Craven County Farm Life School - Mill Stream Yearbook (Vanceboro, NC)

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AFFIRMATIVE: J. C. BARRINGTON, JR. LAWRENCE LANCASTER, NEGATIVE: ROBERT GINDIN, ZACH WHJTFORD, Class of ’22 Class of ’22 Class of ’22 Class of ’22 Farm School has always taken an active part in the development of the speaking talent of its pupils. It is a member of the North Carolina Debating Union and has been successful in most of its con- tests in the first triangle and have sent representatives to Chapel Hill to compete for the Aycock Memorial Cup. This year Jack- sonville did not debate so Oriental and Vanceboro debated one another. Oriental was having its first experience in the Debating , « Union and did creditable work, however the representatives from • Farm Life School won in both places. Mr. H. L. Joslyn accom- panied the debaters to Chapel Hill, where three days of full enjoy- ment was experienced. The debaters names and pictures are here- with given.

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MIS. H. Tj. JOSLYN To Mr. H. L. Joslyn the Class of 1922 dedicates THE ' s ' p. M .

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(ZACH WHITFORD) It is the aim of the writer to bring before the people of Craven County a few facts about the county that afe 1 kely to be forgotten. The reader will not be troubled with incidents of recent date but the article will deal with incidents that many people have neglected to learn. The main source of information has been reports made by Civil War veterans and those to whom traditional facts have been handed down. Carolina was once governed and owned by eight Lords Proprietors. In 1705 the tract of land known as Bath was divided into three precincts, the one called Archdale became Craven in 1712. Craven was named for Wil- liam, Lord Craven, one of the Lords Proprietors. A little after 170 5 pioneers from the town of Bath crossed the Pamlico river and cleared lands on the Neuse and the Trent rivers. They were joined in 1710 by a body of Swiss and Germans under a Swiss nobleman, Baron Christopher De Graffenried. The Indians called this place Chat- tawka their tr.be’s name. Til ' s Swiss bought this place from the Indians and to keep in mind the capital of the beautiful Swiss canton from which they came named it New Berne. The Indians moved to New York because they were driven away from Craven County by the strong Tuscarora tribe. They settled by a lake in New York and called it Lake Chattawka. Many educational enthusiasts went to this lake as a summer resort. Soon they started a movement or an organization which is today known as Chautau- qua, named for that lake and tribe of Ind ' ans. In 1776 the first school house established by the General Assembly of the province was located at New Bern. This school was begun in 1764 as the New Bern Academy. New Bern was the center of colonial life at that time. Two fairly good highways led there. Tryon, governor of North Carolina, spent about one hundred thousand dollars for a government building at New Bern. This house was called the Palace. It was the handsomest state-house in North or South America. The Palace was completed in 1770 and in 1798 the costly structure was accidentally burned and almost completely destroyed. For many years New Bern was the capital of the Province of North Car- olina and the largest town. It was made the county seat in 17 23 by the assembly which also passed a b 11 providing for the first court house there. In that same year that place was incorporated in North Carolina. In 1791, George Washington, then President of the United States, made a southern trip. In his chariot of state drawn by four horses and escorted by outriders he visited New Bern and passed through Vanceboro. Cheers, songs, speeches and banquets greeted him. The years passed until the final break came be tween the North and the South. The second battle in North Carolina was fought at Croatan, a place a few miles south of New Bern. The northerners plied their war boats up the Neuse river to capture the city of New Bern. They had a battle at Fort Thompson, nine miles from New Bern. The Confederate forces were forced to retreat. The body of men holding the fort was Company I, Tenth Regi- ment, Heavy Artillery, under the command of Captain John N. Whitford. The northerners next attacked New Bern. Z. B. Vance was in command of the Confederate forces at that battle. The town was taken on Friday, March 14, 1862, a fact which in all probability an ill-omened day for the people of Craven County. As New Bern was the capital, a national ceme- tery was started which has grown to be a very large one. This cemetery is still a national one. Captain Whitford became acquainted with Vance in the New Bern battle. Afterwards Vance gave him permission to go over the county and form a regiment. For his services he was promoted to the position of Colonel. Tuscarora, a small town near New Bern, was the home of the Tuscarora Indians, one of the fiercest tribes of Ind ' ans. That place was named for them, while Havelock was named for a famous Indian chief. There is a school in New Bern known as the Moses Griffin bu ' ld ng. Th s building is so-called because Moses Griffin, a Tory in the Revolut ' onary War, gave a fund to be used for educational purposes. His family disin- herited him because he was a Tory in the war. When he died he left all his wealth, which was very much, to the educational development of Craven County. The first printing press in North Carolina was set up in New Bern. Christ Episcopal Church in New Bern has in its possession a silver com- munion plate and a Bible presented by King George III. A few years ago Switzerland presented New Bern with the Swiss emblem, the iron bears. They may now be seen at the city hall. At Vanceboro stood a tree under which Washington stopped to eat his lunch while on his way to New Bern. The telephone company destroyed the tree about four years ago. Such scattering incidents as the above remind us of the historical import- ance of Craven County. The prestige of the past should keep alive the hearts of the citizens of the whole state to achieve higher rank among the states.