The 1922 Great Fire of New Bern

December 1, 1922. New Bern NC residents started this Saturday like any other Saturday. Children were home from school. Families were visiting friends and relatives. And, members of the New Bern Fire Department were off to Raleigh for a sporting event. Within hours, over 400 African American homes and businesses were burned to the ground leaving the injured to find temporary housing in local cemeteries and in homes beyond the city. AAHC Oral History Library Episode #1.