Ripon's 50th a Time to Reflect -Cagle

"My thoughts were led in this direction by a gravestone I encountered in New Bern, NC. The second oldest town in the state, New Bern was the colonial capital and briefly the state capital after independence. As an important port and the largest town for many miles up and down the East Coast, New Bern became a major center of commerce and culture in the early years of the republic.