Swiss American Historical Society Review Volume 45 Number 3 Article 4 11-2009 Facets of the History of New Bern Michael Hill North Carolina Office of Archives and History Ansley Wegner North Carolina Office of Archives and History Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/sahs_review Part of the European History Commons, and the European Languages and Societies Commons Recommended Citation Hill, Michael and Wegner, Ansley (2009) "Facets of the History of New Bern," Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 45 : No. 3 , Article 4. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/sahs_review/vol45/iss3/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Swiss American Historical Society Review by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact
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[email protected]. Hill and Wegner: Facets of the History of New Bern Facets of the History of New Bern Michael Hill and Ansley Wegner North Carolina Office of Archives and History Survival of New Bern and Its Contribution to the Growth of a New State and Nation The affable climate and geography of the coastal plain of North Carolina made it an attractive settlement point for incoming Europeans. The land is relatively flat, and the rich soils are ideal for agriculture. The mild climate allowed for longer growing seasons, and a number of wide, slow moving rivers provided both navigation and a food source. Indeed, John Lawson, the British naturalist and explorer, described North Carolina as "a country, whose inhabitants may enjoy a life of the greatest ease and satisfaction, and pass away their hours in solid contentment." Old New Bern 57 Published by BYU ScholarsArchive, 2009 1 Swiss American Historical Society Review, Vol.