Last Days In Kinston, N.C.

Time was rapidly running out, so we decided to take a day and visit the historical places in town. The first stop was at the CSS Neuse II Ironclad Gunboat. This is an exact replica of the 158 foot long, 34 foot wide CSS Neuse which is being constructed in downtown Kinston by the Last Firebase Veterans Archive project and group of voluneers led by professional Shipwright Alton Stapleford. It is the only one in existence. They have accepted no government or city monies and have been working on the reconstruction for four years already. Some of the volunteers were working on the ship as we stopped by and offered to let us look at the inside. It was amazing to see what they had done. They have collected ship records and diaries and have reconstructed the ship according to those. They have no date for completion at this time.

Inside reconstructed CSS Neuse II

The original CSS Neuse remains are housed under a shed currently and hope to be moved inside to a climate controlled museum so there is no further deterioration. Construction of the Confederate ship, CSS Neuse, began in October of 1862. Before she was completed, Union artillery damaged the ship which delayed the completion of the hull. It was hard to get supplies of iron but finally on April 22, 1864 she was completed and ordered to recapture the town of New Bern from the union Army. The Neuse began the trip but got grounded on a sandbar and remained there until the river raised enough to free her. In 1865, the Neuse fired on Union troops, allowing time for Confederate troops and supplies to escape. The captain then ordered the Neuse to be destroyed to prevent her capture. The crew packed the front with the powder from the magazine, set her on fire and abandonded her in the river. As she burned, the fire set the powder off and it created a twenty foot wide hold in the left side of the bow. The ship then sunk and remained at the bottom of the Neuse River until 1961 when three local men began trying to raise her. The project was larger than they anticipated and after several unsuccessful attempts, the gunboat was pulled out of the river in May, 1963. It sat on the bank of the river for a year until the State of North Carolina stepped in with funds to relocate and preserve it. It is the only commissioined Confederate ironclad on display in the world.

Remains of orginal CSS Neuse

A little later in the day, we viewed the Caswell #1 Fire Station Museum. It portrays fire fighting in Kinston since the late 1800's. The building itself emerged from the ashes of a disastrous 1895 fire which destroyed most of downtown Kinston. One of its features is a 1922 American LaFrance Pumper. A collection of alarm systems, helmets, nozzles, ladders, fire extinguishers and other memorabilia are available to take you back into firefighting during the 1800's and 1900's.

Harmony Hall is the only surviving 18th century building remaining in Kinston. it was built in 1772 by merchant-soldier-politician, Capt. Jesse Cobb and his wife. Harmony Hall served as North Carolina's de facto state capital 1777-1781 in the first stages of the war to win independence from British rule. Over the years, the home was enlarged twice and served as a war-time hospital, church, school, boarding house, library, and now is used for weddings, and the meeting place for the Kinston Women's Club.

We have really enjoyed our week here in Kinston at the Neuse River Nature Center. There are sites for about 15 rigs and the boyscouts have built beautiful swings all along the river banks. McKenzie was in heaven to get to sit and swing and watch the river flow by! It was definitely a find and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

Shirley and George have been doing a little exploring on their own, too. They took a trip along the coast and spent time at the National Wildlife center while we were out doing the city historic tour. Shirley and I took advantage of the Farmer's Market and bought some fresh fruits and vegetables. Blueberries are just coming into season and the tomatoes are to die for!

Shirley and George will be slowly making their way up to Washington D.C. where we will all meet up again for a two week stay over July 4th. We are really looking forward to that! We're heading inland and will be staying at Asheboro, N.C. for a few days. Thankfully, they have WiFi so we can get everything updated and read our e-mails. We love hearing from all of you and especially like to see your comments on our blogsite. Though we are having a great deal of fun, we still think about each of you. Stay well, be kind to one another, and remember "Life is Good"!