Baron Christoph von Graffenried
New Bern, Craven County, North Carolina
Marker Inscription
Baron Christoph Von Graffenried. Was a citizen of Bern, Switzerland. Led Swiss and Palatine immigrants to N.C. where he founded New Bern in 1710.
Erected by North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
The Story
A citizen of Bern, Switzerland, Baron Christoph von Graffenried led a party of Swiss and German Palatine immigrants to the North Carolina coast, founding New Bern in 1710. The new settlement, named for his home city, was one of the earliest planned immigrant colonies in the region. It soon faced hardship, including the outbreak of the Tuscarora War.
Why it matters
New Bern's founding is a vivid example of early European immigration shaping colonial America, and of the collisions between newcomers and Native nations that followed.
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Related people
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