THE WEST CRAVEN
20' HIGHLIGHT
O
8 Pages
20
volume 2 NO. 13
vanceboro, N.C. - Thursday. April 5,1979
Price: 20
Try on Palace
21,000 tulip bulbs from
i^HoUand have been planted
in the gardens of Tryon
Palace in preparation for
their annual Gardener's
Sunday on April 8. Admis
sion to the gardens will be
free from 1-5 p.m. on that
day. For those who wish to
view the Palace, tours will
be available at the regular
admission prices of $2.00
for adults and $1.00 for
students.
Visitors to Tryon Palace
may stroll through the
beautiful gardens filled
with spring flowers. The
gardens are designed in the
18th century style, much
like those that once sur
rounded the country homes
of the English gentry. The
major gardens include the
Maude Moore Latham
Memorial Garden with a
memorial pavilian, which
honors the restoration
donor, and the Kellenber-
ger Garden, which honors
the chairman and treasurer
of the Tryon Palace Com-
niission, Mr. and Mrs. John
A. Kellenberger. Other
highlights of the garden
tour are Hawk’s Allee, with
a center plot of Tifgreen
Bermuda grass surrounded
by ivy ground cover, along
with the Pleached Allee
formed by two rows of
yaupon trained over a
frame with interwoven
branches. The Kitchen Gar
den will also interest visi
tors. Fruits and vegetables
greets
spring
by
Connie Bryan
for the Palace are grown in
this garden.
The beauty of the gar
dens are more than
matched by the wonder of
the Palace itself. It has
been acclaimed as one of
the most beautiful colonial
buildings in America. It
consist of a central building
of two and one half stories,
which served as the gover
nor’s residence, a meeting
place for the Assembly, and
a place for storage of public
records. Two wings, both
two stories high, were sep
arated from the main build
ing by five column colo-
nades. The east wing con
tained the secretary’s office
and the kitchen, while the
west wing served as the
stables.
Tryon Palace bears the
name of Royal Governor
William Tryon, who per
suaded the colonial Assem
bly to allocate the funds
needed for its construction.
John Hawks was commis
sioned to design and to see
to the construction of the
Palace. Tryon and his wife.
THE MAUDE MOORE LATHAM MEMORIAL GARDEN
REFLECTS THE TASTE OF THE 18th CENTURY GEN
TRY-The Latham Garden, which honors the restoration donor
is designed in an 18th century style as are all of the gardens in the
Tryon Palace Grounds, The gardens will be open to visitors free on
Sunday, April 8, for the Annual Gardener’s Sunday. The Palace will
be open from 1-5 p.m. (Photo by Connie Bryan)
New High Jump re-
record-Results and
details of the recent
West Craven High
School track victory
last week,... Page 6
Easter film at Beth
any Pirisdan Church
-See details in this
week’s “Jasper News”
by Fannie Quimby
Page 5
Margaret Wake Tryon,
with their daughter, moved
into the their new home in
1770. Tryon did not remain
in his palace for long, how
ever, because he transfer
red to New York in 1771.
Josiah Martin, who was to
be North Carolina’s last
royal governor, replaced
him in August of that year.
The coming of the Ameri
can Revolution brought
North Carolina’s first state
governor to the Palace.
Richard Caswell was inau
gurated in January of 1977.
After the war, efforts were
made to move the capital to
a more central location.
Raleigh became the official
State capital in 1792, and
'State government left New
Bern.
In 1798 the main building
and last wing of the Palace
were destroyed by fire
while the west wing was
left standing. Through the
years houses were built on
the Palace site. When ef
forts were begun to restore
the Palace in the 20th cen
tury, the west wing was a
stucco-covered apartment
building.
John Hawks’ original
plans for the Palace were
found along with a list of
furnishings belonging to
William Tryon. Mrs. James
Latham became interested
in the project and was
named as chairman of the
Tryon Palace Comfflissicn,
which was formed in 1945
by Gov. Gregg Cherry. The
state agreed to buy the
land, if the Commission
could raise $250,000 to pay
for the restoration. Mrs.
Latham donated the money
and began to collect fur
nishings. At her death in
1951, she left a generous
bequest to the Commission,
which made it possible for
reconstruction to begin in
1952. In 1959 Tryon Palace
was opened to the public.
Donald Taylor, who has
been with the Palace since
1962, first as Curator of
Education and now as Ad
ministrator, says “the fu
ture looks bright for Tryon
Palace.” He adds that at
tendance is up from last
year.
Much of the success of
Tryon Palace has to be
attributed to the careful
attention to detail both in
purchasing and maintaining
the priceless antiques. The
Paiace was meticulously re
constructed and furnished.
Those currently in charge
of this collection have con
tinued this standard of ex
cellence. The beauty and
elegance of each room will
delight and astound any
visitor.
Vanceboro Aldermen meet
April is Clean-up
Scouts wowed by magic
jmonth in Vanceboro
At its regular Monday
night meeting, the Vance
boro Board of Aldermen
passed a resolution setting
aside April as “Clean-up,
Fix-up, Paint-up Month” in
the Town of Vanceboro. To
do its part in the clean
up campaign the Board dis
cussed and agreed to pur
chase nine new trash recep
tacles for Main Street. The
type to be used will be
decided on later. The Board
also voted to put up over
^$2,079 worth of regulatory
, Jjsigns in Vanceboro. The
State of North Carolina will
pay about half of this frgure
with the town matching
with $1,050 for the signs
and posts. A survey con
ducted by the State High
way Commission showed
that the Town of Vanceboro
needed thirty-eight stop
signs, nine speed limit
signs, seven dead end
signs, and miscellaneous
other signs including forty-
five galvanized posts. The
Aldermen also voted to
agree to pay the movement
of water or sewer lines if
necessary during construc
tion of curbs and gutters by
the State Highway Depart
ment on Highway 17 north
of Vanceboro. The Town
Clerk reported that one
application had been re
ceived for the position of
maintenance supervisor at
the Waste Treatment
Plant. The Board voted to
advertise again for more
applications. The board ap
proved a request from Mrs.
Daphne Cleve, Parks and
Recreation Commissioner,
to allow her to go ahead
with the purchase of $1,500
worth of equipment for the
new playground and picnic
area to be constructed on
Farm Life Avenue. The
Board also passed a resolu
tion expressing its interest
and approval of the station
ing of a full-time recreation
director in Vanceboro. The
resolution will be sent to
the Craven County Com
missioners, the Craven
County Recreation Com
mission, and the Recreation
Director, Mr. George Saw
yer.
“The Amazing Gerri” or
Gerry Hill, Jr., as he is
better known to his
classmates in the senior
class at Kinston High
School, presented an
evening of magic for the
parents. Cub Scouts and
leaders at the monthly
Pack Meeting for Cub
Scout Pack 58 held last
Friday night. The magic
performance was the
culmination of a month
of learning about magic
in the two Cub dens.
Gerry performed a
number of interesting
tricks and illusions. He is
available for perform
ances to civic and school
groups. Den 1 opened the
meeting with a skit in
which Den Leader,
Linda Lee “cooked up a
good Cub Scout” from
ingredients brought up by
the Scouts in the den.
Following the opening,
Cubmaster Ron Chap-
presented Bobcat badges
and awards to Scott
Gaskins, Jonathan
Taylor, Timothy Weast,
Wane Barrow, Mark
Dudley, and Gilbert
Norman. Billy Morris
received his Bear Badge
and a gold and silver
arrow point. Rick
Cannon, Webelos Den
Leader, presented John
Wilson with the Bear
Badge and a gold arrow
point. Eddie Jordan
received his Sportsman
and Aquanaut Activity
Badges. Michael Hodges,
son of Mr. and Mrs. Clyde
Hodges, was officially
welcomed into the pack as
the Webelos Den Chief.
Mike is a member of Boy
Scout Troop 58 of
Vanceboro. Following
the program, the meeting
was closed with a special
candlelight ceremony by
the Webelos Den.
Ministerial
Association
elects officers
The Vanceboro Area
Ministerial Association
elected officers for the year at
their last meeting. Those
elected were: President, Rev.
Bob Cayton (Kitt Swamp
Christian Church), Vice-
president, Rev. Frank Moore
(First Pentecostal Holiness
Church), Secretary-Treas
urer, Rev. Steve Hickle
(Vanceboro Circuit of the
United Methodist Church).
The new officers will assume
their responsibilities in May.