Kinston, Lenoir County History

Kinston was incorporated in 1762 as Kingston, in honor of King George III. The bill to incorporate Kingston was introduced by Richard Caswell, who made his home in Kingston and later served as the first Governor of the State of North Carolina from 1776 to 1780. The conclusion of the American Revolutionary War brought a change of name to Kinston in 1784. In 1833 Kinston became Caswell, in honor of the governor, but reverted to Kinston the following year. Kinston is a city located in Lenoir County, North Carolina. As of the 2000 census, Kinston had a total population of 23,688. Kinston was the county seat of Dobbs County from 1779 to 1791, and Kinston has been the county seat of Lenoir County since its formation in 1791. Kinston is the home of the Kinston Indians baseball club of the Carolina League. Kinston and Lenoir County has a very rich Civil War and Revolutionary War history also, including 2 battlefields, CSS Neuse Ironclad and Museum, Harmony Hall, Governor Richard Caswell Memorial, Korean Veterans Memorial, Walk of Honor, Cultural Heritage Museum, many Civil War grave sites and a scale replica of the CSS Neuse that is under construction. Kinston and Lenoir County has over 6,000 veterans which have served in many of our Countries Theaters.