TownTapestry
Sign inJoin
NewbernGood night
History · Newbern

Newbern’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold only 4 old photos of Newbern. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

1854established
4old images & papers
4need a date
From Newbern’s archive · credits on each photo

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

The area was originally known as Cane Brake due to the large number of canebrakes in the area. The earliest known settler came to the area in 1816. The first grist mill was built in 1818, and the first store in 1829.

F.A. Borden built the first post office in 1832, and became the first postmaster. Two of Borden's brothers came from North Carolina in 1834, and bought most of the land in the area. They organized a town named after New Bern, North Carolina. It incorporated in 1854. A railway running from Uniontown to Newbern started operation in 1859.

Mayoral dispute2025 election

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Be one of the first

Start Newbern’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Newbern’s history is told.

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🗓️Date a photo4 archive items have no date+2 🔁Retake an old viewChantilly, 7886 Alabama Highway 61: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Famous people from Newbern

See all 4 →
Martha YoungMartha YoungWriting & ArtsFrank AllenFrank AllenSportsNathan B. YoungNathan B. YoungNotableMilton Washington CarothersMilton Washington CarothersScience & Medicine
By decade

Newbern, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
Date
unknown4 items
Chantilly, 7886 Alabama Highway 61LOCDate?Chantilly, 7886 Alabama Highway 61Baptist Church, State Route 61LOCDate?Baptist Church, State Route 61Presbyterian Church, State Route 61LOCDate?Presbyterian Church, State Route 61Walthall House, State Route 61LOCDate?Walthall House, State Route 61
Today18 photos
Rural Studio architecture, AlabamaLOCRural Studio architecture, Alabama2010Rural Studio architecture, AlabamaLOCRural Studio architecture, Alabama2010Rural Studio architecture, AlabamaLOCRural Studio architecture, Alabama2010Rural Studio architecture, AlabamaLOCRural Studio architecture, Alabama2010Rural Studio architecture, AlabamaLOCRural Studio architecture, Alabama2010Fire department designed by Rural Studio architectureLOCFire department designed by Rural Studio architecture2010Fire department designed by Rural Studio architectureLOCFire department designed by Rural Studio architecture2010Fire department designed by Rural Studio architectureLOCFire department designed by Rural Studio architecture2010Fire department designed by Rural Studio architectureLOCFire department designed by Rural Studio architecture2010Fire department designed by Rural Studio architectureLOCFire department designed by Rural Studio architecture2010Playground designed by the Rural StudioLOCPlayground designed by the Rural Studio2010Playground designed by the Rural StudioLOCPlayground designed by the Rural Studio2010Rural Studio architectureLOCRural Studio architecture2010Rural Studio architectureLOCRural Studio architecture2010Rural Studio architectureLOCRural Studio architecture2010Rural Studio architectureLOCRural Studio architecture2010Rural Studio architectureLOCRural Studio architecture2010Rural Studio architectureLOCRural Studio architecture2010
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Newbern is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Newbern has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Augusta Sledge House in Faunsdale, 5.3 miles away.

Newbern and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Newbern. Tap a dot.
Augusta Sledge HousePayne HouseMagnolia HallWestwood Plantation(Boundary Increase)John Erwin HouseGreensboro Historic District

Closest to Newbern

Augusta Sledge HouseFaunsdale · District5.3miPayne HouseGreensboro · District7.2miMagnolia HallGreensboro · Building8.3miWestwood Plantation(Boundary Increase)Uniontown · District8.5miJohn Erwin HouseGreensboro · Building8.5mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Augusta Sledge House’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Newbern?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Newbern’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Chantilly, 7886 Alabama Highway 61 and it appears here side by side.

🔁 Retake this view · +15

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Greensboro📜 Faunsdale📜 Uniontown📜 Marion

From the Library of Congress (22). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

We left the porch light on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Newbern, ALView boundary

Nearby

All towns & citiesExplore the map

Local begins with a boundary.

See what belongs to your selected town.

Loading boundary…

Newbern is your selected town. The feed includes posts assigned to this town, not a distance radius or ZIP code.

Neighborhoods narrow the feed further, while townwide announcements, events, and issues remain visible.

Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
Open detailed map