Tryon Palace

The Tryon Palace which is originally known as the Governors palace, was the official residence and administrative headquarters of the British governors of North Carolina from 1770 - 1775. Most of the time this was the center of state occasions and royal hospitality. The palace was used for many things, school, boarding house, and a masonic lodge. After a while the Tryon Palace was seized by rebel troops in 1775. After this incident the states capital was changed to Raleigh North Carolina in 1792, the main building burnt to the ground.

They originally started building the Palace in 1767 and finished in 1770. The architect was John Hawks, he sketched up plans for the house to be similar to other British structures of this time. At this time North Carolina offered 5,000 dollars for the building, but for the plans Hawk created he needed no less than 10,000 dollars. After this Hawk watched construction for 3 years and went to Philadelphia to hire workers to finish the job. As of today the Palace was rebuilt, with 16 acres of plantings, representing three centuries of landscape and gardening heritage.

In 1770 Tryon and his spouse Margaret Wake, move into the Palace. More taxation to fund the project had been imposed by the governor. With that happening it was too much and was a catalyst in the War of the Regulation, which led to the battle of Alamance on May 16, 1771, and led to the hanging of seven men. Tryon then left North Carolina to become the Governor of New York later in that year in June. He lived in the house a little over a year.

Tryon Palace, Wikipedia.org. Accessed October 25th 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tryon_Palace.

North Carolina History Center, Tryon Palace. Accessed October 25th 2020. https://www.tryonpalace.org/.

Tryon Palace.” Tryon Palace - NewBern.com. Accessed November 20, 2020. https://www.newbern.com/tryon-palace.html.

Restoration.” The Historical Significance of Tryon Palace. Accessed November 20, 2020. https://historicaltryonpalace.weebly.com/restoration.html.