A few weeks ago, I took the time to visit the town of Bath. My journey to this oldest town in North Carolina was organized by the Day Trips Activity group and was an event well attended and enjoyed.
Though I had been to Bath before, this was the first time I visited the Exhibit Center housed in the refurbished Bath High School originally built in 1922. Along with the engaging history and artifacts, the Center provided the opportunity to pick up a copy of “A New Voyage to Carolina” by John Lawson.
Authored in the early 1700’s by Lawson, the co-founder and surveyor of Bath, the text provides a detailed chronicle of the people and places, flora and fauna, trials and triumphs encountered on his exploration that took him from Charleston, through upstate South Carolina, into the environs of New Bern and onto Virginia.
While the grammar and syntax recommend the reader devote careful attention, it is a detailed look into the colonial history of that time. I was fascinated to read his observations of the “new world” cast in the framework of what he knew from the “old world” – how soils, plants, vegetables, animals found in America echoed or differed from that which was common in England.
It reminded me of a recent conversation with a friend in town with whom I share common urban roots from which we relocated. That discussion turned on various opinions and memories of options from the “old world” compared to choices available in the “new world” of New Bern.
Perhaps the challenge for us is the same as was the case with John Lawson – using the “old” as a framework for encountering and engaging the “new.”
Yet, what’s the saying? “Bloom where you are planted!” Maybe that is the mission of Newcomer’s – to loosen the surface, plant some seeds, feed your imagination and help you grow attached to your new home. Let us know how we can best support your journey.
One final note from John Lawson: “Our Spring, in Carolina, is very beautiful, and the most pleasant Weather a Country can enjoy.” Who’s ready for Spring?
Join us at our next General Membership meeting, March 14, 2024. Planning ahead – Newcomers 101 from 6:30 PM to 6:45 PM, followed by open social time with the formal meeting beginning at 7:00 PM. Our guest speaker will bring us up-to-date on the progress of the Route 70 Corridor reconstruction and improvements.
See you there!
Bill Brettschneider, President