NEW BERN, a city of eastern North Carolina, U.S.A., at the mouth of the Trent river, on the Neuse river estuary; a port of entry and the county seat of Craven county. It is on the Atlantic Coastal highway; is connected by a 12 ft. channel with the inland waterway from Boston to Beaufort; and is served by the Atlantic Coast Line and the Norfolk Southern railways and coastwise steamers. Pop. 12,198 in 1920 (55% negroes) ; in 1930 the population was 11,981, a loss of 1.8%. The Neuse river is 14 m. wide here, and it widens gradually to 7 m. at its entrance into Pamlico sound, 3o m. east. New Bern is a picturesque old city, on the peninsula formed by the two rivers, surrounded by forests of cypress and pines. It is the supply depot and com mercial centre of the rich surrounding farm lands, and of the numerous fishing and hunting resorts of the region (Ocracoke, Morehead, Beaufort, Jacksonville, Havelock, Nags Head and Cape Lookout). Traffic on the Neuse in 1927 amounted to 238,022 tons, valued at $11,080,764. The city's manufacturing industries include the largest lumber-mill in the South-east.
New Bern was founded in 1710 by a company of Germans and Bernese Swiss in search of religious freedom, under the leadership of Baron Christopher de Graffenried, and was incorporated as a city in 1723. The general assembly met here in 1738. In 1749 a printing press (the first in North Carolina) was set up, and the first academy in the province was established. For some years the city was the capital of the province, and it was the leading seaport until the Revolution. Many beautiful old buildings still stand, including one wing of "Tryon's Palace" (the residence of the royal governor, built in 1767-70, and reputed the finest struc ture in America at the time), the Presbyterian church (1822), and Christ church, which has a communion service presented by George II. in 1752. The city was strongly fortified early in the Civil War, but was captured by Federal troops on March 14, 1862, and subsequent attempts by the Confederates to retake it (March 14, 1863, and Feb. i and 5, 1864) were unsuccessful.