All tagged history

Jane Phillips: Kinston’s Bleak December of 1862

At the beginning of the Civil War Kinston was a sedate little town with its churches and industrious people. After the war was declared, Confederate soldiers began to occupy Kinston, change was in the air as military training camps sprung up around the county. First, soldiers came by the hundreds and then the thousands.

Mike Parker: Bell diary recounts POW’s experiences

When Angie Reid and Karen Nethercutt approached me with a proposal to reread and correct errors in Lt. Alonzo Etheridge Bell’s diary, I had mixed emotions. I felt flattered they believed I could manage this task. I had misgivings I could complete what others had already attempted. Still, I took on the charge with excitement and trepidation. 

Chadwick Stokes: English Colonies of the New World - Plymouth

Pursuing religious freedom in the United States is a value that dates back to the first pilgrims or separatists that landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620. At the time of their departure, they were known as separatists, with the name Pilgrims coming much later. Their pursuit of religious freedom while maintaining their English heritage and culture is essential to the telling of America’s founding.

Olde Kinston Gazette: Kinston's Special Place in Professional Baseball History

Editor’s note: Neuse News is reprinting selected articles from the archives of the Olde Kinston Gazette. Some light edits have been made from the original reports.

The smell of fresh-cut grass, the sound of birds chirping, and the sight of a warm, breezy day in the middle of spring in Kinston, NC make everything else seem undesirable, except the invitation to play baseball. Baseball is not only America’s favorite past-time. It’s Kinston’s too.

Local group raising funds to place historical markers

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.” Determination can express itself in different forms. Sometimes determination manifests itself on battlefields. Other times, the determined spirits work in the background, going almost unnoticed.

Dr. Travis Towne: Teaching History during a pandemic…What’s my motivation?

I am often asked what I teach when I tell someone my job and when I say “history”, I sometimes get the response, “I wish I would have paid more attention to my history class when I was in school.” Sadly, just like many of my students are now realizing how much they actually miss and crave the socialization found within a school environment, our society often belatedly realizes how vital an understanding of the social sciences are to their everyday lives.

Jane Phillips: Kinston and the Spanish Flu pandemic - 1918-1919

I’ve read that 1918 was one of the worst years throughout recorded history. The First World War was raging in Europe while an unseen enemy, the Spanish Flu, was spreading across the earth. The illness began in the spring and seemed to subside during the summer months. It lasted until late 1919 and consisted of “waves” of varying intensity.

The first victim of the Spanish Flu Pandemic I have found in Kinston was in late summer 1918. The victim was State Sen. William Durward Pollock. In October the height of the Spanish Flu Pandemic was in full swing in Kinston. Three died that first week. There were some days when 15 to 20 victims died.

Gone, But Not Forgotten program to be held on Halloween at Gov. Caswell Memorial

How did people 150 years ago manage when a loved one passed on? What were some of the customs they practiced mourning that loss, and what happened to the person who died? Is it true that bells were installed in cemeteries so that a person who was buried could “ring the bell” if they were still alive? These questions, and many more, will be answered at a unique event hosted at the Governor Caswell Memorial at 2612 West Vernon Ave. in Kinston on Halloween from 1pm-4pm.