NEW BERN

city, seat (1723) of Craven county, eastern North Carolina, U.S. It lies along the Neuse River at the mouth of the Trent. Settled in 1710 by Christopher von Graffenried, of Bern, Switz., it was incorporated in 1723 after near destruction by Indians. The state's first printing press (1749) and first tax-supported school (1764) were located there. New Bern served as the colonial and state capital from 1746 to 1792. Tryon Palace, built in 176770 by the royal governor, William Tryon, was the first capitol; it was restored (195259) as a state historic site. The first and second provincial congresses in North Carolina opposing the British met there in 1774 and 1775. New Bern had a thriving seaport trade with New England and the West Indies through Pamlico Sound until the city was captured by Federal forces in 1862 during the American Civil War. Its connection with the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway and the port at Morehead City, 32 miles (52 km) south-southeast, has made it the service centre for nearby summer resorts, the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station at Cherry Point, and farmlands producing corn (maize), tobacco, and cotton. The city has diversified manufacturing. The New Bern National Cemetery has the graves of many American Civil War dead. One of the first public schools for American blacks was established in New Bern in 1862, and Craven Community College was opened there in 1965. Pop. (1990) 17,363.