The city of Kinston was created by the NC General Assembly in 1762 to honor King George III, who had just recently ascended to the throne. After the Revolution, the “g” was removed from the name. Kinston has been the County Seat of Lenoir County since 1791. Prior to the English settlement, the area was inhabited by the Neusick people along the Neuse River. Richard Caswell introduced the bill forming the city. He later became the first Governor of the state of North Carolina. I have toured his home, Harmony Hall, which is now a museum house. +

+ Sourced from Wikipedia

Confederate Ironclad ram: The Neuse

The area around the city was active during the Civil War, including several battles so it is of interest to Civil War buffs. The Confederate ironclad ram, the Neuse, has its remains on display in the Caswell Park Museum. A full-size replica has been built and sits nearby on the Neuse River.

It became a major tobacco- and cotton-trading center after the war. Later in the 20th Century, came the lumber business and a Dupont Plant. The plant has been cited for feeding chemicals into the river. The National Register of Historic Places lists 125 sites. +

It is centrally located between New Bern, Greenville, Goldsboro, and Wilson, and is about 80 miles east of Raleigh. The 2,500-acre Business and Aerospace Center, the North Carolina Global Transpark, is located north of the city. In spite a long runway, it has been slower to developed as a duty-free port than originally planned. Spirit AeroSystems Business Jet Productions is the largest company to date.

Harmony Hall Harmony Hall interior

Hargett One-Room School Hargett School Interior

I only did a brief tour of downtown and didn’t visit any of the historic sites, so I have no other photos. The photos are of Harmony Hall and the 1-room schoolhouse next door.

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