Continued from Jan. 4th.
The CSS Neuse Foundation donated the property for the new museum.
One drawback of the move, however, may be that the ship is now 3/4 of a mile from US-70, and there is a fear that it might keep some beach-goers who regularly use the highway, from journeying that far out of their way to see it.
But the hope is that the museum, along with new places in downtown Kinston, North Carolina. There is a new restaurant called the Chef and Farmer as well as Mother Earth Brewing. Plus, the full-size replica of the CSS Neuse.
The Confederate Navy Department authorized the construction of the Neuse in 1862 and it was built along the banks of the Neuse River in what is now Seven Springs (Whitehall back then). The ship was 158-feet long and had a 34-foot beam, mounting two Brooke Rifles on swivel. It never saw action and was burned and sunk to prevent capture in the waning days of the war.
It had shared a site with the Richard Caswell Museum, the state's first governor. The hull sat in an open shed and was prone to flooding which happened twice with Hurricane Fran in 1996 and Hurricane Floyd in 1999.
The state spent $2.8 million on the project, coming in about $400,000 under budget. The Kinston Chamber of Commerce $100,000 and Neuse Foundation $750,000.
Saving the Neuse. Thanks. --Old B-Runner
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