Live and Local:
Tryon Palace’s Live & Local Beer Festival is just around the corner on August 21st at the North Carolina History Center, beginning at 5:00pm for VIP ticket holders ($45.00) and 6:00pm for Regular ticket holders ($30.00 with $5.00 off for Foundation members).
The event will feature local brews from Brewery 99, Brutopia, Edward Teach, Fishtowne Brewhouse, Mother Earth, Sercy, Nauti Dog Brewing Co. and Shortway Brewing Co. Tap That is offering a VIP lounge from 5:00pm to 6:00pm; music is from Joe Baes Project; and food trucks include Dank Burrito, Jasmine Tasty Thai, McGrady Grill and Snook Dawgs.
Please keep in mind that this event is for adults over 21 only and that the price of tickets includes a tasting for each brewery and a live musical performance—as well as providing financial support for the preservation of the Palace.
Nancy Figiel, Director of Public Affairs for Tryon Palace says, “Live and Local is one of many annual fundraisers that support the Foundation and the Palace in various ways. But it is also a big community event that directly bolsters local and regional establishments. It is a mutually beneficial relationship between the Palace and the local business community. We need each other for support in order to keep things going. Tryon Palace’s buildings and daily operations require a significant amount of money to maintain, but in addition to that we provide scholarship programs for school field trips, a wide variety of free cultural enrichment for the community and the state.”
Considering Tryon’s historical significance to the state of North Carolina—reaching back to colonial America before the Revolutionary War, and holding a place of honor as the seat of our first state capitol—it would seem logical that the 39 structures at the Palace would be solely funded by the state for preservation, maintenance and development.
However, that is not the case.
Approximately 50% of Tryon Palace’s annual expenditures is supported by the state, which means that 50% has to be supported through events, foundation membership, private gifts and donations, volunteer support and earned revenues.
Jeannine Tyson, Foundation President for Tryon Palace, has been involved with the Foundation since 2013. “The best word to describe Tryon Palace and the people that have championed it is perseverance. The original Palace survived the Revolutionary War, then it burned, and in the 1920s a group of women began working towards reconstruction, but WWII halted the plans. In the 1950s Gertrude Carraway led the effort to restore the Palace. Typically, Tryon brings in nearly 10,000 school children a year so that they can learn about our heritage and our history. Some schools do not have enough money to cover the visit, so we have created the Palace Scholars funds from the Foundation. We don’t ever want to say no to schools. It is imperative that we keep history alive for them,” says Jeannie.
Funding Tryon Palace:
In addition to funds from donors, the Palace increases their revenue in a variety of ways by providing venues for weddings, corporate meeting and other social events in the buildings, gardens and the history center. The north lawn of the Palace is particularly popular as a wedding venue as well as the Latham Garden and the Stanly House Garden. Mattocks Hall in the History Center is terrific for fundraising events and formal ceremonies for larger crowds. Adjacent to the history center, Bate Commons offers a huge courtyard and patio area for outdoor events with lovely views of the Trent River.
Ticket sales also directly support the Palace’s upkeep and daily operations. Special seasonal events like Live and Local in August, Candlelight in December, and Winterfeast in January are the highlights of the month for our New Bern community. “Outlander” tours separate fact from fiction from the historical novels. Behind the scenes tours take a closer look into the inner workings of the palace, including conservation, technology, and even costuming. K-12 students can join Garden Spouts, Saplings, and Young Gardeners to learn about horticulture and how the gardens at the Palace have changed and adapted over the years.
A new “Discovering Tryon Palace” tour, Life on the Lesser Stairs, explores the daily lives of the individuals that worked in the Palace over the centuries, and identifies how their contributions are valuable to all people from all walks of life in our North Carolina history. “It is important that we teach a diverse history, telling the stories of servants both free and enslaved to reflect a variety in perspectives,” says Miriam Roseblossom, Development Assistant for Tryon Palace.
Keith McClease, Garden Operations Supervisor for Tryon Palace, is an example of how the Palace has evolved and developed over the span of the last 50 years and how the stories of the people who have lived and worked here are constantly changing. He remembers “when I was a small boy I couldn’t afford to go to the palace, now I have a key to it and an award for working here over 45 years.”
Zaneta Padilla, Marketing Manager for Tryon Palace, says “Tryon is an important part of the community in its stewardship, and it is essential to include the whole story of all the people who should be included in North Carolina history.”
Tryon Restoration Projects: Past, Present and Future
Bottom photo: Proposed Barnhill Cottage.
One of North Carolina’s most important historic buildings has just recently been restored: the New Bern Academy Building. Located at 508 New Street, just four blocks from Tryon Palace, it is open on the weekends for the public to enjoy with free admission. Built in 1809, the Academy has served more than one purpose in New Bern history, as a school, Civil War hospital and a recruiting station. Today it houses four permanent exhibits relating to the history of the building itself, the Civil War and a compilation of New Bern architecture. Funds for the restoration came from private donations, and a significant portion of the renovation was completed by Historicorps, a volunteer organization that donates their time to work exclusively on historical buildings nationwide. “It has taken five years to raise the funds and complete the work on the Academy Building, including setbacks with Hurricane Florence and the Pandemic, but we are now celebrating its completion and the people that contributed to its success,” says Jim Hodges, avid supporter of the Palace.
Donor funds have also allowed Tryon Palace to recently build an off-site location to house their archives and collectables, including a much-needed conservation lab.
And now the next project in the lineup—the construction of a new Garden Cottage—is funded and ready to begin. The current structure is in deplorable condition, especially considering that Tryon employees are currently working in the space. The quest to gather funds began in 2013 for this new facility, and now in 2021 with funds in place, the building process is ready to start immediately. It will be called The Barnhill Cottage in honor of donors Bob and Penny Barnhill. “I never thought we could achieve something like this, and we’ve had challenges along the way, but we have done it and it’s awesome,” says Jeannie Tyson.
But the needs of Tryon are many, and there are other projects on the horizon to improve the structures and the quality of the experiences for the students and patrons. The Waystation, located next to the Stanly House and currently the site of the ticket office, is up for a facelift. Inside this building is a sizable auditorium which is currently going unused, so Tryon Palace wants to turn it into an aesthetically pleasing area for weddings and receptions, and a gathering place for school groups during rainy days or lunchtime. The auditorium space would then walk out onto one of the beautiful and most desirable gardens surrounding the Palace: the Gertrude Carraway garden. Additionally, this improvement will also provide a long-term revenue stream to the Palace since it will be available as a rental area.
The draw of Tryon Palace is undeniable: nearly 3.5 million people have visited the palace since the 1950s. “The story of Tryon Palace is everyone’s story and it is one of the last physical reminders of our Colonial heritage,” says Jeannie Tyson. “It is also a tremendous draw for tourism that leads to more jobs and revenue for our community. Technically, the property is owned by state, but due to budget cuts and lack of repairs, we as a community must step up to the plate and contribute financially. We cannot underestimate the value of this historical treasure and we must preserve it. We cannot survive without our donors, and we must continue the tradition of perseverance. Do we want to keep history alive? It’s up to us.”