■^11 tl H
The NEW BERN
I PUBLISHED WEEKLY
HEART OF
_ W«7. ». c
I L
VOLUME 4
NEW BERN, N. C., FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 1961
NUMBER 1
Those who affectionately remem
ber Maude Moore Latham will
heartily agree that no memorial
erected to her could possibly be
more appropriate than the Tryon
Palace garden that bears her name.
Old age never did catch up with
her, although, in years, she had
long since reached the stage in life
that folks refer to as elderly.
Younger than springtime, she re
mained vivacious and charming to
the very last.
Diminutive but undetermined,
she refused to let anything under
the sun dampen her enthusiasm.
Many regarded her persistent cru
sade for a restored Palace as a
very wild dream that had gotten a
nice little lady rather excited.
Maude Moore Latham really was
excited, and it never did wear off.
Brushing aside every obstacle in
her path,, and disregarding the
doubters as fast as they bobbed up,
she would not be denied.
Officially the Palace garden will
serve as her memorial from Satur
day on, but the truth of the matter
is that the Palace itself is a me
morial to her also in the fullest
sense.
K Is extremely doubtful that
there ever would have been a res
toration but for her. Certainly
there would have been no such res
toration in our time. Some have
contended, and will continue to do
so, that she might have investe4
her fortune in something more use
ful. However, it was her money—
not the money of her critics—and
quite proiierly ah#* devoted ityt»
ctosent to
That the dream she had
prac^cid ralher Hiah wild has be
come increasingly^ hpparenf. Scof
fers -predicted that ^the Palace
woi^ln’t draw viidtors by the thou
sands, but if quickly became a
drawing card for North Carolinians
and tourists from' every state and
most foreign countries. . .
No other town the size of New
Bern could buy the national and
international publicity that has
been ours for free. And still the
feature stories and illustrations
roll from printing presses, enlight
ening millions of readers. It may
not be this year or the next, but
sooner or later a considerable num-,
ber of these readers will end up
touring the Palace, and its grounds.
To our way of thinking, the Pal
ace restoration achieved the ulti
mate in free publicity when the
Saturday Evening Post carried a
two-page spread. This photograph,
in color, was a priceless gift dump
ed in our laps, and the town will
profit from it for years to come.
Not just in prestige but in toiuist
dollars.
Even if you’ve never had the in
clination to get steamed up about
history, you aren’t likely to be im
mune to the beauty of nature. Ev
ery flower lover will appreciate
the 18th century gardens surround
ing Tryon Palace. Included are the
floral favorites that blossomed in
Colonial days.
Dedication of the Maude Moore
Latham Memorial Garden is sched
uled for 3 p.m. on the South Lawn.
Governor Sanford will formally ac
cept it for the state of North Caro
lina. Mrs. John A. Kellenberger of
Greensboro, daughter of Mrs. La
tham and chairman of the Tryon
Palace Commission, will preside at
the dedicatory program.
Various distinguished North Car
olinians will give tributes to Mrs.
Latham, including Dr. Christopher
Crittenden, director of the State
Department of Archives and His
tory, and Gertrude S. Carraway,
director of the Tryon Palace Res
toration.
Friday night at 6 o’clock, Mr.
and Mrs. D. L. Ward will entertain
members of the Tryon Palace Com
mission apd their guests at the
Ward room on East Front street.
And at 0:30 p.m.,* color movies of
(Cotitinuad en Back Paga)
BEAUTIPtJL TO BEHOLD-^Pictu)^ here, with Ttyonpal- ahd other dignltgries to New Bern Saturday after-
ace in the backiprOundi is a portion of the Maude Modre hooH. A -special dedicatory program has been arranged for
Jjatham Memorial Garden. Its. dedicaUon on the lOth an- the occasion. ^
niversary of Mrs. Latham’s death will bring Governor Terry
V ft ' X
TO A GRACIOUS LADY—Maude Moore Latham, a native dollars for the project, and the vision she had, is attested
of New Bern didn’t Uve to see the Tryon Palace restore- to on a tablet in this Memorial PaviUon. Such a Wbute to
tion coiilplete’d But her generosity in providing mUUons of her mefnory is in keeping with her gift to North Carolina.