{"nrhp_refnum":"00000444","name":"CSS NEUSE (Ironclad Gunboat)","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"2612 W. Vernon Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Kinston","county":"Lenoir County","state":"NC","lat":35.267243379000035,"lon":-77.62130433699997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2001-06-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Agriculture","Military","Engineering"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"The remains of a Confederate ironclad gunboat, a wooden-hulled, twin-screw steamer begun in 1862 near Whitehall and fitted out at Kinston, North Carolina, now displayed under a protective shelter at 2612 West Vernon Avenue, Kinston.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the vessel is significant under Criterion A for military and engineering history, as it reflects the adaptation of wooden hulls to heavy iron armor and steam engines. Under Criterion D, the hull and about 15,000 associated artifacts provide information on the construction and operation of Civil War ironclads. It is the only survivor of two diamond-hull, Albemarle-class ironclads built by the Confederacy.","narrative":"Remains of a Confederate ironclad gunboat are preserved at Kinston, North Carolina. Construction began in October 1862 on the Neuse River near Whitehall under a contract with Howard & Ellis, shipbuilders of New Bern. The vessel was moved to Kinston for fitting out, but iron shortages, administrative problems and low river levels delayed its service. It never fought a naval battle. It fired on advancing Union cavalry, then was set on fire and sunk in March 1865 to prevent capture. The hull lay buried in the river until recovery efforts from 1961 to 1964. Today about three-quarters of the wooden hull survives, measuring 136 feet long, along with roughly 15,000 artifacts. It is the only known survivor of two diamond-hull, Albemarle-class ironclads built by the Confederacy. Its military and engineering importance, and its value as a rare source of information on how such ships were built and operated, led to its listing. A shelter built in 1998-99 now protects it from flooding.","period_of_significance":"1862-1865","architect_builder":"Confederate Navy Department/Howard & Ellis, Shipbuilders","architectural_style":"Other: Ironclad gunboat, steam powered","criteria":["A","D"],"status_note":"Hull raised in 1961-64 and displayed at the CSS Neuse and Caswell Memorial State Historic Site as a museum exhibit; moved in 1998 to a new protective shelter completed in 1999, with about three-quarters of the hull remaining.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:57:52.735215-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/62/7210/47721062/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/00000444.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00000444/43307e00f7-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00000444/43307e00f7-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Katyrw","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CSS_Neuse_Rear_View.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Katyrw</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CSS_Neuse_Rear_View.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47721062","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSS_Neuse","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5014321"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/lenoir-county/css-neuse-ironclad-gunboat-00000444/"}