The CSS Neuse Civil War Interpretive Center is excited to premier a dinner theater event that has been two years in the making.
Please join us Saturday, April 2 from 6-8:30 p.m. as artist Kelly Hinson enacts her one-woman performance, “Reflected Glory: Letters to Anna.” Playing the role of Anna Jackson, wife of Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson, Hinson will entertain guests with Anna and Jackson’s love story as well as the heartache Anna endured after his death. Following dinner and the play, visitors can interact with interpreters to learn about mid-19th century medicinal and mourning practices as well as hear from reenactors of the 18th NC — the unit that accidentally shot General Jackson.
“This event has been in the works for the past two years. We have had to postpone this event due to the pandemic, but now we can finally put it out there, and the staff and I are so excited,” says Rachel Kennedy, Programs Coordinator for the CSS Neuse Civil War Interpretive Center, and organizer for the event.
The museum will open at 5:30 p.m. for tours before dinner at 6. The performance begins at 6:15 p.m. Tickets for the event are $30 per person and may be purchased by either using a special link found on the CSS Neuse Civil War Interpretive Center’s Facebook page or by contacting the Center directly. For further information regarding dinner options or other details, contact Rachel Kennedy or visit the Facebook event page.
The CSS Neuse is the only remaining commissioned Confederate ironclad above water. It was part of a new technology that the Confederacy used to combat the superior manpower and firepower of the Union Navy. Learn about this technological advance and warfare in eastern North Carolina at the CSS Neuse Civil War Interpretive Center. The Confederate Navy launched the CSS Neuse attempting to gain control of the lower Neuse River and New Bern, but ultimately destroyed the vessel to keep it out of Union hands.
The CSS Neuse Civil War Interpretive Center is located at 100 N. Queen St., Kinston, N.C., and open Tuesday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission: adults $5, senior/active military $4, Students (ages 3-12) $3, ages 2 and under free.
For additional information, please call Rachel Kennedy at (252) 526-9600 x222. The CSS Neuse Center is within the Division of State Historic Sites in the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (NCDNCR) is the state agency with a vision to be the leader in using the state's natural and cultural resources to build the social, cultural, educational and economic future of North Carolina. NCDNCR's mission is to improve the quality of life in our state by creating opportunities to experience excellence in the arts, history, libraries and nature in North Carolina by stimulating learning, inspiring creativity, preserving the state's history, conserving the state's natural heritage, encouraging recreation and cultural tourism, and promoting economic development.
NCDNCR includes 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, three science museums, three aquariums and Jennette's Pier, 41 state parks and recreation areas, the N.C. Zoo, the N.C. Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, State Preservation Office and the Office of State Archaeology, and the Division of Land and Water Stewardship. For more information, please visit www.ncdcr.gov.