Aerial survey · USDA NAIP · public domainNew Bern's 1715-era parish cemetery held thousands of yellow fever dead in trench burials during the 1799 epidemic, with graves later disturbed during construction — light anomalies and orbs are reported throughout the grounds
320 Pollock St, New Bern, NC 28560
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Church grounds and graveyard are generally open to the public at no charge; ghost tours are separately ticketed
Access
Limited Access
Historic cemetery with uneven ground, slate and sandstone markers, and dense grave coverage
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1824 · National Register of Historic Places (1973) · 1799 yellow fever epidemic mass burial site · Oldest active congregation in New Bern (est. 1741) · Notable colonial and Revolutionary War burials
The congregation at 320 Pollock Street traces its origins to Craven Parish, established under North Carolina's 1715 Vestry Act. Christ Church Parish itself was organized in 1741, and the first church building was completed around 1750. By the early republic period the churchyard had become the principal public burying ground for New Bern.
In 1799 yellow fever swept through the port city with devastating speed. The number of deaths exceeded the capacity of normal grave digging, and victims were buried in trench-style mass graves throughout the churchyard. Estimates based on available records suggest thousands of individuals may be interred in the compact yard, far exceeding what the visible markers account for.
The current brick church structure dates to 1824. In 1871, a fire that ignited across the street spread to the cypress roof, destroying the church interior while leaving the brick walls and tower base standing. The rebuilt church was consecrated on May 23, 1875. Notable burials in the yard include James Reed (first rector), Charles Elliot (colonial attorney general), and John Wright Stanly (Revolutionary War patriot). The church and parish house, the latter designed by Herbert W. Simpson and completed in 1908, were listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 13, 1973 (Reference No. 73001320). During third-building construction some original graves were disturbed, a fact frequently cited in connection with the site's paranormal reputation.
Sources
The paranormal reputation at Christ Church graveyard is rooted in the scale of its epidemic burials. Ghost tour accounts describe the churchyard as having held so many yellow fever victims in 1799 that bodies were placed in trench-style ditches across the grounds. Visitor reports cite flashes of light appearing throughout the cemetery and floating orbs observed among the headstones — phenomena consistent with the types of activity typically associated with densely populated burial grounds that saw mass interment.
Local tour guides also note that construction on a subsequent church building disturbed some of the older grave sites, a circumstance that figures in standard haunting lore about disturbed burials. The site is included on multiple New Bern ghost tour routes and has been documented by DVIDS (the U.S. Department of Defense's media outlet) as one of New Bern's prominent ghost tour stops.
The churchyard holds notable colonial and early republic burials including James Reed (first rector), Charles Elliot (colonial attorney general), and John Wright Stanly (Revolutionary War patriot). Mass trench burials from the 1799 yellow fever epidemic are believed to account for thousands of the graves packed into the compact yard.
Christ Church graveyard is a documented stop on New Bern's ghost tours, with guides discussing the 1799 epidemic burials and later grave disturbances. Tour departs from 246 Middle St, Tue-Sat at 7:30pm.
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