The New Bern Historical Society is celebrating its centennial year with a special exhibit titled “Through the Looking Glass, A Journey with the Storytellers.” The exhibit, which features a large collection of images and artifacts from New Bern’s history, will be held at the North Carolina History Center’s Duffy Gallery from April 22, 2023, to Jan. 5, 2024. Admission to the exhibit is free.
The exhibit will showcase items that have been hidden in the society’s files and storage for many years, and other items will be on loan from friends, including the Tryon Palace. The centerpiece of the exhibit will be a unique ceiling-mounted mobile composed of hundreds of historical postcards.
Executive Director Mickey Miller said, “Look around and you’ll meet the key storytellers of New Bern. Look down and you’ll follow the hands of a clock. Watch for map projections, Miss Gertrude’s New Bern firsts, and videos of times gone by. This is unlike any exhibit you’ve seen before!”
The society has grown from 19 people who gathered to start a branch of the State Historical Society in 1923 to over 1200 members. Its mission is to “celebrate and promote New Bern and its heritage through events and education.”
The exhibit will be held at the Duffy Gallery, located in the North Carolina History Center at 529 South Front Street. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
For more information about the exhibit, visit NewBernHistorical.org or Facebook.com/NewBernHistoricalSociety. You can also call the society at 252-638-8558 or visit their offices in the historic Attmore-Oliver House at 511 Broad Street in New Bern.
This article is based on a press release from the New Bern Historical Society submitted by Kathy Morrison.