by Nancy J. Figiel, Tryon Palace Director of Public Affairs
In December 2022, Tryon Palace Executive Director, William (Bill) J. McCrea announced his retirement date as April 1, 2023. He has served five years in the position, a time commitment made when accepting the position in January 2018. Of his time at Tryon Palace, Bill said, “Serving as Executive Director of Tryon Palace has been the high point of my career. The professionalism and dedication of the staff and volunteers is why Tryon Palace is thriving and growing.”
Bill joined the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources in May 1980, as a restoration specialist for the North Carolina State Historic Sites and later rising to Head of the Architecture Branch for Sites. Over his career of 43 years, McCrea has served as Chief of the Design Section for the North Carolina Museum of History, as Associate Director of MOH, and was Director of Regional Museums before joining the staff of Tryon Palace.
The past five years at Tryon Palace have been challenging. Bill onboarded just months before Hurricane Florence struck causing damage to historic homes, grounds, and exhibits, especially the North Carolina History Center’s Pepsi Portal to History. The brief recovery after Florence, was followed by two years of turbulence due to the COVID-19 pandemic which left lasting changes. During the pandemic Tryon Palace needed to provide online experiences. Afterwards, tourism surged looking for experiences that were more personal. As we struggled with labour shortages, staff developed new tours, programming and exhibits to meet this need. Additionally, in the past few years, we have seen changes in how our visitors want to learn history. They want the lesser-told stories revealed – those that show our diverse past and are more inclusive. Bill has led the staff through all of these changes and more.
During his time at Tryon Palace, Bill lists many accomplishments. He humbly states that these were achieved by the hard work of the staff and the support of the Tryon Palace Commission and Tryon Palace Foundation. But Bill’s leadership, guidance and work ethic contributed greatly to many successes. Among them are:
• Completion of the exterior restoration of the New Bern Academy
• Creation of the Palace Scholars award program which provides funds to Title 1 schools
for field trips to visit the Palace and NC History Center
• Fundraising for and construction of the Barnhill Garden Cottage and Keith M. McClease Pavilion
• Formulation of a Master Plan for the Clermont property
• Purchase and upfitting of the BLG Building for storage, now called the Annex at McCarthy Square
• Acceptance of a major collection of Pepsi memorabilia in anticipation of a Pepsi Museum run by a new non-profit
• A dramatic increase in the public presence of the 35th United States Colored Troops
• Addition of a First Regiment North Carolina Continental Line encampment to the Palace grounds
• Completion of three symposiums on underrepresented aspects of African American history
• Completion of a new Strategic Plan for Tryon Palace and the Tryon Palace Commission
• Reopened Lawson’s Café space under new management, operating as Lawson’s on the Creek
• Creation of “Life on the Lesser Stairs” tour, which focused on the lives of the free and enslaved people who worked at the Palace
• Secured a grant from the Anonymous Trust for expanded outreach to Title 1 schools
• Received a planning grant from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation to conceptualize an inclusive public art piece
• Receipt of a $1 million donation to create the Anonymous Fund at Tryon Palace
• Secured $1 million for Repair and Renovation in the FY 22-23 State Budget
• Celebrated Tryon Palace’s role in the Outlander book and television series with a special visit by author Diana Gabaldon. Created two specialized Outlander tours of Tryon Palace
• Strengthened the relationship with the state legislative delegation
• Leadership through the application process for American Alliance of Museums re-Certification
• Two record breaking Candlelight holiday events in attendance and revenue
Bill, and his wife Edie, will keep their house in New Bern while spending most time at their home in Raleigh. They have two granddaughters in North Raleigh and await a third granddaughter in Charleston.
Admitting that easing into retirement will be difficult for him, Bill plans to stay busy volunteering and spending time with grandchildren. Bill has already started volunteering at RCS (Religious Community Services) helping to stock their food pantry and will continue on the Board of Directors of the Eastern Carolina YMCA. Bill enjoys gardening, and after the mandatory six-month separation, will be volunteering in the Tryon Palace Gardens. Expect to see him regularly in New Bern.
“My family has fallen in love with New Bern and our house in the Ghent neighborhood is perfect for family weekends and for staying connected to New Bern. There is so much more for us to explore in the area.”
The search for a new executive director is underway. The staff at Tryon Palace is truly saddened to see Bill leave and have hopes that his replacement can lead with the resiliency, diplomacy, guidance, and fairness that he has shared with us. Please join us in wishing Bill a very deserved and joyous retirement.