The New Bern Board of Aldermen return to courtroom.
The city’s municipal building was damaged during Hurricane Florence in September 2018 and after months of renovation the courtroom reopened, and a dedication ceremony took place on July 13, 2021.
The building was built by the federal government in 1897 to house a courthouse, post office and custom house. As the population grew, the federal government needed to expand services. A new federal courthouse was built, and the city of New Bern acquired the property at the corner of Pollock and Craven Streets in New Bern, NC in 1932.
Alderman Sabrina Bengel of the first ward claimed to be the unofficial historian and presented her interpretation of New Bern’s history.
Portraits of Bengel’s late mother-in-law, former Mayor Ella Bengel, and former Mayor “Lee” Leander Morgan were placed on the wall behind the board of aldermen. Sabrina Bengel said Ella Bengel was the first woman mayor and Leander Morgan was the first Black mayor.
Alderman Bengel asked North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Michael Morgan to speak on behalf of the Morgan family.
She invited her husband, Steve Bengel, to speak on behalf of the Bengel Family.
United States Post Office branch opened in the O. Marks building, which is now owned by the Bengel family.
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By Wendy Card