Program Objectives

1. Students should understand the importance of the CSS Neuse and how its story fits into the overall story of the Civil War in eastern North Carolina.
2. Students should understand the importance of the technological advancements of the mid-nineteenth century regarding the advent of rifled artillery and ironclad development.
3. Students should have a basic understanding of shipbuilding practices and the efforts it took to build the CSS Neuse.
4. Students should clearly understand what life was like in Kinston, North Carolina, during the Civil War for the soldiers and sailors stationed there and for the civilians living in this area.

Pre-Visit Activities

1. To make the most effective use of your students' time on-site, teachers should plan to have their class view the CSS Neuse orientation film before their arrival. This will give your students important historical information before their visit and allow time for more hands-on experience at the site. Please visit our YouTube channel to view the orientation film on our site.  
2. Teachers may use the Supplemental Lesson Plan: Life Onboard an Ironclad as a pre-visit activity or a stand-alone classroom lesson. Classes preparing for a field trip to the site should familiarize themselves with the two diagrams of the ship found in this lesson and the Glossary of Terms before their visit.
3. Check out some of the videos on our YouTube Channel here.

On-Site Activities

All classes will take a tour of the remains of the CSS Neuse. Teachers may select two or three of the remaining educational programming activities depending on their time at the site. Please allow time for bathroom breaks, gift shop sales, and transition from station to station in your planning. Every effort will be made to satisfy your requests. However, staff reserves the right to alter planned programming due to unanticipated staff shortages.

The core on-site program lasts 1.5 hours and is customizable. Feel free to choose from our CSS Neuse tour of the downstairs or our Wartime Kinston tour upstairs. 

1. CSS Neuse Orientation Film – This film is 12 minutes long and gives an overview of the history of the CSS Neuse from design and construction through the recovery in the 1960s.
2. Scavenger Hunt- this option works well for smaller groups with younger students whose attention span is not ideal for a 45–60-minute museum tour. We now have scavenger hunts available for ages 4-18. A staff member will review the answers once everyone completes the scavenger hunt.
3. Tour of the remains of the CSS Neuse and Temporary Exhibits– Students will delve further into the ship's history by learning about the crew who served on board, seeing the artifacts recovered from the remains, and hearing about its role in the war. (Approximate length: 45-60 minutes)
4. Tour of the mezzanine, which includes facades of representative local buildings and illustrates wartime life in Kinston through eyewitness accounts and artifact displays of period domestic artifacts. These displays include clothing, textiles, merchandise, and tools, ending with religion and mourning practices during the war. Additionally, there are exhibits that tell the story of the Civil War in eastern North Carolina, including information on the United States Colored Troops, women in espionage, the First Battle of Kinston, the Battle of Wyse Fork, and more. (Approximate length: 45-60 minutes)
5. If your group would like a guided tour of the entire museum, the tour will last approximately 2-2.5 hours. 

In addition to a tour or scavenger hunt, teachers will have an opportunity to pick two STEM-based activities from the list below:

View our field trip brochure.

1. Soldier life- During this lesson, the staff will cover the equipment soldiers bring to a battle and highlight the variances between land and water battles. Additionally, students will be able to examine and handle a few of the soldier's items.
2. Sailor life- learn about life on the CSS Neuse, the items they carried, and the sailors' clothes.
3. Rope making and knot tying- A staff member will discuss the uses of ropes on a ship and how rope was made. Students can then use the rope machine to make some rope for their class. 
4. Civil War Medicine and Diseases- Students will learn about the diseases that killed soldiers during the Civil War, and then they will have the opportunity to diagnose soldiers' symptoms. 
5. Espionage- In this activity, students explore the fascinating methods men and women used to code and decode messages during the Civil War. If you're in a smaller group, there's an optional escape room activity to make it even more fun.
6. Shortages and Substitutions- Many items were unavailable during the blockade of southern ports, especially in the south. Students can experience using alternative items firsthand by seeing, touching, and smelling them. These items were used as substitutes for those that were either hard to come by or completely unavailable.
7. Blockade Running and the Economy- In this lesson, students will explore the impact of blockade running on the Southern economy during the Civil War. Additionally, they can build their boat and test its ability to float on water and carry cargo.
8. Hometown History- students will learn about primary and secondary sources and how they are used to learn more about local history.  
9. African Americans, Latinos, and Women in the Civil War- Explore the roles each group contributed to the Civil War as soldiers, nurses, spies, and more. 

Additional activities are available upon request. If there is something specific you would love for our staff to discuss, don't hesitate to contact Rachel at 252-526-9600, ext. 222. 

Some of the North Carolina Essential Standards a Field Trip to the CSS Neuse Museum Covers

Third Grade- 3.B.1, 3.G.1.3, 3.H.1, 3.H.1.2, 3.H.1.3

Fourth Grade- 4.E.1, 4.H.1, 4.H.1.2, 4.H.1.4, 4.H.1.5   

Fifth Grade- 5.G.1.3, I.1.1, I.1.5, I.1.6, 5.H.1.4, 5.H.1.5     

Eighth Grade- 8.G.1, 8.H.1.1, 8.H.2, 8.H.2.1, 8.H.2.3       

Eleventh Grade- AH1.H.1.1, AH1.H.1.3, AH1.H.4.2

Gift Shop: If you would like your students to buy items from the gift shop, please ask their parents to use the Square Gift Shop Link to place orders on the Friends of the CSS Neuse Museum website. When placing the order, parents should include the names of the student and the teacher in the notes section.

Classroom and Post-Visit Activities

We offer off-site visits to educators as well! If there is something, in particular, you would like for us to cover, please get in touch with Rachel at 252-526-9600 ext. 222 to discuss options. Examples of past offsite visits to classrooms include:

PowerPoint presentation on the CSS Neuse and shipbuilding activity

Presentation on female spies and espionage activities 

Life of a Civil War soldier/sailor 

The Supplemental Lesson Plan: Life Onboard an Ironclad can be used as a post-visit activity.

Have students take the Post-Visit Quiz to assess their comprehension of the information shared at the site.

Here is a link to an online survey about your visit to the museum. This quick questionnaire will provide feedback and help us learn more about your visit so that we can improve our services.

Virtual Education

We have created a Google Classroom to allow students and families to explore the CSS Neuse Museum and the Civil War in eastern North Carolina. The classroom features a tour of the museum, information on the CSS Neuse, shipbuilding, primary source analysis, soldier and sailor life, rations, economics, female spies, diseases, and change over time. This free resource includes materials and activities supporting multiple North Carolina Essential Standards! 

Access to Google Classroom

Invite Link: https://classroom.google.com/c/MTQyMzAyOTM5ODgz?cjc=r5lst3m 

Class Code: r5lst3m