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New Bern, North Carolina (U.S.)

Craven County

image by António Martins-Tuválkin

[Politically Correct Flag of New Bern, North Carolina]

P.C. Version
image by António Martins

Description of the flag
Seal
Original version

See also:

Craven County
Bern, Switzerland
County and Municipal Flags of North Carolina
North Carolina
United States of America

External sites:
New Bern City site

Description of the flag

The city flag honors the mother-daughter relationship with Bern, Switzerland. The flag's bear motif, which dates from the Middle Ages, can be found on city buildings, vehicles, and uniforms. The original flag, a gift from the residents of Bern in 1896, is on display in the courtroom of City Hall.
Dov Gutterman, 12 April 1999

The bear on the flag is a male bear, that is for the official flag. There is a politically correct bear flag used in New Bern, and that same bear is used by the high school for years. The owner of Bern Bear Gifts, Inc. told me that Bern, Switzerland had that same debate a few years ago. They decided to stick with "Papa", the male bear, and he used this saying "It is a papa bear and always will be a papa bear." So in final, the Bern, Switzerland flag is the flag of New Bern, North Carolina.
Zachary Harden, 13 January 2001

Seal

image located by Paul Bassinson, 17 October 2019

Source: http://statelibrarync.org/.../new_bern_bear.jpg
Paul Bassinson, 17 October 2019

Original version of flag

images located by Valentin Poposki, 28 July 2024

Is New Bern’s flag the oldest in America? Assuming it was treated like one from the time it was donated. I know Baltimore adopted its first flag in 1898.
Daniel Rentería, 28 July 2024

Postcard with New Bern flag (19th/20th c.): https://www.flickr.com/photos/north-carolina-state-archives/21954748440
(location: State Archives of North Carolina)
Another example with postmark from 1906: https://www.ebay.com/itm/325893423279
Martin Karner, 29 July 2024

The image on this postcard seems to be a photo of an actual flag, with fringe and tassles, which attests to the accuracy of the ornate design sent by Vanja on Sun, 28 Jul 2024 08:26:26 +0000 (UTC) as very close to the actual design on the cloth. The two images seem to show two very similar but not identical originals - a photo of the actual flag and a hand drawn illustration of it.

The absense of visible genitals is also clear, giving credence to the “legend” about that detail, so emphatically official and significant in the Swiss counterpart of this flag [Bern] but “sanitized” for the
U.S. market (the claws are not painted red, either, making this bear somewhat gender neutral).
António Martins-Tuválkin, 6 November 2024