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If you are from Eastern NC you should know about John Lawson. He founded Bath and New Bern. Many Swiss and Germans migrated to this area partly (or largly) because of him. His capture and subsequent murder was the beginning of the Tusauroran Indian Wars.
This past Saturday, I spent the day in Grifton remembering John Lawson and the early settlers of Craven County. The museum in Grifton had a lot of period reenactors, craft folks, singers and speakers. Dr. David LaVere has written a recently published book called The Tusauroran Wars. He was one of the speakers at the day's event.
At the end of the day, we traveled to Fort Barnwell. I grew up 1/2 mile from there. The fort is located on what is now privately owned land. Dr. LaVere discussed the fort, its great location and how the land was considered one of the best sites on a river on the east coast.
All of us enjoyed browsing around the old cemetary and we went to the site of the now gone plantation house called the Simpson-Biddle house. I never realized that it was built on a mound. So, the view below would have been very beautiful if you lived in the old plantation house.
As a teenager, my father lived in that house for a while. It was a very informative day and I enjoyed learning more about my roots. The older I get the more I realize what a great legacy those of us who grew up in the US and especially eastern NC have!!
John Lawson Legacy days has been going on for several years. So, I look forward to next year!
