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The NEW BERN
'^I.ISHID WIEKLY
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VOLUME 8
NEW BERN, N. C., FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 1965
To our way of thinking, no
religious edifice inNorthCaro
lina is more serenely beautiful
than New Bern's historic First
Presbyterian church.
Its gleaming white exterior,
fronted by graceful columns,
emphasizes the dignity that be
fits a structure dating back to
1822. Equally impressive is a
luilque interior, the likes of
which you'll find only in the
Congregational Church at
Litchfield, Conn.
Both churches were fashlcai-
ed from plans designed by Eng
land's greatest architect. Sir
Christopher Wren, who died a
century before either building
came into being. In a world
strangely foreign to the era he
lived in, they stand as heart
warming monuments to his fine
creative talent.
Wren was at his magnificent
best when he designed places of
worship. More than 50 churches
in London, all of them beauti
ful, were born of his handiwork.
His masterpiece is St. Paul's,
the cathedral of the Bishop of
London, and as famous as is
Westminister Abbey.
It is built in the form of a
Latin cross, measuring 500 feet
in length, and 250 feet wide. Its
great dome rises 364 feet from
the pavement, and has a dia
meter of 102 feet, just 37 feet
less than St. Peter's in Rome.
Wten's tomb is in the crypt-
that lies beneath the cathedral.
Also buried there is the "Iron
Duke” of Welllngtoi, as well as
the historian, Henry Hallam,
and artists like Lord Leighton
and J. M. W. Turner. Under
the center of the dome, in the
crypt, is the black marble tomb
of Admiral Horatio Nelson,
England's greatest naval hero.
Although Wren had been dead
lor 99 years when the First
Presbyterian church here In
New Bern was dedicated, the
Presbyterian faith actually
established a foothold in North
Carolina just 16 years before he
passed away.
History says that French
Huguenots from Manikin Town,
near Richmond, Va., settled on
Trent river two miles from
here in 1707, three years before
Baron Christopher de Graffen-
reid and a party of Swiss found
ed New Bern.
Under the inspiring guidance
of Rev. Claude Phillips de Rich-
bourg, these hardy souls were
the first Presbyterian congre
gation in North Carolina. They
were forced to flee during the
Indian massacre of 1711 and
ended up on the banks of the
Santee river In South Caro
lina.
It was a bitter blow for the
denomination's initial efforts in
the Old North State, but the
seeds of faith had been sown
well. As early as 1739, Rev.
George Whltefleld preached a
Christmas day sermon to a
group of worshippers describ
ed as New Light Presbyter
ians here in New Bern.
However, for reasons ob
scured by the obliterating hand
of time, it wasn't until 1817. that
a permanent organization was
formed by the Rev. John With
erspoon, then living in Hills
boro, who Wos a New Bern na
tive and a grandson of one of
the signers of the Declaration
of Independence.
A lot was purchased in 1819,
and in three momentous years
the present edifice was com-
(Continued on page 8)
NO^re BUT THE BRAVE—Add this photograph of
Dickie Quick, snapped by Billy Benners, to the hun
dreds of unusual pictures that have appeared in The
Mirror sinceour fu-st issue on April 3, 1958. Dickie,
a professional model and occasional TV performer,
needed proof of his water skiing ability when solicit
ing new clients, so the New Bern youngster ventured
forth on the chilly Trent the other day. You (and
Dickie’s prospective customers) would never guess
that his warm smile and carefree manner were ac
companied by goose bumps and skin texture that
seesawed between pinkish and purple. So far, most
of his TV work has mvolved commercials, but anyone
who can smile this convincindy under tr^g circum
stances is apt to end up actmg full time. Ws many
New Bern mends will agree that he is a home town
boy who deserves nothing but the best.
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