Diversity and FreedMen

More than racial tolerance existed in New Bern – it was also a center of anti-slavery sympathy among wealthy white residents. 

An 1838 letter written by a Quaker society president provides a powerful example of local abolitionist activity. 

The correspondence reveals that the unnamed son of a white New Bern slaveholder regularly hid freedom seekers in ships sailing to Philadelphia. He also provided them with contacts in the Vigilance Committee of Philadelphia or even arranged for undercover abolitionists to escort them to freedom. 

It is likely that this brave and “most effective worker,” as he was described, had developed contacts along the shipping routes between New Bern and the North and with sympathizers elsewhere in the state. 

With its significant Black and freedmen population, New Bern quickly gained a reputation as a haven for runaways seeking to be hidden in plain sight. 

In late 2023, Hannah Lee Leidy of Our State Magazine wrote a digital article highlighting the Black artisans—including tailors, weavers, spinners, and brick masons—who helped shape New Bern from the late 18th to the mid-19th centuries. Despite living under an oppressive system that denied them fundamental rights, these skilled craftspeople earned respect, purchased freedom for themselves and loved ones, and established a resilient, flourishing community. 

Learn more: How African American Craftspeople Shaped the History of New Bern