Only those New Bernians who
are well versed in history know
that the present Mansion in Ra
leigh is the fourth official resi
dence of North Carolina’s Gover
nors.
A few years after Tryon Palace
burned here in 1798, the General
Assembly passed an act requiring
the Governor to live in the capital
city of Raleigh. In keeping with
the simplicity of the new, demo
cratic state, a two-story plain white
frame house on the corner of Fay
etteville and Hargett streets be
came the Governor’s home.,
Six Governors lived in this resi
dence, after which a more elabo
rate brick residence, with a classic
white columned portico facing the
Capitol, was built at the foot of
Fayetteville street. In traditional
ante-bellum fashion, the twenty
succeeding Governors resided in
the Palace, as it was officially
termed.
General Lafayette was a visitor
in 1825. Sessions of the General
Assembly was held in the Palace
following the burning of the Capi
tol in 1831. The last Governor to
occupy the palace was Zebulon
Baird Vance. He was forced to va
cate when General Sherman took
possession during the War Be
tween the States.
When Sherman and his troops
moved out, the house and grounds
were left in such a state of de
struction that they were consider
ed unfit for further occupany. How-
■ ever some repairs were made later,
,and^for some time the bid Palace
housed other State officials.
During Reconstruction days, and
until the present Mansion was
built, the chief executives resided
in Raleigh in rented houses, ho
tels or —during two administra
tion — in their own Raleigh
homes. From 1871 to 1891 the
Yarborough House, a noted hotel
in Raleigh, served as the unofficial
residence for several of North Car
olina’s Governors.
The decision to build the pres
ent Governor’s Mansion was made
by the General Assembly of 1883
as a result of the persever
ance of Governor Thomas Jarvis,
who, in turn, was spurred into
action by his charming wife. Be
cause the State provided no home
for its Governor during those
years, the Jarvises had been forced
to live in a hotel during his term
in office.
Mrs. Jarvis has been quoted as
saying, “It does not comport with
the dignity of the State for the
Governor to live at a hotel, where
he is unable to dispense the hos
pitality encumbered upon him and
due the State.”
State-owned property a short dis
tance from the Capitol, known
both as Burke Square and Lovejoy
Grove, was designated as the most
desirable location. Today the old
grove is landscaped and planted
in boxwood, trees and flowers in
digenous to the State and appro
priate to the mellowed Old Man
sion in their midst.
North Carolina’s Governor’s Man
sion — with its gables and bal
conies, its spacious halls and re
ception rooms, its grand stairway
and sixteen foot ceilings — is a
gem from a bygone era. At the
same time it is a modern, efficient
and comfortable home for the
State’s chief executives.
The late President Franklin Del
ano Roosevelt, who probably saw
more state executive mansions
than any other man of his day,
described the interior of North
Carolina’s Mansion as “the most
beautiful in America.”
Wherever possible materials for
the Mansion come from the State
itself. The carefully selected, hand
made brick were made from Wake
County clay and molded by prison
labor. Many of the bricks stilt bear
(Continued on Page 7)
New Bern Public Libraiy
The NEW BERN
PUBLISHED WEEKLY
I
NB Public Library
407 New St.
L 5^ Per Copy
VOLUME 4
NEW BERN, N. C, FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 1962
NUMBER 51
GENERAL CHAIRMAN
STATE PRESIDENT
For A Successful Convention
Just Choose Good Chairman
When out of towners arrive here
Wednesday for the State Conven
tion of the North Carolina Federa
tion of Music Clubs, they’ll be
quite impressed with the ground
work done for the busy but enter
taining four-day affair.
A lion’s share of the credit be
longs to a Latvian-born New Bern-
ian by choice, Mrs. Arvids Snor-
nicks. President of the host St.
Cecilia Music Club and State Con
vention chairman, she has labored
long and enthusiastically to make
the event a notable success. How
ever, if Nara had her way the
other St. Cecilia members who
have ably assisted her would get
the glory.
Her schedule as a music teacher
is jam-packed, so tackling the job
of general chairman was a terrific
undertaking. Fortunately, Arvids
is an understanding husband. He
didn’t complain when the Snor-
nicks home became a turbulent
scene of pre-Convention activity.
As a matter of fact, he pitched
right in and helped with the work.
All of the extra curricular ex
citement must have been bewilder
ing to the eight Snornicks cats,
especially since they don’t ordi
narily have to worry ' about any
thing more distracting than the
music lessons taught by Nara and
Arvids to their dutiful students.
The cats like music, but the re
cent hustle and bustle in the
household has been downright an
noying to them.
Things won’t get back to normal
until the convention is over. By
that time, the fidgety felines will
probably need tranquilizers to get
thefn on firm fooling again. As for
Nara, and likewise Arvids, they
are taking the upheaval in stride.
Musicians have always been ac
cused of being temperamental, but
we saw no signs of it the other
day when we visited the Snornicks
home to get the low down on the
forthcoming gathering. The Snor
nicks (excluding the cats) were in
jovial mood, and kidded each other
rather sharply as they went over
plans and details that had been
whipped into remarkably good
shape.
Theirs is an interesting story.
They knew each other in Latvia
before they were transportfed to
Germany as displaced persons dur
ing the horrors of World War Two.
By a strange but happy quirk of
fate, the two accidentally met
again in the midst of thousands
of refugees in one of Hitler’s con
centration camps. Friendship
evolved into love, and they were
married when brighter days came.
Nara was once a student in
Arvids’ music class, and he was
a demanding instructor who insist
ed on bringing out the full po
tential of her exceptional talent.
He was in the driver’s seat then,
but smilingly admits today that
he is just as henpecked as the
next American husband.
When we used the word — “hen
pecked” — he didn’t know what
it meant. Obviously it hadn’t en
tered his rather ample English
vocabulary Nara knew what it
meant, however, the moment we
said it, and laughed. She explained
its meaning to Arvids and he
laughed too, somewhat ruefully.
Both the Senior and Junior divi
sions of the North Carolina Federa
tion of Music Clubs will meet
here. Sessions of the Senior Divi
sion are to be held at the Hotel
Governor Tryon Wednesday
through Friday. The Junior Divi
sion will hold its sessions Friday
and Saturday.
Distinguished guests are going
to be here in profusion. Included
will be Mrs. Glenn W. Morrison,
South Atlantic District President,
of Lakeland, Fla., and Mrs. Mau
rice Honigman of Gastonia, who
is a national board member and
national chairman of the finance
department.
The Federation Convention
opens Wednesday evening at 7:30,
after a Federation dinner. There’ll
be greetings from New Bern’s
Mayor, Dr. Dale T. Millns and
Constance Rabin, president of the
New Bern’s Woman’s Club, of
which the St. Cecilia Music Club
is a department. Mrs. Honigman
wilt also extend greetings.
Thursday’s agenda begins with
breakfast at 8 o’clock, and the
opening business session is at 9:30.
There’ll be reports by State offi
cers and national chairman, and
election and installation of offi
cers. The District Directors and
Club President Luncheon is at
12:30 p.m.
On the afternoon schedule is
the presentation of awards and
certificates, a program by the
Elizabeth City Music Club chorus,
a Tryon Palace tour, and a 5 o’
clock tea at the home of Mrs.
Charles L. Abernathy, Jr. The for
mal Federation Banquet is schedul
ed for 6:30, with an address by
Mrs. Morrison.
Friday’s highlights include the
final business session of the Sen
ior Division, and the Youth Lunch
eon of the Junior Division. Follow
ing adjournment of the Senior
group, there will be a post-con
vention board meeting. Mrs. Har
old G. Deal of Hickory is State
President and will preside through
out the convention.
The Junior Division will hold its
banquet Friday night. Mark Foun
tain of Raleigh is the State Presi
dent, and Mrs. Mahlon O. Board of
Greensboro is the State Junior
Counselor. Arvids Snornicks is Jun
ior Convention chairman, and the
nine Junior Music Clubs of New
Bern ar» joint hosts.
Jimmy Meredith of New Bern
is the District President. During
the two conventions he will be one
of New Bern’s musicians who will
perform. Other local musicians
performing include Catherine Lat-
ta, Marian Erdman, Edward Millis,
Linda Rae White, Elizabeth Fuller,
Gerda Turner, Sara A. Abernathy,
Marilyn Johnson, Ann Byrd, and
Arvids and Nara Snornicks.
Visiting performers will include,
in addition to the aforementioned
Elizabeth City chorus, Elsie Bell,
Leonard Loftin, and Sarah Hearn,
all of Kinston; Ella Ann Holding
of Smithfield; Sally Wiley of Gas
tonia and New York; Tasker Polk
of East Carolina College; Emily
(Continued on Page 5)