Mike Parker: The Exchange Reaches Out to Non-Profits
For several months, The Exchange at Hometowne has opened its doors to local non-profits for Bingo fundraising events. Tonya Adams is the woman behind these Bingo nights. As the owner of The Beauty Box and The Exchange, Tonya is a woman on a mission, working to make Lenoir County a better place.
“I’ve always believed in my hometown,” said Adams. “I see the goodness in the community and in the people that live here.”
Past Bingo nights have benefited Lucky Cats, SAFE, Mary’s Kitchen, Lenoir County SPCA, the Kinston High School band, and the Lenoir County Historical Association.
On Friday, August 14, The Exchange will host a BINGO NIGHT for the CSS Neuse Foundation, the caretakers and operators of the CSS Neuse II – the full-scale replica of the original CSS Ram Neuse.
Bingo Night for the CSS Neuse Foundation will feature games, prizes, and a spaghetti supper. Supper will begin at 5:30 p.m. with spaghetti, salad, desserts, and beverages. Bingo games are slated to start at 6:30 p.m.
The cost of admission is $25.00 per person and includes one meal and 10 Bingo cards. In addition to prizes for the Bingo winners, the foundation will also hold a silent auction and sell half-and-half tickets.
Neuse Foundation is the non-profit behind the CSS Neuse II, which attracts between 4,500 and 5,000 visitors each year. The Neuse II is staffed by volunteers charged with caring for and showing the CSS Neuse II. No one gets paid a cent. In fact, many board members spend their own money to provide for the Neuse II – and never ask for reimbursement.
The CSS Neuse II helps interpret an era of history when navies were moving from sail-power to steam-power. When Civil War broke out in April 1861, the U. S. Navy had about 90 ships. More than half of these were obsolete sailing ships. Many of the steamships were out of commission and in poor repair. By the end of the war, nearly 700 ships were in the Union Navy.
Manpower was also a problem for the U.S. Navy. In December 1860, the U.S. Navy had 1,554 officers, of whom nearly one-fourth would resign. Most of the remaining 1,181 officers and the 7,500 enlisted men were on ships stationed abroad. Vigorous recruiting during the war swelled naval staffing to 7,000 officers and 51,000 enlisted men.
But the Union Navy’s difficulties could not compare with those facing the fledgling Confederate Navy. Every facet of the Confederate government had to be created, including its army and its navy. From the first meeting of the seceding states on February 4, 1861, the
newly formed Confederate States of America had just over two months to organize themselves
before being thrown into war.
Stephen Mallory, a former U. S. Senator from Florida, was appointed Secretary of the Confederate Navy. The Confederate Navy was nearly destitute of equipment when it was organized. Only one U. S. ship in a Southern port fell into Confederate hands.
When Virginia left the Union in April 1861, the valuable Gosport Navy Yard in Norfolk fell into Confederate hands. Captured with this facility were important machine manufacturing tools and more than one thousand artillery pieces.
Ships moored in the harbor were all burned during the Union evacuation. One of these burned ships, the USS Merrimack, was a 3,200-ton frigate launched in 1856, an early prototype of vessels that combined steam and sail power. The Merrimack would later be raised and rebuilt as the ironclad CSS Virginia.
Given the Confederacy’s limited resources, Mallory decided to focus the navy’s efforts on ironclads so that invulnerability could make up for the lack of numbers. After initial efforts to purchase ironclads from European navies failed, Mallory sought to have ironclads built in the Confederacy. The first Confederate ironclads were conversions of existing ships. Later, most Confederate ironclads were built from the keel up. The CSS Ram Neuse was one of the latter vessels.
Come out to Bingo Night and support the work of the CSS Neuse Foundation. Help the foundation keep this important era of history alive for future generations.
Mike Parker is a columnist for the Neuse News. You can reach him at mparker16@gmail.com.
