Community Calendar

The North Carolina History lecture series continues this winter with the goal to engage the broader community and expand the understanding of, and engagement in, the fascinating history of New Bern, Craven County and state. This year, as our nation celebrates its 250th birthday, we are focused on the history surrounding our nation’s founding, and topics related to our colonial and revolutionary history. We are pleased to welcome three historians who will present each week, for three consecutive weeks.
The series is presented by the Lifetime Learning Center and Tryon Palace, in partnership with the Richard Dobbs Spaight Chapter of the daughters of the American Revolution and the New Bern Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution.

Sunday, February 15 - Brave Women: Their Revolutionary Stories
Learn about five North Carolina women who stood up during the Revolution.
Speaker: Amanda Brantley - Ms. Brantley is the former Site Manager at the House in the Horseshoe State Historic Site. and currently serves as the site manger for Reed Gold Mine State Historic Site. She plays an active role in bringing history to life through living history interpretation.

Join us and learn about five North Carolina women who stood up during the Revolution.

About our speaker:
Amanda Brantley is the former site manager at the House in the Horseshoe State Historic Site and currently serves as the site manager for Reed Gold Mine State Historic Site. She plays an active role in bringing history to life through living history interpretation.

The North Carolina History Series
The North Carolina History lecture series continues this winter with the goal to engage the broader community and expand the understanding of, and engagement in, the fascinating history of New Bern, Craven County, and North Carolina. As our nation celebrates its 250th birthday, we are focused on the history surrounding our nation’s founding, and topics related to our colonial and revolutionary history. We are pleased to welcome three historians who will present each week, for three consecutive weeks.

The series is presented by the Lifetime Learning Center and Tryon Palace, in partnership with the Richard Dobbs Spaight Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the New Bern Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution.

Join us for a powerful and engaging performance by Mary D. Williams, a renowned performing historian known for bringing history to life through storytelling, music, and dramatic interpretation. Through her work, Mary D. Williams illuminates the lived experiences, voices, and cultural legacies of African American history in a way that is both educational and deeply moving.

At the conclusion of her performance, Ms. Williams will present a special feature highlighting her new upcoming book Mahalia Jackson, Moving On Up A Little Higher, a biography on acclaimed gospel singer and civil rights pioneer, Mahalia Jackson. This program promises to be an inspiring blend of history, performance, and cultural reflection.

Mary D. Williams is a gospel singer, civil rights historian, former adjunct professor at Duke University, and author of five books.

Kelly Tyndall of the NC Cooperative Extension will share a healthy snack recipe with participants and discuss how to snack with nutritious foods.

Registration is required. Please call the Information Services Department at 252.527.7066 ext. 134 to sign up.

Discover Tryon Palace in a whole new way! Are you ready to uncover the untold story of how North Carolina helped turn the tide of the American Revolution? 

“Discovering Tryon Palace: Caswell’s Capital” goes beyond the standard Palace tour, exploring in depth North Carolina’s pivotal role in winning independence from Great Britain and showcases Tryon Palace as the first state capitol—a symbol of resilience and leadership during America’s fight for liberty.

Join us and experience a new facet of our nation’s Revolutionary story. Discover the people, the decisions, and the legacy that shaped a nation.

An America 250 program.

The North Carolina History lecture series continues this winter with the goal to engage the broader community and expand the understanding of, and engagement in, the fascinating history of New Bern, Craven County and state. This year, as our nation celebrates its 250th birthday, we are focused on the history surrounding our nation’s founding, and topics related to our colonial and revolutionary history. We are pleased to welcome three historians who will present each week, for three consecutive weeks.
The series is presented by the Lifetime Learning Center and Tryon Palace, in partnership with the Richard Dobbs Spaight Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the New Bern Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution.

Alamance to Iredell, Transylvania to Yancy - All one hundred counties were named for someone.
Speaker: Andrew Duppstadt - Mr. Duppstadt is the Assistant Curator of Education for the North Carolina Division of State Historic Sites. He also serves as an Adjunct Instructor of History at Coastal Carolina Community College and Craven Community College.

How 813 Schools Were Built in Rural Black North Carolina During the Jim Crow Era
New Bern Historical Society Hosts Dr. Tom Hanchett on the Rosenwald Schools Feb. 22

NEW BERN, NC, It took a strong team with the right tools. Lead by educator, scientist, founder of Tuskegee Institute, Booker T. Washington and Julius Rosenwald, President and key entrepreneur in the growth of Sears-Roebuck, the Rosenwald Fund was established. It was a remarkable philanthropic partnership that helped construct over 800 Black schools across North Carolina during the 1910s -1930s providing seed grants and state-of-the-art architectural plans. Local Black communities more than matched those grants. Nearly a dozen schools were constructed around New Bern in Pamlico and Craven counties
Come learn about this nearly lost chapter of our history on Sunday February 22 at 2pm at Orringer Auditorium at Craven Community College in New Bern. Dr. Tom Hanchett will present “The History of Rosenwald Schools in North Carolina and Craven County”.
Tickets are available on Jan. 13th from www.NewBernHistorical.org or by calling 252-638-8558 or in person at the New Bern Historical Society at 511 Broad St. They are $10 for all and reservations are highly recommended. For groups of 13 or more, please call the office at 252-638-8558 to book with the group rate.

From Alamance and Iredell to Transylvania and Yancy, all 100 counties in North Carolina were named for someone. Join us and find out who!

Speaker:
Andrew Duppstadt is the assistant curator of education for the North Carolina Division of State Historic Sites. He also serves as an adjunct history instructor at Coastal Carolina Community College and Craven Community College.

The North Carolina History Series:
The North Carolina History lecture series continues this winter with the goal to engage the broader community and expand the understanding of, and engagement in, the fascinating history of New Bern, Craven County, and North Carolina. As our nation celebrates its 250th birthday, we are focused on the history surrounding our nation’s founding, and topics related to our colonial and revolutionary history. We are pleased to welcome three historians who will present each week, for three consecutive weeks.

The series is presented by the Lifetime Learning Center and Tryon Palace, in partnership with the Richard Dobbs Spaight Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the New Bern Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution.

The history of how the Declaration of Independence came to be is familiar to many Americans. Less familiar and equally important is the subsequent history of the document. How did the Declaration go from being a congressional PR document of moderate significance to becoming the defining document of American history and one of the most influential documents in the history of the world. Though it served an important purpose in 1776, the Declaration was not particularly noted or celebrated in the decades after the Revolution.

In this talk, historian Michael D. Hattem will discuss how groups from across the political spectrum have redefined the Declaration and its ideals in an effort to make them more relevant and meaningful to their own times. In the process, he will show how the Declaration became “American Scripture,” as well as a model for independence-seeking people around the world.

The lecture will begin at 6PM. Following the lecture, a reception will be held at 7PM with an optional book signing by our speaker. Books will be available for purchase at the Tryon Palace Museum Store.

About Our Speaker
Michael D. Hattem is a historian of the American Revolution. He received his PhD in History at Yale University and has taught at The New School and Knox College. He is the author of The Memory of ’76: The Revolution in American History (Yale University Press, 2024), which was a finalist for the 2025 George Washington Prize, and Past and Prologue: Politics and Memory in the American Revolution (Yale University Press, 2020). Hattem’s work has been featured or mentioned in The New York Times, TIME magazine, The Smithsonian Magazine, the Washington Post, as well as many other mainstream media publications and outlets. He has served as a historical consultant or contributor for a number of projects and organizations, curated historical exhibitions, appeared in television documentaries, and authenticated and written catalogue essays for historical document auctions.

The North Carolina History lecture series continues this winter with the goal to engage the broader community and expand the understanding of, and engagement in, the fascinating history of New Bern, Craven County and state. This year, as our nation celebrates its 250th birthday, we are focused on the history surrounding our nation’s founding, and topics related to our colonial and revolutionary history. We are pleased to welcome three historians who will present each week, for three consecutive weeks.
The series is presented by the Lifetime Learning Center and Tryon Palace, in partnership with the Richard Dobbs Spaight Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the New Bern Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution.

Sunday, March 1, 2026 - The Emergence of Military Uniforms as a Symbol of National Identity
How did the simple term Redcoat or Bluecoat become a universal description of a nation’s army in the age of black powder?
Speaker: Ken Osen - For over 30 years Ken Osen has been a researcher, designer, and sculptor for museums and the collectibles industry, primarily focusing on military uniforms of the 18th to the 20th century. This journey has taken him to personal and private military collections throughout the US and Europe to inspect real uniforms and equipment. His research provides historical context to the miniatures he creates