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Mar 6 2012, 02:09 PM
Post #1
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http://www.newbernsj.com/articles/james-104837-city-civil.html
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Post-war James City emerged as destination for free blacks March 04, 2012 8:27 PM
 An African American family in early James City, founded in 1863.
Charlie Hall
Relative to the 150th anniversary of the Civil War Battle of New Bern is the marking of 149 years since the establishment of the James City community, a product of that battle. It was first known as the Trent River Settlement after Union Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnsides captured New Bern in 1862. In a 2010 program on the history of James City - which has never incorporated - historian Ben Watford said, "Burnsides declared the slaves spoils of war. Though the Emancipation Proclamation had not been passed, the Union Army took the slaves from their masters and basically freed them to live in the Trent River Settlement. Soon slaves from as far away as 100 miles were living there." Unlike many African American communities and neighborhoods, which have little formal written history, James City is well-documented. Notably, there is the 1981 work of research historian Joe Mobley, who penned "James City - A Black Community in North Carolina 1863-1900." It was produced by the North Carolina Division of Archives and History, through a grant from the Kellenberger Historical Foundation. Among the James City residents cited for major contributions were James C. Delemar and Isaac Long. Mobley said the community was cohesive throughout the era from the war's end until the turn of the century. "Their primary goal throughout this period was to obtain permanent ownership of the land on which they resided as tenants," he wrote. It eventually became a court battle. "When they failed to win their case in 1893, their community began to dissolve," Mobley added. In his book, Mobley said that because James City remained a stronghold of black determination, "it affords a useful model for the study of African American history on a local level." James City was established in 1863 as a camp for freed blacks on 30 acres that had belonged to former North Carolina Gov. Richard Dobbs Spaight. The Trent River Settlement was later named for Horace James, a white Union chaplain in the Civil War who served as the superintendent for Negro affairs in New Bern. His task was to oversee that newly freed slaves had food, shelter and medical care at refugee settlements, including one across the Trent River from New Bern, according to information from the North Carolina Museum of History. According to a Report of the Superintendent of Negro Affairs in North Carolina, there were about 8,600 Freedmen living in the federally occupied area around New Bern in 1864. The same sources puts the late 1865 population of James City at about 3,000, with a number ranging from 663 to 1,226 receiving Freedmen's Bureau aid. According to the North Carolina History Project, a special venture of the nonprofit John Locke Foundation, historian William S. Powell described James City as "the largest refuge in North Carolina for black men and women." Also according to The North Carolina History Project, the role of the Freedmen's Bureau as a financial benefactor lessened and the federal government allowed the land’s original owners a return ownership around 1867. That led to a drop in population by the 1880s, with blacks paying high rents to the new owners. During the Reconstruction era after the war, James City citizens had built churches, opened businesses and farmed land in the area. It was described as a thriving community and the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church became a leading force in the community. The History Project said that in the 1880s and 1890s, the primary land owners began to increase rent with the plan to evict tenants from their town. The black families in the community offered $2,000 to buy ownership of the city, but to no avail. Eventually, James City residents filed suit, but the state Supreme Court reviewed the case in 1892 and ruled against the black community. Many residents left, but a goodly number remained and the community remains intact today, with groups such as the James City Historical Society and the James City Community Organization working to preserve the past and to provide ongoing programs and activities for citizens ranging from youth to seniors. Historic churches include Mt. Shiloh Missionary Baptist, which is on the National Register of Historic Place, and Jones Chapel AME Zion Church. Other leading churches include Reformed Shiloh Missionary Baptist, Pilgrim Chapel Missionary Baptist and the Undenominational Pentecostal Holiness Church. Myrtle Downing, a James City native and a co-founder of the historical society along with Thelma Bryan and Grace George, is also active in the James City Community Organization. Downing credits the founding of the historical group in the early 1990s as Bryan's vision, after hundreds of unmarked graves were discovered near the airport. Today, more than 500 graves are protected adjacent to the airport, near the site of the historical group’s restored slave quarters. Downing said the community group dates back to the 1960s, with early leadership of the Rev. William Foskey, Lester Reed Jr., Belle Harris, Margorie Williams and Christopher Howard, the remaining living founder. She is a past president, currently vice president of the community group, now headed by President William Stevens. "Our goal is to make the community more vibrant, for seniors and young people and to provide a place for activities and recreation," she said. The community center also serves as a meeting place for local events and provides a venue for meetings with government officials and other visitors. "It gives us a place where they can actually come and see the community," she said. "We've worked hard over the years." A 2010 New Bern Historical Society program on the history of James City offered this overview: "There are few stories more important to this area than the story of the rise and fall of James City. It was a risky innovation, a fascinating experiment, a noble cause, a thriving village and the scene of much heartbreak. But, James City still exists and has much promise in its future."
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