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To
really appreciate the New Bern of today, it's important to know the New Bern
of yesterday. This river town maintains its heritage by standing guard over
its Colonial, Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival and Victorian architectural
styles, while its citizens still maintain an attitude of friendliness and
Southern gentility.
New Bern was originally settled in 1710 by Swiss and
German immigrants who named it after Bern, the Swiss capital. The town was
officially founded by Swiss Baron Christoph deGraffenried. Just like its
mother city, New Bern is distinguished by its imposing clock tower above
City Hall. The city emblem, as in old Bern, is a black bear going up a
golden road, and this symbol appears frequently throughout the city.
New Bern has been fought over by Native Americans,
Swiss, British, Colonials, Yankees and Rebels. After each skirmish, it
pulled itself up by its boot straps and plodded onward. The result is a
panoply of American history along tree-lined streets -- an odd mix that
makes the town quite picturesque.
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