History revisited at Kinston museum

North Carolina didn’t want to secede from the Union to join the Confederacy, but when President Lincoln mandated that our state send troops to fight for the Union in the Civil War our leaders chose to join the Confederacy rather than fight against our neighbor states. Even though there were not many major battles in North Carolina history records we lost more troops than any other state. Historians note our state was the lifeline for essential supplies reaching Confederate troops. Fort Fisher was one of few ports where blockade-runners were able to sail into the Cape Fear river and move supplies inland where they were railroaded to Richmond and other supply centers.

Those interested in this period can watch history being revisited at the CSS Neuse Civil War Interpretive Center, now open in Kinston. The CSS Neuse was an ironclad designed to help keep waterways open and protect our citizens along the Neuse River. Construction started in 1862, and it saw action in the second battle of Kinston. It was scuttled and burned in 1865, after running aground, action taken to prevent Union troops from capturing and employing it against the Confederacy. It remained underwater until the 1960’s, when its remnants were brought up and put on display.

Now the Neuse is the focal point for a new museum. Sarah Risty-Davis, site manager for the museum, says it will preserve the historic boat, show what it looked like when it was first built and also tell what life was like in Eastern Carolina during this era. During this “soft opening,” Davis says, visitors will be able to see craftsmen at work restoring the Neuse and watch this interpretive center come alive with other exhibits and narratives prior to the formal opening in Spring 2014. The center is located in downtown Kinston and open Tuesdays through Saturdays.

North Carolina is a state rich in history and the Kinston museum is one of many historic sites and museums helping to remind us of that history.

Photo courtesy of WRAL-TV