Original construction of the Harvey Mansion had taken place between 1797 until 1804. Its owner, John Harvey, was a British ship magnate who moved to the city in 1797 with his wife. When the Civil War ended, the mansion had been temporarily turned into a military provost HQ. Over the years, it had also become the site of the Craven Technical Institute, residential apartments in the years of WWII, and a New Bern Military Academy dormitory.

Now owned and managed as a historic inn by brothers Gene and Bob Simon, the Harvey Mansion?s restoration had been completed in February, 2003. It also boasts of a carefully restored kitchen, now a full service restaurant. The 1797 Steamer Bar and Lounge boasts of eighteen-inch thick walls, low ceilings and exposed beams for a cosy atmosphere, and a charming copper-top bar.