Tryon Palace
New Bern, Craven County, North Carolina
Marker Inscription
Tryon Palace. Historic Capitol and Governor's residence of N.C., 1770-1794. Burned 1798, and restored in 1952-1959. Open to the public. One block south.
Erected by North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
The Story
Completed in 1770, Tryon Palace served as the colonial capitol and residence of North Carolina's royal governors, and then as the first state capitol until 1794. Its lavish construction, funded by taxes, stirred backcountry resentment that fed the Regulator movement. The building burned in 1798 and was meticulously reconstructed in the 1950s.
Why it matters
Tryon Palace embodies the transition of North Carolina from royal colony to independent state, and its careful restoration made it a landmark of American historic preservation.
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Related people
- · William Tryon
Themes & tags
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