Historic Firemen's Museum Volunteers Need More Help

As the place that several generations of Kinstonians turned to for help when fire broke out nears its 14th year of duty, it needs help.

The Caswell No. 1 Fire Station, popularly known as the "firemen's museum" at 118 South Queen Street, opened as a tourist attraction April 25, 1993 and has hosted nearly 10,000 visitors since. Individuals and groups from throughout Eastern North Carolina and beyond are regular visitors to the museum.

But the extended volunteer force which has kept the museum open for visitors has dwindled to just three stalwarts who love the place. "We think it's important to memorialize those who valiantly fought Kinston's fires for so many years," according to Dr. Rose Pulley, a leader in the effort to prevent the historic structure's demolition in the late 1980's in order to return it to its original usage as a fire station.

Volunteer John Hood put it this way: "We're all at the age that any one of us might meet our demise at any moment." He was referring to himself, Dr. Pulley and Lorena Mills who take turns keeping the museum open from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm Tuesdays and Thursdays. Mr. Hood celebrates his 83rd birthday in May; Dr. Pulley turns 88 in July; and Ms. Mills reached her 81st year last October. Both Dr. Pulley and Ms. Mills have been active volunteers to keep the place open since 1993. Mr. Hood joined the group in 1999. Others who have helped over the years include Dr. Sam Parker, Marsha Brewer and Ray Jones, according to Mr. Hood.

"It's a great place," commented Mr. Mills. "The children really enjoy it." Mr. Hood noted he had just booked a group of 50 children from Cove City to visit the museum in June. Another large group of youngsters in Greenville is slated to visit the museum in the coming weeks, along with a marketing class at Kinston High School. Ms. Mills has kept a meticulous record of the number of visitors each year since the 1993 opening date, April 25.

"The main thing is we need help" to keep the museum open to the public, according to Ms. Mills. "It is an important part of Kinston's history."

The reduced volunteer team has forced the museum to curtail its hours, now closed to the public on Saturdays.

Ideally, they say, they need at least six volunteers: one for the 10: am to 1:00 pm shift, and another for the 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm shift each of the three days the museum used to be open. Additional volunteers would allow the museum to restore its hours of operation to three days, or more.

The loyal three give much credit to former Fire Chief Tony Kelly who assembled and donated many of the historic items contained in the museum's exhibitions illustrating Kinston fire fighting techniques and strategies over the years. The walls are lined with photographs of dramatic fires, fire fighting gear, fire alarms, fire hydrants, hoses, ladders, and elements of the Gamewell Fire Alarm system which was activated by the familiar red fire alarm boxes on telephone poles. The one item which captures everybody's attention is the 1922 American LaFance pumper used for many years by the Kinston Fire Department. It was later owned by the J.T. Sutton family and was a prominent feature in every Kinston Christmas parade until it was donated to the museum by Mr. and Mrs. J.T Sutton III. Ironically, it was a fire that launched the Caswell No. 1 Fire Station. According to a history compiled by Ms. Mills, a major fire broke out in downtown Kinston on Feb. 28, 1895. "It started in Fields' stable and quickly destroyed Kinston's business district and many homes in an area roughly covering Queen Street between Blount and Caswell Streets.

"The nearest fire department at this time was in New Bern. They sent men and equipment to help, but it had to come by railroad. They were effective, perhaps, in putting out smoldering embers..."

The city of Kinston quickly built the two-story building while at the same time amending building codes to require all downtown structures to be made of brick. The downtown space built for fire fighting equipment and the second floor became the town hall. The structure served as the downtown fire station from 1895 until the mid-1930s when the fire department moved to West King Street and later to East King Street adjoining the Kinston City Hall.

After the fire department vacated the space, it was used as a health department clinic, board of elections office and tax listing office. The move to demolish the building in 1986-87 was thwarted, and efforts to restore it as a historic fire station was launched, and ultimately successful, thanks to the likes of Dr. Pulley, Lorena Mills, Tony Kelly and others.

North Carolina Spring Clean Up

Downtown Clean Up Day Set for May 5

Pride celebrates North Carolina Spring Clean Up Day with its bi-annual Downtown Clean Up Day Saturday, May 5, 2007.

Volunteers are being asked to meet at the Pride of Kinston's offices, 327 N. Queen Street, at 9:30 am on that day for assignments and supplies, according to Shirley Herring, chair of Pride's Design Committee.

The event will conclude at a 1:00 pm party when participants will be rewarded with lunch and music.

Ms. Herring urged "that a large group of folks will turn out to help with this event. It'll be fun as well as helpful to our great town."

The Downtown Clean Up Day is being jointly sponsored by Pride of Kinston and the City of Kinston's Appearance Commission, also headed by Ms. Herring.

The purpose of Clean Up Day is to call attention to the importance of a clean and neat downtown business district. "Many people, including tourists and other visitors, gain their first impression of our town by the way it looks," according to Pride director Adrian King. "And the way we look is a statement about how we care for Kinston."

The Appearance Commission is promoting a local anti-littering ordinance, a recommendation soon to be made to the Kinston City Council, according to Ms. Herring.

For more information about Clean Up Day call 252-522-4676.

CSS Neuse Foundation granted non-profit status by the Internal Revenue Service

The CSS Neuse Foundation which owns the CSS Neuse II--replica of the historic CSS Neuse gunboat which played a role in the Civil War—has been granted its official 501(c)3 status by the US Internal Revenue Service.

This means that individual or corporate donations to the organization for construction and/or programs are deductible from ones tax bill, according to Jeff Stephens, secretary-treasurer of the foundation. The IRS ruling was dated Mar. 23, 2007.

The organization acquired the full scale replica last fall from the Last Firebase Veterans Archive Project, headed by local resident Ted Sampley. He turned the project over to the new group shortly after Pride of Kinston deeded the lot at corner or Herritage and Gordon Streets to the Last Firebase group.

The CSS Neuse Foundation is working to complete construction of the vessel as a key tourist attraction in Kinston. Shipbuilder Alton Stapleford, who drew the plans and specifications based upon the original gunboat, has overseen the construction project since inception of the project in 2002. Remains of the original CSS Neuse are housed at the Richard Caswell historic site on Vernon Avenue in Kinton.

The original gunboat was constructed in Seven Springs, NC. Then it was floated to Kinston for final outfitting in mid 1863. When threatened by Union forces moving along the Neuse River from New Bern in March 1865, the vessel was burned and sunk on March 11, 1865 to prevent its capture on orders of its commander Capt. Joseph Price.

It remained at the bottom of the Neuse River off Kinston until it was raised by local enthusiasts in 1963 after two years of hard labor to retrieve the vessel from its watery grave.

Civil War scholars and aficionados have long been fascinated with the original CSS Neuse and its replica. Both vessels benefit from local widespread support. An effort is underway in the current session of the North Carolina General Assembly to gain State funds necessary to build a new Civil War Museum in downtown Kinston as a new home for the remains of the original Neuse.

The Neuse Foundation is headed by Larry Bailey of Chocowinity; vice president is Worth Mason of Beaufort; Jimmy Ward of Vanceboro, Mr. Stapleford and Mr. Stephens are also board members.

Email address for the group is neuse@earthlink.net. Web site is www.cssneusefoundation.com and address is CSS Neuse Foundation, PO Box 251, Kinston, NC 28502. Phone is 252-523-6742.