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"SAVE THE CSS NEUSE" Partnership
The Endangered Authentic
 CSS Neuse Ironclad Gunboat

The Historical Preservation Group has been working hard to preserve Lenoir County’s two Civil War battlefields.  However, HPG realizes that once completed, the CSS Neuse and Civil War Museum will be the  cornerstone for Heritage Tourism in Lenoir County.  Marketing all the Civil War sites into one package will be a big draw for tourism. Thus, the Historical Preservation Group fully supports CSS Neuse Gunboat Association and the State of North Carolina in their efforts to preserve the CSS Neuse and the future Civil War Museum.  

The Historical Preservation Group has partnered with the following organization:

• CSS Neuse Gunboat Association

• CSS Neuse State Historic Site

• Lenoir County Tourism

• Kinston - Lenoir County Tourism Development Authority

 Help Save the CSS Neuse

The CSS Neuse Gunboat Association is raising funds for the development of the CSS Neuse Civil War Museum to be located in downtown Kinston. This project is essential to ensure the long-term preservation of the remains of the CSS Neuse, the only commissioned Confederate ironclad gunboat on display in the country.

Currently located at the CSS Neuse State Historic Site, the gunboat remains are housed in a temporary shelter that is not climate controlled and the gunboat is rapidly deteriorating.  One of North Carolina’s largest artifacts is endangered and must be saved. The proposed museum will house the gunboat in a climate-controlled facility and guarantee its survival.

To date, the association has purchased property in downtown Kinston that includes an existing 12,000-square-foot office building, an adjoining vacant lot, and a 33-space parking lot.  Acquisition of two adjacent parcels is currently being pursued to allow even more space for the gunboat to be housed.

The property is approximately two blocks from where the CSS Neuse was originally outfitted and docked.  Plans call for the vacant lot and other adjacent property to be converted into the facility to house the remains of the gunboat, and for the office building to be renovated into a museum that will focus on the Civil War in eastern North Carolina. This project will also serve as a focal point in Kinston's downtown revitalization and heritage tourism efforts.

The association has received a grant from a local foundation to be used in the design of the gunboat enclosure, but approximately $3 million must be raised to see the project through to completion. Any and all donations are appreciated and special naming opportunities exist for especially large gifts.

For more information contact:
Guy Smith, Site Manager, CSS Neuse State Historic Site, (252) 522-2091
e-mail: cssneuse@ncmail.net
guy.smith@ncmail.net.
 

 CSS Neuse
click here for CSS Neuse State Historic Site

CSS Neuse
Click here for CSS Neuse Gunboat Association