Historical Preservation Group Marks 25 Years of Preserving the Past: Part One
Three Widows, a Hippie, and the Two Gentlemen and the Beginning of the Save the Civil War Battlefield Movement in Lenoir County
During 2026, the Historical Preservation Group of Kinston celebrates its 25th Anniversary as a non-profit history organization. It was started on a summer afternoon at the Broken Eagle Restaurant when four women who became known as the Three Widows and a Hippie (Jane Phillip, Cindy Brochure, Pat Humphrys and Jan Parson) discussed the news that a man wanted to have an area of the Wyse Fork battlefield rezoned to put a trailer park on it.
That afternoon, a preservation movement was born, driven by a desire to save and preserve the Lenoir County Battlefields. Within months, two retired gentlemen joined the ladies: Fire Chief Tony Kelly and DuPont chemical engineer Dr. Lyle Holland. Jo Huettl. Tracy Puttman and Dr. Lonnie Blizzard later joined the group. This dynamic team worked long hours for years, did research, opened doors, and brought their vision to life. Hundreds of emails and meetings in Washington, D.C., with the American Battlefield Protection Program and the American Battlefield Trust, both of which provided guidance and grants to the Historical Preservation Group, made it possible to purchase parts of the Lenoir County Battlefield Property.
The Center for Civil War Living History gave a large grant to purchase battlefield property. Their group is the very people who portrayed the soldiers in the movie “Gods and Generals".
The desire to preserve the Battlefields and tell the stories became a passion for the “Three Widows, a Hippie, the Two Gentlemen” and others. Their quest, driven by dedication and determination, led to adventures as they worked to save, preserve, develop, and educate the public on the battlefields' history.
To be continued with Part Two of the Historical Preservation Group Beginnings
Jane Phillips
Kinston and Lenoir County have a great deal to offer people interested in the Civil. War. The Battle of Kinston and the Battle of Wyse Fork battlefield, the CSS Neuse, the CSS Neuse II (a full-scale replica of the Confederate ironclad) and the displays and film at the Kinston-Lenoir County Visitors and Information Center, offer visitors a diverse Civil War experience.
