Lindy Cummings, Research Historian, Tryon Palace
Tryon Palace is updating interpretive tabletop signs to be placed at the New Bern Academy and I’ve done a lot of combing through local papers on what kinds of gatherings took place on the Academy Green. I’ve started thinking of the Green as New Bern’s front yard—a place where we all gather to celebrate or commemorate. Although the Green appears small today, it originally stretched from New Street to Johnson Street. In addition to an 1819 presidential visit by James Monroe, the Green hosted almost every conceivable kind of activity, from school recitations and militia musters to community picnics and 4th of July celebrations.
The 4th of July celebrations are particularly interesting. They’re also easy to compare because the 4th of July is so predictably on schedule from year to year! In 1826, New Bernians arranged to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. A parade made up of volunteer infantry, Revolutionary War veterans, political representatives and leading citizens gathered at the Green and processed to the Baptist Church where the Declaration was read aloud. Only a few days later the city would again gather at the Green to mark the passing of Thomas Jefferson, who had died on July 4, 1826, as had his fellow Founder and onetime political rival, John Adams. (Alas, Adams didn’t get the same attention as did Jefferson during the local commemoration!).
During the Civil War, the Green was commandeered as a place of recuperation for Union troops recovering from injury and illness. It was remembered for its cool shade and pleasant trees and shrubs. The 35th U.S. Colored Troops mustered there, demonstrating their skill at arms, and receiving a flag for their unit before being deployed. During the post-war period, the Green was the location for Black New Bernians to gather on 4th of July and celebrate their freedom and the rights of citizenship granted them by the passage of the 14th Constitutional Amendment.
The introduction of new structures like the Bell, Moses Griffith, and Primary buildings during the late 19th century reduced the Green’s useable footprint. Today, the Green’s cool and inviting lawn shaded by large oaks is but a shadow of itself, but it continues to anchor the corner of Hancock and New streets, just as it anchors important stories in New Bern’s history.