In the 1930's Margaret Latham (far left) challenged North Carolina to rebuild the lost Tryon Palace, the Colonial Governor's home in the first capital of North Carolina, at New Bern. This town was positioned between two major rivers which allowed access to the interior of the British Colony. A luxurious home was constructed for William Tryon and his wife Margaret Wake Tryon. It took more than six years to build (with slave and indentured servant labor), and the Governor and family occupied the residence in 1771.... Five years later, Tryon and family were the first Crown appointees to flee the colony and the upstart American Rebels. In 1798, the residence unoccupied and falling to ruin caught on fire. Due to the updraft from the cracked skylight, the interior was completely destroyed. By 1930, the house had been leveled. North Carolina Highway 70 was laid over the top the site, and there were about 50 businesses lining the highway.
A highway? 50 businesses? No problem for the women shown in the above picture. They got the legislature to move the highway and all the businesses. Then, they got down to the business of finding the original foundation by hiring an archeologist, a historian, and an architect. They combed records looking for descriptions of the original building and the contents. Finally, as the building was under construction, using the original colonial building techniques and plans, WWII ended. Two of the ladies hightailed it to England and bought original furniture and decorative items from the period using Governor Tryon's inventory of his possessions as their guide. They shipped everything they bought back to North Carolina.
The rebuilding and refurnishing of the Colonial Governor's home, Tryon Palace, was North Carolina's first great public restoration project. It opened to the public in 1959. All of this project was spearheaded by the four women in the above photograph. Never underestimate the determination of Southern women. If you'd like to see the Tryon Palace and gardens, click on the link.
Oh, and FYI: The initial pictures are a replica of a military camp during the Colonial period. This was on the grounds as an additional exhibition. The final pictures are of Union Park, a coastal park in New Bern. Most of the pictures have captions - click on them one at a time to see the captions.
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