New Bern is blessed with an abundance of beautiful, historic churches, all within walking distance of downtown New Bern. Each church has not only distinctive architectural features but also historical significance combined with local folklore. While you marvel at each structure, you’ll be enchanted by the stories contained within. Take your time as you progress from the Riverfront Convention Center through the historic district and allow yourself to be transported into an age of simplistic elegance.

First, you’ll find First Baptist Church at 239 Middle Street. This signature Gothic Revival Structure with its excellent brickwork, high turrets and diamond panel glass windows has graced downtown since 1847. It provides interesting contrast to the commercial development flanking it and claims many historic figures among its former members. Christ Episcopal Church , featuring Gothic Revival details, was rebuilt from 1871 to 1885 after a fire nearly destroyed the original church completed in 1824.

In 1752, King George II of England gave the church a silver communion service, a prayer book and a bible that are now on display. The tall Gothic Revival steeple stands today as one of the major features of the New Bern skyline. In the churchyard is the Lady Blessington cannon taken by a New Bern privateer during the Revolutionary war. Christian Science had its beginnings in New Bern in 1894, but not until 1907 was the First Church of Christ, Scientist constructed. This temple-form church is a handsome example of Classical Revival Style.

Built in 1904, Centenary Methodist Church combines Romanesque and Chateauesque styles. Two massive towers flank the impressive main entrance porch composed of an arcade of arches supported by columns. Beautiful stained glass windows reflect natural sunlight. Temple Chester B’nai Sholem Synagogue is a Neo-Classical Revival temple that was completed in 1908. New Bern has had an active Jewish congregation since before 1824. St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church in downtown New Bern was constructed by the oldest Catholic parish in North Carolina, founded in 1824. This original structure and adjoining rectory are located on Middle Street. The stately First Presbyterian Church (1819-1822) is a magnificent Federal-style building which is similar to New England structures and is unique to the state. Its tower, rising in four diminishing stages, is one of the finest of New Bern’s many towers. This church is a great example of some of the city’s best architecture. St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Church , located opposite Cedar Grove Cemetery, was built between 1910 and 1912 for New Bern’s black Episcopal congregation. It reflects the continued early twentieth-century popularity of the Gothic Revival style. The congregation of St. Peter’s A.M.E. Zion Church has been active in New Bern since 1863, when it was established as the first Zion Methodist Church in the South. Originally named St. Andrews Chapel, it became the first African Methodist Episcopal Church in North Carolina and the South, making it the Mother Church of all Southern Zion Methodists.

Visit these signature churches on a self-guided walking tour at a leisurely pace or worship in the church of your choice. All New Bern churches welcome visitors.

Don’t miss a visit to the cemeteries that are a part of New Bern’s unique heritage. The inviting Churchyard of Christ Church (1740-1750) was the town’s principal eighteenth-century burying ground until the devastating yellow fever epidemic in 1798 and 1799. Cedar Grove Cemetery (1799), named for the abundance of cedar trees which shade the grounds, contains the graves of New Bern’s leading citizens as well as confederate soldiers who died in the Battle of New Bern. Some of the states finest examples of nineteenth-centuryfunerary art are contained within its marl walls.

Legend tells that if you enter the Weeping Arch gateway and it “weeps” upon you, on your next trip you will be carried to a final resting place. A short trolley ride will carry you to the New Bern National Cemetery on National Avenue (1867), one of New Bern’s most visited attractions. Established by the US Government in 1867, this restful setting contains 3,294 interments, the remains of Union soldiers, and veterans of later wars behind its granite gate pillars. Following the Civil War, New Bern’s Jewish Community established the Hebrew Cemetery (1880). Adjacent to the National Cemetery, this tree-shaded site, contains many late nineteenth-century tombstones inscribed in both Hebrew and English. The cemetery tour wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the Greenwood Cemetery (1882), located on Cyprus Street. New Bern’s first city-owned cemetery for blacks recorded its first interment in 1882. Its most unusual feature is a group of 13 tombstones, all dating between 1816 and 1859. They are tightly clustered, suggesting perhaps they were moved from another location. No one really knows for certain. It’s one of the many mysteries, stories and legends of New Bern’s historic resting places.

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