Rarely seen Civil War-era artifacts will be on view when the “Treasures from the Vault” exhibit opens Feb. 5 at the CSS Neuse Civil War Interpretive Center. The temporary exhibit will display unseen items from the museum’s collection and also present eastern North Carolina’s Civil War history more broadly.  

“Many museums like ours are only able to show a small percentage of their collection at any one time,” Site Manager Matthew Young explains. “This gives us an opportunity to show items that are usually stored away in our collections vault and rarely on display. Everyone on the staff chose a few items they wanted to see in the exhibit, and we ended up with over a dozen very interesting and unique artifacts.”

Some of the objects include two recently donated pieces of bulkhead (wall sections) recovered from the CSS Neuse in the 1960s. Another is an original cavalry saber made in Kenansville, North Carolina.  “Treasures from the Vault” will be on display through July and is included in the cost of general admission.

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 Civil War Interpretive Center. The Confederate Navy launched the CSS Neuse hoping 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 Civil War Interpretive Center is located at 100 N. Queen St., Kinston, N.C., and open Tuesday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission: adults $5, senior/active military $4, Students (ages 3-12) $3, ages 2 and under free. 

For additional information, please call the site at (252) 526-9600 x232. The CSS Neuse Center and the Richard Caswell Memorial are within the Division of State Historic Sites in the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.