The transformative impact of naval advancements and technologies significantly influenced the outcome of the American Civil War despite receiving lesser attention than the land battles.
The CSS Neuse Museum will present the upcoming program “Sailors in the Summer: Ironclads and Naval Living History,” scheduled for Saturday, July 13 that will highlight some of these advances.
The event from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., will allow visitors to explore a diverse array of naval-themed exhibits and engage with knowledgeable interpreters who will provide insights into various aspects of sailor life during the Civil War. Interactive activities such as rope making, shipbuilding, and a scavenger hunt also will be offered. Guests can take guided tours of the first floor at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.
This event will showcase naval living history reenactors, CSS Neuse Museum staff, and dedicated volunteers, who will share knowledge about sailors' lives during the war, the weapons they used, the food they ate, the games they played, and more. In addition, visitors will be able to closely examine and handle items from the CSS Neuse Museum's teaching collection.
A board member from The Friends of the Hunley will join us to discuss the history, construction, and conservation efforts to preserve the H.L. Hunley submarine.
Wisteria Perry, a member of the Mariners’ Museum Speakers Bureau, will deliver a virtual presentation, “Beyond Shackles: The Fight for Freedom,” at 11 a.m. in the theater room.
By the mid-nineteenth century, not all African Americans were enslaved. Some were free, some were abolitionists and spies, and some were part of the Underground Railroad. Others became the first African Americans to contribute and serve aboard the US Navy’s first ironclad, the USS Monitor.
The CSS Neuse is the only remaining commissioned Confederate ironclad above water. It was part of a new technology that the Confederacy used to combat the superior manpower and firepower of the Union Navy. Learn about this technological advance and warfare in eastern North Carolina at the CSS Neuse Museum. The Confederate Navy launched the CSS Neuse, attempting to gain control of the lower Neuse River and New Bern, but ultimately destroyed the vessel to keep it out of Union hands.
The CSS Neuse Museum is located at 100 N. Queen St., Kinston, N.C., and open Tuesday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission: $5/Adult: 13 years old to 64 years old, $4/Senior: 65 years old, $3/Child: 6 years old to 12 years old, and ages five and under are free. As a Blue Star Museum program member, all active-duty military personnel with ID and their families of up to five members get free admission.
Please contact Rachel Kennedy at (252) 526-9600 x222 for more information. The CSS Neuse Museum is a part of the Division of State Historic Sites within the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) manages, promotes, and enhances the things that people love about North Carolina – its diverse arts and culture, rich history, and spectacular natural areas. Through its programs, the department enhances education, stimulates economic development, improves public health, expands accessibility, and strengthens community resiliency.