Editing Craven County, North Carolina (section)

===Antebellum period===
Craven developed an economy centered around agriculture, timber and turpentine, small manufacturing, and commerce emanating from the port of New Bern.{{sfn|Watson|1987|pp=247, 249}} Various fruits and vegetables were among the most popular crops, with cotton production declining in popularity after adverse weather conditions in 1821. Some cattle was also kept in the county.{{sfn|Watson|1987|p=249}} Commercial fishing became more common in the late 1840s, while shipbuilding declined later in the Antebellum period.{{sfn|Watson|1987|pp=255–256}} Slaves served as a key labor force in the local economy, though unlike other eastern counties in the state, which had overwhelmingly rural slave populations, almost 40 percent of Craven's slaves were kept in New Bern.{{sfn|Watson|1987|p=250}}

The [[Panic of 1819]] heavily impacted the county and triggered a two decade-long period of economic contraction.{{sfn|Watson|1987|p=267}} Railroad service was introduced in the 1850s.{{sfn|Watson|1987|pp=289, 291}} The population rose from 13,394 in 1820 to 16,268 by 1860, though poverty remained a problem and many born in the country migrated elsewhere in search of better economic prospects.{{sfn|Watson|1987|p=294}} Despite the difficulties, Craven remained a center of political and social activity in the state and New Bern remained one of the largest cities in North Carolina throughout the antebellum period.{{sfn|Watson|1987|pp=294–295}}