Tryon Palace invites you to celebrate Independence Day at North Carolina’s first state capitol! In 1776, New Bern was under Patriot rule, and the revolutionary government occupied Tryon Palace. After defeating the British at the Battle of Moore’s Creek, February 1776, independence from English rule in North Carolina seemed certain. After the colonies declared their independence from Britain on July 4, 1776, Tryon Palace would soon reflect the change of North Carolina from a colony to a state. Later that year in December, Richard Caswell became the first state governor and took up residence at the Palace. Though Tryon Palace began as North Carolina’s first royal capitol, after surviving the war, it became its first state capitol, and New Bern its first capital!
In 1778, New Bern was also the site of the first celebration in North Carolina under federal authorization. This is believed to be the first observance of the fourth of July as Independence Day in North Carolina, and the third celebration in the nation, following those in Boston and Philadelphia.
Both Tryon Palace and New Bern embody the spirit of early American patriotism and there is no better place to celebrate Glorious Fourth than at the Palace! Therefore, join us on July 4, 2023, at 10 a.m. for a reading of the Declaration of Independence by a costumed interpreter. Hear the passion in his words as he declares the independence of the colonies from English rule. This is a day of festivities with demonstrations at the encampment, Fife & Drum Corps performances, firing of the muskets and a newly acquired cannon, and free Pepsi products courtesy of Minges Distributing! The front gates to the Tryon Palace Historic Site, at George Pollock Streets, open at 9 a.m. and admittance is free!
Glorious Fourth Itinerary: Begins at 10 a.m.
-Procession of Fife & Drum and Continental Line from the front gates to the South Lawn
-Land Acknowledgement to remember that this site was first the ancestral land of the Tuscarora people
-Reading of the Declaration of Independence on Palace’s south steps
-The 1st North Carolina Regiment of the Continental Line will fire their muskets, followed by a blast of their newly acquire cannon
-Fife and Drum Corps performs
-Fife and Drum Corps and Continental Line lead a procession away from the South Lawn
-Fife and Drum performs again at the front gates and Continental Line returns to the encampment
Though Glorious Fourth concludes at 12 p.m., admittance to the Gardens will remain free all day.
For more information, visit tryonpalace.org.
By Nancy Figiel