New Bern is one of the oldest towns in North Carolina, second only to the neighboring Inner Banks town of Bath, and was founded in 1710 by mainly Swiss and Palatine German immigrants. The settlement was named after the colonists’ original home, “Bern.” In the late 1770s, the town served as the first capitol of independent and post-Revolutionary War North Carolina, with Tryon Palace housing the governor’s mansion and political center.

New Bern was recently devastated by Hurricane Florence. When the storm howled through the city at the convergence of the Trent and Neuse rivers, it flooded homes, businesses and streets for days.

We had visited New Bern a few weeks before Hurricane Florence and were fortunate to capture its beauty that we are sharing here.

New Bern, North Carolina