Join Tryon Palace Historic Sites and Gardens for the United States Colored Troops (USCT) Commemorative Anniversary as we celebrate the founding of the North Carolina Bureau of Colored Troops and the bureau’s presence in New Bern, and the brave men who served. This educational event, featuring our renowned 35th USCT Interpreter Regiment, will be free to the public. Tryon Palace Historic Sites and Gardens is part of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR).

This family-friendly celebration will allow visitors to explore a Civil War encampment with costumed interpreters dressed in replica uniforms of the 35th USCT who first mustered at the New Bern Academy. Our interpreters, including direct descendants of USCT soldiers, will give demonstrations on camp life, cooking, military drills, and firearm handling. Local author and historian Dr. David Cecelski will give a keynote address on Abraham Galloway’s advocacy for enslaved people, pushing for the American Civil War to become a fight for liberation and not just the preservation of the Union. Cecelski is a native of Carteret County and a co-recipient of the N.C. Literary and Historical Association’s Christopher Crittenden Memorial Award.