New Bern, NC – The New Bern Historical Society’s April 8 Lunch & Learn sold out super early, but speaker, Dr. Dudley Marchi, has graciously agreed to do a second presentation. He’ll discuss “The French Lost Colony in Eastern North Carolina” on Tuesday, April 7 at 6:30 p.m. at the North Carolina History Center. Prepaid reservations are strongly suggested as another sell-out is expected. Cost is $10 for Historical Society members and $14 for non-members. There is no meal provided. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. Dr. Marchi will have his book The French Lost Colony of North Carolina available following the presentation. To reserve a seat call the New Bern Historical Society at 252-638-8558 or go to NewBernHistorical.org/special-presentations/.
Expect an enlightening evening. For example, did you know that there is a significant French heritage in Eastern North Carolina? The first European explorers to this region in the early sixteenth century were French. Local legend has it that there was even a lost colony of French Huguenots along the Trent River during the early 1700s. What is the source of this legend? Was the French colony truly lost? Speaker, Dr. Dudley Marchi, will trace the early days of French settlement in this region and explore the subtle but significant French influence that remains to this day. In French, the word “histoire” means both history and story. This intriguing presentation will be a mélange of both, conveying the French heritage of NC through images of places, people, maps, and historical documents.
Dr. Dudley Marchi is a Professor of Humanities at NC State University. He teaches courses on European history, art, and society, and French-American relations, and has an avid interest in the history of North Carolina. Marchi received his B.A. at UMass Amherst, M.A. at UNC-Chapel Hill, and Ph.D. at Columbia. Professor Marchi’s presentation on “La Colonie Perdue” is part of his larger research project “FraNCe: The French Heritage of North Carolina.”
The mission of the New Bern Historical Society is to celebrate and promote New Bern and its heritage through events and education. Offices are located in the historic Attmore Oliver House at 511 Broad Street in New Bern. For more information, call 252-638-8558 or go NewBernHistorical.org or facebook.com/NewBernHistoricalSociety.
Submitted by: Kathy Morrison on behalf of Mickey Miller, Executive Director, New Bern Historical Society