May 30, 2026

11:00 A.M. – 3:00 P.M.
New Bern Academy

Tryon Palace will host a United States Colored Troops (USCT) Commemorative Anniversary event Saturday, May 30, from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the New Bern Academy Museum, located at 508 New St., New Bern. During the Civil War, New Bern became a place of refuge and opportunity for formerly enslaved people seeking freedom. It was there that many African American men stepped forward to serve in the USCT, courageously fighting for the Union and the promise of liberty.  Tryon Palace offers this event in celebration of those brave men, the founding of the North Carolina Bureau of Colored Troops, and its impact on New Bern. 

This free, family-friendly celebration will put visitors into the middle of an American Civil War encampment with interpreters dressed in replica uniforms of the 35^th USCT who first mustered on those very same New Bern Academy grounds, including interpreters who are direct descendants of those very men. Our engaging USCT interpreters will give demonstrations on camp life, cooking, military drills, and firearm handling. 

Author and historian Dr. David Cecelski will give a keynote address at the New Bern Academy Museum on the USCT and Abraham Galloway’s advocacy for enslaved people, as he pushed for the American Civil War to become a fight for liberation and not just the preservation of the Union. Cecelski is the author of “The Fire of Freedom: Abraham Galloway and the Slaves’ Civil War” (UNC Press, 2012). 

The 35^th USCT is a historically accurate interpretive group that tells the stories of patriots who answered the call of duty during the American Civil War. In 2016, Tryon Place received an Institute of Museum and Library Services grant to form an interpretative program based on the experiences of the USCT during the American Civil War. As a result, the 35^th U.S. Colored Troops Interpretive Regiment was born. With a mission to promote a better understanding of the role of African Americans in the fight for their freedom, the 35^th USCT gathers and interprets the stories of soldiers who served in the original regiment.

This event is FREE to the public!