Anthony Giardino, Executive Director of the New Bern Historical Society, was our guest speaker on March 27. He assumed this role l last May, after previously been the Operations Manager of the Society. He joined the Historical Society in 2022 after a twenty-one-year career in the Marines, where he served in numerous global locations including Afghanistan.
He moved to New Bern in 2016 while stationed at Cherry Point. Anthony is a graduate of the Military College of South Carolina, the Citadel Class of 2008. He is often seen biking through town, assisting at school and YMCA functions, and along the river at sunrise with camera in hand. He is married with three children and lives in the DeGraffenreid Park neighborhood.
The mission of the New Bern Historical Society is to celebrate and promote New Bern and its heritage through events and education. They have an active calendar of educational events, storytelling programs, speaker presentations, tours, and social gatherings. Membership has grown to over 1200, with hundreds of volunteers contributing to programs throughout the year.
The Historical Society owns and operates the historic century Attmore-Oliver house and Heritage Garden home of their administrative offices, and the New Bern Battlefield Park where the Civil War Battle of New Bern occurred. It is a non-profit membership organization; it receives no state or local government funding. It is solely membership supported.
The Society sponsors many events throughout the year including Ghost Walk, Battlefield Reenactments, Lunch and Learn programs, New Bern History Quest Scavenger Hunts, and a variety of lecture series. Its upcoming event is the yearly historical house tours on May 2 and 3. Tickets are now on sale on their website NewBernHistoricalSociety.org.
Anthony shared several stories about New Bern, including its oyster industry phase, the clock outside of Baxter’s – and did you know in 1955 Elvis Presley performed here as part of the Hank Snow venue? Unfortunately, many patrons left the concert BEFORE Elvis’ appearance as they did not want to be a part of the indecent gyrations of the singer and the evil new form of music, Rock n’ Roll.
We thank Anthony for his insightful discussion about New Bern’s history and for his donation of four tickets to the upcoming House tours. Check their website for upcoming events and how you can get involved in this wonderful organization.