Shooting For the Charleston Look...Southern Charm

Round-a-bout at Broad and East Front Streets.

(L-R) Steve Hollar & Paul Haddock
wrapping up round-a-bout planting project

Downtown’s planting beds will be transitioned with fall plants and mums over the next few weeks.

Two new (April) Parks and Recreation employees, Eva Osteen and Steve Hollar have been busy coming up with new designs to include a larger variety of plants for the city beds than in past years. Both are up for the challenge and very qualified. Eva worked for Tryon Palace caring for the gardens and plantings for almost 16 years and Steve worked for his father Gary for many years as the lead landscape designer for Gary’s Nursery.

Their newest project was developing the planting bed in the round-a-bout at Broad and East Front Street…so needed, and best of all  the mums will be bright and showy for festival weekend. Over the next few weeks, they are concentrating on transitioning the beds in Bear Plaza, James Reed Lane, City Hall and all the beds in Union Point Park and planting mums around the Gazebo.

I personally couldn’t be more thrilled as the usual question festival weekend from visitors has been “so, where are the mums?” By the sound of it, mums will abound not only at Tryon Palace but also in the downtown festival area.

Future plans include identifying plants in beds with name/plant tags, beautifying the gateways and looking for other planting areas.

When they were interviewed by Thurman Hardison, Parks and Recreation Director, Eva said they both had the same response to his question “what is your vision for the city?”  ”Shooting for the Charleston look…Southern charm… lush and beautiful.”  The perfect answer!!!

We are thrilled with their vision and look forward to enjoying the beauty that comes with it. What do you think?

  

Susan Moffat-Thomas

Executive Director

A Great Lady and Tryon Palace's Biggest Advocate



Carraway Garden at Tryon Palace



In the April 8 News & Observer, I read the article

Gertrude Sprague Carraway

Past Times by Teresa Leonard, a researcher who looks at yesteryear on the blog Past Times, blogs.newsobserver.com/pasttimes. In this column, she  related a 1966 interview with Gertrude Carraway, a famous New Bernian who was born and spent nearly all of her 96 years in New Bern, living in her childhood home on Broad Street.

I enjoyed reading the article immensely as I had the privilege of knowing Ms. Carraway. I was a great fan and admirer and the award I received that I am most proud of is the Gertrude Carraway Award of Merit from the Historic Preservation in 1990.

She was an outstanding person and was one of the driving forces for her work in the preservation and reconstruction of Tryon Palace. She played a key role in initiating a campaign to move NC 70, the Trent River Bridge and the numerous houses that have been built on the Palace site over the years. The Palace, built in 1767-70 to house Royal Governor William Tryon, had burned in the late 1770’s and only one of its wings remained. By 1959, the efforts of Ms. Carraway, the Kellenberger family and many other influential people paid off when the reconstructed Palace was opened and became New Bern’s crown jewel as a tourist attraction.

Other passions included membership in the Magellan Club of World Circumnavigation for going around the world twice; as a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, she became President General of the National DAR in 1953. In that position she inspired President Eisenhower to establish National Constitution Week. She was a prolific writer serving as the editor of the newspaper in New Bern from 1924-1937 and authored six books on North Carolina history, in addition to hundreds of free lance articles.

It was nice to be reminded of the positive impact this dynamic, great lady, who passed away in the 1990’s, made on this city, our state and nation’s history!

Susan Moffat Thomas

Executive Director