Pride of Kinston executive director Adrian King says he remembers times during the 1960s where the phrase “The Magic Mile” was truly strong in the city.
“Back then, downtown was booming,” King said. “On Saturdays, I can remember traffic being shoulder to shoulder and every storefront was full of opportunity, and the city continued to be prosperous.”
King said there has been an economic struggle, but presently, Kinston is getting back to prominence with the help of historic landmarks and museums in the city.
“In the 1990s, we started witnessing the downward spiral, but there has been a great comeback over the past few years. The key to downtown is the development of tourism. History tells you where you’ve been, but also points out where you can go.”
Lucy Marston, director of Lenoir County tourism for the Kinston-Lenoir County Chamber of Commerce, said she has noticed the versatility the city possesses when it comes to attracting people from out of town.
“Part of the draw of Kinston is how extremely varied it is,” Marston said. “Not only do we have historic landmarks, but we’re blessed with a lot of national resources, parks, dining, shopping, the brewery and we have a wonderful representation with arts. People can come here with their family and each person may have a different interest. We’ve got something for everyone.”
Marston said the historical representation in the city has played a major role.
“We have Harmony Hall in downtown Kinston, which is the oldest home still standing in the city,” Marston said. “It’s available to view for tourists and can be rented for private functions, luncheons and weddings. Of course, we have a great Civil War history, with our 150-year anniversary being last year. We’ve had two battles here; the Battle of Kinston in 1862 and the one at Wyse Fork 1865. They’re self-guided driving tours to the battles, and throughout the year, we provide guided tours.”
The Caswell No. 1 Fire Station Museum holds its own historical significance as the oldest structure in the city made from brick. Guy Basden, curator of the museum, said the building has attracted tourists.
“Your general public has a great appreciation for the fire service,” Basden said. “We represent the history of the services, and people stop by and enjoy the museum before or after they shop or eat. It’s a very big plus to educate tourists who spend money in the community.”
Reginald Stroud, a volunteer at the Lenoir County Historical Association, said Harmony Hall — one of the first buildings constructed in Kinston and the only one to survive from the 18th century — has attracted tourists from out of state, and some from out of the country.
“We’ve had people come in from Virginia, South Carolina and Georgia, as well as a few from Montana and California amongst other states,” Stroud said. ‘We’ve even had a couple of people come from France and Belgium. People are interested in Harmony Hall or any house built in the time of the American Revolution or antebellum. It’s important from a historical perspective to see how they lived back then to understand and appreciate the conveniences of the present day.”
Stroud said the continued progress of the CSS Neuse Museum will attract more tourists to Harmony Hall.
“There will be people wanting to learn the history of their ancestors, and also want to see the houses of the time period and the way they lived,” Stroud said. “We’re also hoping to add an outdoor kitchen to illustrate the cooking and homemaking skills of the Civil War period.”
Marston said the history of the war has a domino effect, which is beneficial to the community.
“The Civil War history was a shot in the arm, with the 150-year anniversary,” she said. “People come from all over the country to see where their ancestors fought and it is a very big draw. The workers have been tireless in improving tours and providing interpretation for battle, making things even better. Also, the tour is free, which encourages people to come by, then eat, shop and put gas in the car.”
Jan Parson, director of special projects and events at the Kinston-Lenoir County Chamber of Commerce and Visit Kinston, said there has been increased interest in the amount of tours of the Civil War battlefields.
“For the past couple years, we’ve had groups who stay here for two to three days and travel,” Parson said. “It’s only a few groups per year, but with additional marketing, we’ll be able to attract more people. We’re the hub for historic tourism here in Eastern North Carolina, and we’re centrally located. People will visit Civil War and Revolutionary War trails within a 105-mile radius, but it takes about a day and a half to see sites in Kinston alone.”
Parson said restaurants and other tourist attractions help bring in people from other states.
“Year-round, dining is considered number one in the city,” Parson said. “Tourists want to come out to see the Civil War sites, then eat at Chef and the Farmer, visit the Mother Earth brewery and get some barbecue from Kings, which was on the Food Network.”
Another big draw has been the CSS Neuse Museum, which reopened on July 18 after a 13-month project to move the boat inside the building on Queen Street.
Holly Brown, the historic interpreter at the museum and the Governor Caswell Memorial, said there was a large crowd at the grand opening.
“There were more people than we expected,” Brown said. “We were well received by the people.”
Brown said the trend has continued as the months have gone by.
“We have seen more visitation in the last year,” Brown said. “When we’re able to update our road signs and people are able to find us easier, we’ll probably be able to attract even more visitors.”
John Marston, president of the Neuse Gunboat Association, said the museum will have many new features in the upcoming months, with more than 10,000 artifacts in reserve to be viewed.
“This museum will be the culmination in bringing everything together, with the Civil War trails and the Neuse II ironclad replica,” Marston said. “We’ve started construction on the display cases and both levels will be filled with artifacts and history. Hopefully, by the end of the summer we can do that, but more than likely, we’ll have to wait until the end of next year.”
Marston said the amount of support the museum and downtown Kinston have received is tremendous.
“We have so much going on now, it’s unbelievable,” Marston said. “There are a lot of people making new investments in downtown Kinston and chipping in. We are getting back to making Kinston the place to be.”
Brown, who lives in Jacksonville, said Kinston has become a very eventful place.
“I find it more enjoyable here,” Brown said. “This city has so many different events and attractions in a small town, even more than what Jacksonville has to offer.”
John Nix, president of CSS Neuse II, said he helped lay the groundwork of the replica boat in 2002 with the late Ted Sampley. The site has been open since 2006, and has become a major draw in the city with out-of-town people.
“It is a known fact the replica has been the number one tourist attraction the past four or five years in Kinston,” Nix said. “It’s the only full-scale replica of a Civil War-year ironclad war vessel in the world.”
Nix said the boat’s location also helps bring tourists to the nearby stores.
“One of the attractive features of the boat is the draw for tourism downtown,” Nix said. “This is one of the reasons we’ve seen growth in the four- to five-block area and seen investments by private individuals. The only way we’re going to grow is by helping the local economy and getting those investors.”
Nix said there will be some renovations to the Neuse II in the future.
“We’re never going to be fully complete with our work, but we’ll be steadily adding to it with the help of funds and contributions,” Nix said. “One thing we’re working on now is renovating a building in the back and turning it into a point of entry with a general store theme.”
Lucy Marston said she is optimistic about the future of the city.
“The pace of Kinston is changing quickly, and it’s very exciting,” Marston said. “We’ll continue to grow and improve, as more people contribute. Money gives us the leeway to do more things, and it will have a huge snowball effect. For a long time in Kinston, people said ‘we’re going to do this’ or ‘we’re going to do that.’ Now, we have people actually taking control, and it’s an amazing thing to be a part of and watch.”
Junious Smith III can be reached at 252-559-1077 and Junious.Smith@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JuniousSmithIII.