Tryon Palace marks 249 years of American independence

You couldn’t have asked for a better day to celebrate the 249th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence than to be at Tryon Palace in New Bern, North Carolina, on July 4, 2025.

Built by British Royal Governor William Tryon from 1767 to 1770, then serving as home to Royal Governor Josiah Martin as the American Revolution unfolded, the palace provided a great backdrop for Independence Day festivities. Reenactors and participants were dressed in Revolutionary-era attire. Tents were set up showing colonial wares. Extremely helpful volunteers directed visitors to the right venues.

The morning got off to a rousing start with a fife and drum corps in full Revolutionary regalia marching into the grounds through the outer gate and making its way to the palace’s back brick steps facing the Trent River.

One of the surprising treats of the day was to have North Carolina’s current “non-royal” Governor Josh Stein and his wife, Anna, present for the festivities. Stein spoke of the importance of the Declaration of Independence and of the holiday for all citizens. He reminded attendees that New Bern was the first city in North Carolina to celebrate the new nation’s independence in 1778 and the third city in the nation after Boston and Philadelphia to host an Independence Day celebration.

One of the palace’s reenactors then read the entire Declaration of Independence from the south steps of the palace to the crowd. Interestingly, one of the people I spoke to that morning had mentioned that the Declaration was written in such a way as to be easily understood when read aloud. That struck home when I heard it clearly read last Friday morning, July 4, 2025 — 249 years later. Its provocative words, meant to announce the separation of the 13 American colonies from Great Britain and justify the move with a list of grievances against King George III, powerfully struck home.

Once the reading of the Declaration was finished, the fife and drum corps moved beneath a grove of shade trees and played a collection of the “Greatest Hits of the Revolution” (think Yankee Doodle–style). The crowd then gathered behind several militiamen who fired their muskets in sequence out towards the Trent River. That completed the morning’s celebration, and families then stayed and milled about the palace’s formal gardens and vegetable gardens.

It was great seeing how many children were taking part in the festivities. Many were dressed in various versions of period clothes and approached reenactors to pose for pictures or to hear instructions on how to fire muskets and other information.

If you love America and are inspired by the courage of the patriots who founded our country, head to Tryon Palace next July 4. By lunchtime, your family will come away with a better understanding of what the fireworks and Independence Day hoopla are all about — while leaving the afternoon and evening open for your own celebration.

For more on the John Locke Foundation’s NC250 initiative, see here.

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