CSS Neuse Civil War Interpretive Center

  In 1861, Secretary got he Confederate Navy, Stephen R. Mallory, thought he could rival the U.S. Navy by building ironclads. The CSS Neuse would be one of twenty-two ironclads the Confederacy would build. Construction on the CSS Neuse starts din 1862 in Whitehall, North Carolina. The ship’s builders were the building firm of Thomas Howard and Elijah Ellis. The ship was built to try to take back New Bern from the Union Forces. Once the hull was built, the ship moved to Kinston for completion. During the two year construction of the ship, it would face many problems. These problems include lack of supplies and iron, the supplies being burnt by the Union Forces and lack of man power. When it was finally completed, it would only sail a mile from down the Neuse River. It would be burned in March 1865, so the boat would not fall into Union hands. It would sink near present day Bright Street in Kinston. 

The ship would remain underwater for nearly 100 years. Efforts to raise the board in 1940 exceeded the cost of what Engineers from Wilmington were willing to pay and did not cause navigation issues. The recovery of the boat began on October 27, 1961 by Henry Casey, Lemuel Houston, and Thomas Carlyle. During the recovery process, the boats ownership would constantly be in question. In 1963, the ship would be cut into three sections to help move the Caswell Park, with a shelter in place by 1969. Also doing this time, 15,000 CSS Neuse artifacts were recovered. The ship would continue to deteriorate due to weather conditions until 2012. In June of 2012, the boat would be officially moved and reassembled to a climate controlled and fully enclosed CSS Neuse Civil War Center. 

Visitors can visit the CSS Neuse II. The ship was completed in 2009 and is the world’s only full-size replica of a Confederate Ironclad. This will give the visitor a real feel of how big the ironclads really were. When you visit you, you can get a tour or it is easy to explore the board through a self-tour. This replica really brings history to life. The is no air conditioning, so the visitors can really get a feel for the life of the sailor during the summer month. The ship is open Saturday from 10-4 and is located at 118 N Herritage St, Kinston, NC 28501 

The center has many public and private uses. The center can be rented out for private events, such as rehearsal dinners and birthday parties. The center has been reserved for out night outings for the Boy Scouts. The CSS Neuse Center and Neuse II are available for tours.  Contact Rachel to help you plan your group visit. 252-526-9600 ext 222.  

History and education in the 21st century is forever evolving. There are many opportunities for the teacher and students to explore.  The CSS Neuse Center offers virtual field trips and eight programs that are based in the center.  All these activities are connected to the NC Essential Standards. Educational director Rachel Kennedy is in the process of updating the programs to the new adapted standards. There is a program for all levels, from K-12. All programs come with pre and post activities and come with a STEAM component. Students will get a better understanding of why ironclads were important to the Confederate.  

Bright, L. S. (2006). Neuse, CSS | NCpedia. NCpedia. https://www.ncpedia.org/neuse-css

CSS Neuse orientation film. (2019, September 18). Brown Water Ironclad. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYaW-8y7IIM&feature=youtu.be

Duppstadt, A. (2016, March 7). CSS Neuse. North Carolina History Project. https://northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/css-neuse/

Hand, B. (2019, May 21). The original CSS Neuse: an impressive sight. The Free Press. https://www.kinston.com/news/20190521/original-css-neuse-impressive-sight

Historic Sites: CSS Neuse and Governor Caswell Memorial. (n.d.). CSS Neuse and Governor Caswell Memorial. Retrieved March 28, 2021, from https://historicsites.nc.gov/all-sites/css-neuse-and-governor-caswell-memorial

N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. (2011, February 1). An Overview of the CSS Neuse. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6fksiJUZX4&feature=youtu.be

Sutton, J. (2020, February 20). Local history for local students at CSS Neuse Center. Neuse News. https://www.neusenews.com/index/2020/2/19/local-history-for-local-students-lcps-student-tour-css-neuse-interpretive-center

The CSS Neuse Foundation, Inc. (n.d.). The CSS Neuse Foundation. The CSS Neuse Foundation, Inc. Retrieved March 24, 2021, from https://www.cssneuseii.org/index.html