By Rachel Wharton 



Tryon Palace must have been 

 stunning its first Christmas in 1770. 

 Overlooking the formal gardens, 

 terraced courtyards and rolling Trent 

 River, the new mansion — one of the 

 most magnificent homes in the colonies 

 — shone with festive light, beckoning 

 traveling guests. 



But the furrowed forehead of 

 Royal Governor William Tryon might 

 have led those guests to the truth: In the 

 western part of the state, Tryon Palace 

 had few admirers that winter. Thanks to 

 the governor's expensive tastes, as well 

 as high taxes and local government 

 corruption, many North Carolina 

 colonists' emotions had been stirred 

 along with the Christmas pudding. 



When Tryon became governor in 

 1765, the entire capital (governor, 

 General Assembly, records and deeds) 

 roamed among coastal towns such as 

 Bath, Wilmington and Edenton. Gov. 

 Tryon toured North Carolina and 

 decided that New Bern, its second 

 oldest city, should be the capital. 



For the governor's home, office 

 and assembly meeting room, a city 

 block of 12 lots was purchased over- 

 looking the Trent River. Ten thousand 

 pounds was appropriated to pay for 

 palace construction in two installments. 

 These funds were to be replaced with 

 annual taxes, including a burdensome 

 poll tax and a tax on every gallon of 

 wine, rum and liquor imported from all 

 countries except England. 



Tryon was prepared to create a 

 magnificent mansion. He'd brought an 

 architect with him across the Atlantic. 

 Believed to be the only such profes- 

 sional architect in the colonies at the 

 time, John Hawks patterned the 

 building after English country homes. 

 In a region mainly inhabited by small 

 frame houses, many thought the brick 

 "palace" was one of the most beautiful 

 buildings in the New World. 



Seven windows spanned the main 

 wing, made of red brick with marble 

 trimmings. The entrance hall was also 

 white marble with a black-and-white 



tiled floor. A tablet, carved with a 

 Latin verse, overlooked the room and 

 dedicated the palace to art, morality 

 and justice. Lit by a skylight, a massive 

 hand-carved mahogany staircase 

 marked the center of the house. The 

 assembly hall, library, steward's room, 

 parlor, housekeeper's room and seven 

 bedrooms were also located in the two- 

 story main wing. Many of these were 

 warmed by fireplaces decorated with 

 Italian marble mantels. 



WHEN TRYON BECAME 

 GOVERNOR IN 1765, THE 

 ENTIRE CAPITAL (GOVERNOR, 

 GENERAL ASSEMBLY, RECORDS AND 

 DEEDS) ROAMED AMONG COASTAL 

 TOWNS SUCH AS BATH, 

 WILMINGTON AND EDENTON. 

 GOV. TRYON TOURED NORTH 

 CAROLINA AND DECIDED THAT 

 NEW BERN, ITS SECOND OLDEST 

 CITY, SHOULD BE THE CAPITAL. 



In the basement, 8 tons of lead 

 plumbing and a unique brick drainage 

 system led down to the river. The east 

 and west wings, connected to the main 

 wing by grand colonnades, contained 

 the palace stables, the coach house, the 

 servants' quarters, the secretary's 

 room, the kitchen and scullery, and the 

 laundry. A manicured front lawn 

 gently sloped to the street, and intricate 

 gardens surrounded the house. 



Despite the need for a stable 

 capital, the cost of the palace angered 

 many, especially upland folks who 

 weren't likely ever to see the building. 

 A group of western North Carolinians 

 had organized against high taxes and 

 local government corruption, calling 

 themselves the Regulators. The palace 

 was added to their grievance list. 



Tryon settled into the unfinished 

 palace in June of 1770. Construction 

 was complete in time for Christmas — 

 and a possible attack by the Regulators. 

 After rumors of an attack reached Gov. 

 Tryon, he asked the General Assembly 



to activate the militia in case they 

 appeared. The two armies never 

 battled that season, but Tryon and his 

 militia quashed the Regulators at the 

 Battle of Alamance the following 

 spring. 



Less than a year after completing 

 the palace, Tryon was called to be the 

 governor of New York. The new royal 

 governor, Josiah Martin, moved into 

 the palace, which had become a focus 

 for revolutionary protests. When news 

 of the famous battle between colonists 

 and the British at Lexington and 

 Concord reached North Carolina, 

 revolutionary spirits soared. Gov. 

 Martin arranged cannons on the lawn 

 of the palace to protect himself. When 

 several were stolen, he hid the rest. 



On May 23, 1775, a group of 

 New Bernians marched to the palace 

 and taunted the governor. In response, 

 Martin sent his family away, packed 

 his valuables and fled New Bern under 

 the cover of darkness. Searching the 

 mansion, people found three bushels 

 of gunpowder, two quarter casks in 

 the cellar and 1,000 weight of new 

 musket balls. The governor's remain- 

 ing furniture and possessions were 

 auctioned off. 



Four years passed before a state 

 constitution was adopted on Dec. 18. 

 1779, and Richard Caswell was 

 elected North Carolina's first gover- 

 nor. He moved into Tryon Palace, the 

 state's first capitol, but he did not 

 enjoy it for long. Western North 

 Carolinians were still upset about the 

 long distances they had to travel to the 

 capital, and British troops were 

 advancing in New Bern's direction. 

 The governor and the General 

 Assembly moved temporarily to 

 Hillsboro (sic), and the search for a 

 new capital began. 



By the time the assembly settled 

 on the Joel Lane Plantation, naming 

 the new capital Raleigh, Tryon Palace 

 had fallen into disrepair. North 

 Carolina forces had been given lead 

 and iron from the building to make 

 ammunition. Rooms had been rented 



Continued 



COASTWATCH 9 



