Company Profile
Tryon Palace
Company Overview
The Tryon Palace Commission is a state commission whose members are appointed by the Governor to manage the Latham Trust for Tryon Palace and to function as a board of trustees in the development of policies regarding collections management, public programs, and preservation.
Company History
During the 1920s, New Bern saw a renewed interest in its colonial heritage and the rebuilding Tryon’s Palace. For the next 20 years, these efforts were led by five women known as the Dreamers: Gertrude Sprague Carraway, Minette Chapman Duffy, May Gordon Latham Kellenberger, Maude Moore Latham, and Kate B. Reynolds.
In 1939, Gertrude S. Carraway discovered a set of Palace architect John Hawks' drawings at the New York Historical Society. With drawings by the original architect in hand, Maude Moore Latham established a trust for the restoration of Tryon Palace in 1944, contingent on the state purchasing the original property. In 1945, the Tryon Palace Commission was formed by the state of North Carolina to oversee the purchase of land and reconstruction of Tryon Palace. Maude Moore Latham served as chairman of the Commission until her passing in 1951 when she was succeed by her daughter May Gordon Latham Kellenberger. May Kellenberger served as chairman of the Commission through the opening of the Palace in April 1959.