NEW BERN, NC Day 2.  Attended church this morning at Covenant Orthodox Presbyterian Church in New Bern.  Children here dress as we did in the 1950s and 1960s: boys in suits and ties, girls in fine Sunday dresses. 

There were numerous references to the recent flooding, including the singing of Psalm 32C and reference to the Psalm's "rush of great waters":

6 Therefore let everyone who is godly

    offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;

    surely in the rush of great waters,

    they shall not reach him.

7 You are a hiding place for me;

    you preserve me from trouble;

    you surround me with shouts of deliverance.  Ps 32:6-7 ESV

After church we returned to our home on wheels for lunch, then were off to see the birthplace of Pepsi Cola a short distance from the campground. 

The birthplace of Pepsi Cola is a small corner shop where the drink was produced in the basement.  The basement no longer contains drink bottling equipment and is closed to the public.  What is on display for the public on the ground floor is memorabilia and a little history about owners, names, and ingredients.  Key chains and the like are for sale, along with sweat shirts and T-shirts.

Birthplace of Pepsi Cola

Inside Pepsi Cola Birthplace

Gift Shop Inside Pepsi Cola Birthplace

 

Pepsi Cola Original Ingredients

After that visit we walked to the historical center and Tryon Palace, where North Carolina colonial governors lived.  First governor was William Tryon, hence the name.  The palace contains rooms that are similar to the palace at Williamsburg, but there are fewer rooms and not as elaborately furnished.  Some rooms are closed due to hurricane damage.  As with the Williamsburg palace, one is confined to a tour group led through by a volunteer.  Rarely is one able to get a good photo free of other tourists in it.  And once there, the sun went in, leaving us with low overcast light once again.

Tryon Palace 

Palace Tour Guide.  Looked Like The Ghost of Jacob Marley.

Typical Palace Bedroom

Master Bedroom

The colonial era was one of showing off one's wealth or political position, and that can be seen here as it was in Williamsburg.  A class society with glaring examples of abuse of the underclass.  Many houses were not open due to storm damage, with the exception of the John Wright Stanly House, home of this Revolutionary War hero.  George Washington slept here.  Out front of this house, in full bloom at 55 degrees, was a species of camellia, the sasanqua camellia.

John Wright Stanly House

Betty Chatting with Stanly House Volunteer

Entry Area of Stanly House

Stanly House Stairway

Room George Washington Slept In

Sasanqua Camellia.

After this we walked back to the car, parked near the Pepsi Cola birthplace.  We noted many plastic bears around town due to the bear being the symbol of Bern after which New Bern is named.  This town was founded in 1710 by Swiss and German settlers led by Baron Christopher de Graffenried from Bern, Switzerland.

There are very many stately old church buildings downtown.  One with a unique substitute for a steeple was the First Baptist Church.  Rather than try to describe it, I have enclosed photos below.  Note the crown-like structures atop each corner. 

Looks More Like a Castle Than a Church

Church Profile