Tomorrow morning as early as 5:30 a.m., the CSS Neuse will begin a three-mile journey from its current home at the CSS Neuse/Gov. Caswell Memorial to a new, custom-built, climate controlled building at 100 N. Queen St., in downtown Kinston.
The Confederate ironclad represents the culmination of a ten year effort and will be a truly historic event. The Neuse has been at its current site since 1964, shortly after its raising from the Neuse River in 1962.
The move will be a slow one, with many safety precautions in place to protect both the public and the 148-year-old, 260-ton Neuse. In fact, the ship will travel at only one mile per hour until it reaches W. Vernon Avenue and will only reach a top speed of four miles per hour during the middle portion of the trip.
The Neuse will be lifted out of its current location in three sections using house moving dollies that can turn a full 360 degrees. After it reaches the main road, it will be hitched to trucks. Parking lots and sidewalks along Vernon Avenue and Queen Streets will offer great vantage points to the see move! The Neuse won’t be open for public view again until late in the year as the staff of the Historic Sites Division finishes construction on the new building and continues to develop the exhibits on the role of eastern North Carolina in the Civil War.
Visit the CSS Neuse Civil War Interpretive Center
We want to hear from you as you watch this historic event. Tweet your photos and comments on #CSSNeuse and upload your photos to our Facebook page. You can learn more about the Neuse and its move on our website.
Editor's Note – in 2014, the new CSS Neuse Civil War Interpretive Center opened in downtown Kinston. We've updated the links above to reflect that. Check out video of the landmark move below.