By Ann Marie Byrd, Feature Writer
On December 1st, 1922, the most devastating fire in the history of New Bern that started at Rowland Lumber Company and burned through 40 city blocks, destroying homes and businesses and displacing countless families—perhaps as many as 3,000, and largely within the African-American community. To commemorate this tragic affair, a partnership of local organizations has planned a whole weekend of events to help us learn and remember.
“When, on December 1, 1922, two large fires combined to create the Great Fire of New Bern, and a catastrophe ensued for the immediate victims, the city, the county, and the state,” says Nelson McDaniels, Chair of the Great Fire 100th Anniversary Commemoration Committee. “The results of those events continue to be found in many aspects of our community to the present day. We invite the broad community to participate in this weekend program, remembering the victims and learning about the events of the time and their aftermath.”
The Great Fire Commemoration will consist of four days of events, to include free presentations, free tours of the “Great of ’22” exhibit in the Fireman’s Museum, a candlelight vigil. Additionally, Tryon Palace has opened a new exhibit, The Great Fire of New Bern: Images on its 100th Anniversary, in the Cannon Gallery at the North Carolina History Center. The exhibit is free to the public and will be on display through January 2023.
The events will start on Thursday, December 1st, with a free trolley tour at 2:00pm following the path of the fire. That night, at 7:00pm, a Great Fire Commemoration Vigil will be held at the corner of Broad and Roundtree Streets, near the site of the origin of the fire. The next day, Friday, December 2nd, the “Fire of ’22” exhibit at the Firemen’s Museum will be open for hourly tours free of charge from 9:00am to noon. To register for the Fire Museum tour follow the link at www.NewBernHistorical.org.
Also, on Friday, December 2nd, at 2:00pm, Carol Becton will give a presentation at St. Peter’s AME Zion Church on the impact of the Great Fire, specifically on the African-American community and how the city rebuilt and recovered. That presentation will be repeated at Cullman Performance Hall at 7:00pm on Saturday, December 3rd. On Saturday, the “Fire of ’22” exhibit will also be open to the public. Registration for both the trolley tour and the Firemen’s Museum tour are available at www.NewBernHistorical.org.
According to Fire Chief Bobby Boyd, this event is an opportunity to reflect and remember, but also to have important conversations about fire prevention. “The great fire is similar to Florence in terms of having a devastating effect in our community. The most important message we can communicate when it comes to fire is prevention, protection, utilizing detectors, and planning escape routes. Fire codes didn’t exist back then. Now we have inspections and we work to prevent something like this happening again. What sticks in my mind is that people had to live in tents for nearly two years, waiting for their homes to be rebuilt. It’s all about lessons learned. I’m thankful for those that have been before us. They did they best they could with the wind and fire they had; today what we have is prevention.”
This Commemorative Weekend is the result of a partnership of organizations who came together to underscore the importance of remembering this historic event. They are: The African American Heritage & Cultural Center, the City of New Bern, Craven County Tourism and Development Authority, Earl of Craven Questers, New Bern Fireman’s Museum, New Bern Historical Society, New Bern Tours, St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Church, St. Peter’s AME Zion Church, Swiss Bear, Tryon Palace, and Uptown Business and Professional Assoc, Inc.