Attmore-Oliver House Museum and the New Bern Historical Society
Introduction
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Three families lived on the property starting with Chapman family in 1790. In 1834 the Altmore family moved in and expanded the house. Later the Oliver family lived in the house and the last descendants sold it to the historical society.
Backstory and Context
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Dating back to the early years of the American republic, the Attmore-Oliver House is one of the oldest remaining houses in North Carolina. The structure has been home to military officers, merchants, and leading families and has also withstood battles and occupation in the Civil War. The home was expanded in 1834 and passed through many of the leading families of the city including veterans of the American Revolution and Civil War.
Hannah Attmore Oliver inherited the property at the time of the Civil War. Her husband and her three brothers joined the Confederacy and her husband William Oliver was a Confederate quartermaster. The youngest of the three Attmore brothers, George Attmore, was only 13 at the time of war but fought at Gettysburg, Spotsylvania Court House, Cold Harbor, and Petersburg. He also was present at Appomattox when General Robert E. Lee surrendered. G
William Attmore and Hannah Attmore-Oliver gave this house to their eldest daughter who was the last person to reside in the house. In 1951, she willed the property to her three nephews and they sold it to the New Bern Historical Society in 1953. The first floor of this historic building includes several exhibits drawn from the organization's collections, including artifacts from the late 18th century and the Civil War.