Construction of Tryon Palace (1766–1769)

In 1767 Governor William Tryon advanced the building of an elaborate New Bern residence: architect John Hawks, who had helped draw plans since 1764–1765, agreed to supervise construction for three years and recruited workers in Philadelphia. The project was funded by a £5,000 legislative authorization, and Tryon persuaded the legislature to raise taxes to pay for it, a burden that fed resentment among North Carolinians.

Episodes

Background and detail

Background. William Tryon, a British Army officer and colonial administrator, became acting lieutenant governor of North Carolina in April 1764 and assumed the governorship after Arthur Dobbs died on 28 March 1765. He arrived with architect John Hawks, and the two worked during 1764 and 1765 on plans for an elaborate governor's mansion that would also house government business.

Legislative Funding. In December 1766 the North Carolina legislature authorized £5,000 for building Tryon's mansion, described in one account as an "Edifice." Tryon told the legislature the sum was insufficient, saying even the plainest construction would cost no less than £10,000, and Hawks agreed to supervise the work for three years.

Cost and Consequences. Tryon eventually convinced the legislature to increase taxes to help pay for the project, and the unpopularity of those new taxes spawned the derogatory nickname "Tryon Palace." Taxation imposed to pay for the palace at New Bern, which Tryon made the provincial capital, was one partial cause of the War of the Regulation, which he suppressed between 1768 and 1771.

People involved

Sources

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