's Center to pick up a few walking tour maps. The red brick of Christ Episcopal Church makes a grand presence in the middle of town. Its many trees were draped in Spanish Moss. In 1898 local pharmacist Caleb Bradham invented the original formula that would become known as Pepsi-Cola. The Birthplace of Pepsi Historical Site at the corner of Middle and Pollock Streets opened in 1998 to celebrate the company's history with a soda fountain, museum, and giftshop. The Hanna House Bed and Breakfast was built in 1896 and is one of more than 150 pre-1900 homes still standing. 

We enjoyed a nice lunch at Morgan's Tavern & Grill and took the opportunity to plan our afternoon walk. We went on a bear hunt to discover life-size fiberglass bears which have been sponsored and decorated by local businesses. Mitchell Bear was outside of Mitchell's Hardware. Flag Bearer was alongside the steps to City Hall which was built in 1897 by the federal government to house a post office, federal courthouse, and custom house. The large tower with multiple clock faces eliminates any possible excuse for townfolks being late. It was a pretty day, but the wind was still whipping. We definitely enjoyed being in the lee of the buildings as we continued our hunt. Spirit 1 bear, outside the Craven County ABC Board, sported a cab paint job with the "Don't Drink and Drive" message. Welcome Bear, one of the few female bears, stood beside the entrance to the Cub House welcome center.

Bear-ly Legal was in front of a law firm. We walked up and down the streets admiring the architecture and reading all the historical markers. The Centenary United Methodist Church building was completed in 1904. Two imposing towers flank the impressive arched entryway. The belfry tower of First Presbyterian Church (1820) is stepped in four levels over a grand portico. The brick building of New Bern Academy was completed in 1810. We worked our way to the New Bern Firemen's Museum hoping to take the tour, but it was closed for the season. We peeked in the window at some of the vintage equipment and settled for visiting No Burn Bear.    

If there's a town mural, you can count on us to take advantage of the photo opportunity. Freedom Bearer stood outside the New Bern Historical Society which was located across the street from Tryon Palace. We chose not to take this tour so a poor photograph through the iron gate will have to do for this trip. Completed in 1770, the Tryon Palace served as North Carolina's first permanent Capitol and home to the governor. It has an interesting history and is beautiful in the spring. 

Working our way back into town, we encountered Dr. Paw (outside a dental office), Capt. Black Bear'd (outside the Marriott), and Bearon de Graffenried (at the entrance to Union Point Park). Spring was in the air and honeybees flitted between freshly opened blooms. The wind actually began to lay down and we dropped our jackets off at the Escape before we continued up East Front Street to see a few highlights on the Historic Homes Walking Tour. The three story Greek Revival Charles Slover House was once owned by Pepsi inventor Caleb Bradham and has recently been restored.  

It seemed like every house had elegant extra touches and a marker trumpeting its history. Our vote for most impressive house goes to the W.B. Blades House. The multi-faceted Queen Anne style residence with Colonial Revival details was built in 1903 for lumber magnate William B. Blades. It made for an appropriate grand finale of our tour. We enjoyed our walk, saw a lot, learned a lot, and returned to Crossroads as the sun began to hide behind the bridge.