Tuesday, January 12, 2016

New Bern NC, Indians and Carpetbaggers

Google Earth Image (4)

"The Koonce family of North Carolina originated in the Palatinate, the region along the upper Rhine River in Southern Germany, which supplied a large proportion of the Swiss and German colonists who founded the town of New Bern, NC in 1710 under the leadership of Baron Christopher De Graffenreid. 

The founder of the family in North Carolina was Johann Christian Kunitzsli, (My sixth great grandfather) which was anglicized to John Koonce. John, his wife, and six children, survived the hardships of the voyage to America only to encounter worst misfortunes upon arrival in Virginia in April 1710." 

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 http://www.newbernzig.com/newbern-300anniversary.jpg

One other bit of local trivia.  Perhaps New Bern’s most prominent landmark is the old concrete grain silo at what was New Bern Oil and Fertilizer.  It sits on the bank of the Neuse River on the north side of town and can be seen abovethe New Bern skyline from multiple locations and long distances. 
 
At one time it was neighbored by a big saw mill, an ice plant and a coal yard on the south and the Maola Milk plantto the north.  All are out of business now.  The three to the south have been torn down and Maola is completely shut down but still there.  At the New Bern Oil Mill site only the 10 barrel grain elevator remains and sometime this week if not tomorrow it will come down.  They are busy cutting big holes in the bottom of it to weaken the structure so they can implode it.  I went by today to bid it farewell.  I used to work there.  It’s a shame to see all of New Bern’s industrial might now gone including Barbour Boat Works, New Bern Shipyard, Craven Foundry the Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola bottling plants  and other smaller outfits. America is truly dying before our eyes.  Half a mile of Neuse River waterfront that has been in industrial use since the early days of the Republic will now become houses and condo’s for Yankee carpet baggers I suppose.
 
Charlie

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