LENOIR COUNTY
NORTH CAROLINA
CSS RAM NEUSE !
In my opinion,
the main historical marker in the county is the "CSS RAM NEUSE". This was
an ironclad vessel that had been constructed in 1862 about 18 miles up
the Neuse River at Whitehall (Seven Springs). In 1863, after she had been
made ready to accept her iron plates and guns, she was floated down river
to Kinston for her fitting. During this time her guns were mounted and
iron plates attached as material was made available in the South. Her engines
were from the Atlantic and North Carolina Railroads. She still was not
complete when Union forces took Kinston in March of 1865. The river was
low and there were desperate attempts to move her down river to no avail.
She became lodged on a sandbar and was impossible to move. To keep the
Union forces from taking her captive, the officers set the hole on fire
which caused a heated gun to explode, blowing a hole in her side. There
she lay until 1961 when she was salvaged. She was then moved up the river
and placed off the bank of the Neuse by Smithfield Packing Company and
this became her home until present day. There has been a museum built with
artifacts found off the vessel displayed and the history told by slide
shows and pictures. To protect her from the many tourist, a chain link
fence was erected around her hull. There were tour groups that were allowed
inside. When we had the Hurricane in 1996, the Neuse River rose so high
it flooded the vessel. Then in 1997-1998 the heavy rains caused the river
to rise again placing the Ram Neuse in danger again. With her hull sitting
in the swollen river, her wood has begun to deteriorate. This has caused
a concern among the people and the state has set aside moneys for her to
be moved to higher ground to preserve her remains. Although a permanent
sight has not been chosen as of yet, the town of Seven Springs wants the
vessel moved back home where she was built. Today you can visit where she
was built and there is historical markers and information about the vessel.
This page hosted by 
Get your own Free Home Page Now