Kinston in Lenoir County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
The Site of Harriet's Chapel
Harriet's Chapel Battlefield Park
| — | Battle of Kinston Military Park | — |
Harriet’s Chapel saw some of the most intense fighting of the Battle of Kinston. In 2010, Historical Preservation Group moved this building, once New Beaverdam Primitive Baptist Church, to this site to interpret Harriet’s Chapel’s role in the battle.
Harriet’s Chapel
Harriet’s Chapel vanished long ago and no photograph or drawing survives. It probably looked much like this building, which is typical of Civil War-era church buildings in this area. Union and Confederate regimental histories describe Harriet’s Chapel. Most agree that it was an unpainted wood frame building supported by piers.
New Beaverdam Primitive Baptist Church
Its congregation built New Beaverdam Primitive Baptist Church shortly after the Civil War. The interior was left unfinished “in the primitive way.” A pastor held services in the church once a month until the early 1950s, when the church closed. As was the customary, the deed passed to the last living member of the church, who sold the building. Moved from its original site, it became a tenant house and then a storage building. Michele Waller donated the building to Historical Preservation Group’s Lenoir County Battlefields Commission in 2009. It stands near where Harriet’s Chapel is thought to have stood.
(captions)
(lower center) Elder Joshua E. Mewborn served as the Elder of New Beaverdam Primitive Baptist Church from 1925 until the early 1950s, when the church closed. This photo was taken about 1949.
(upper right) The restored interior of the New Beaverdam Primitive Baptist Church building.
(center right) A Primitive Baptist Church baptizing, ca. 1940.
(lower right) Red Bank Primitive Baptist Church, Greenville, North Carolina, ca. 1950. Courtesy Bill Kittrell, Pitt County Historical Society
Erected by Battle of Kinston Military Park.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 2010.
Location. 35° 14.512′ N, 77° 35.281′ W. Marker is in Kinston, North Carolina, in Lenoir County. It is on Richlands Road (U.S. 258) near Measley Road, on the right when traveling north. The marker is located on the grounds of the Kinston Battlefield Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Kinston NC 28504, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Coastal Plain. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Caring for the Wounded (here, next to this marker); The Night of December 13, 1862 (a few steps from this marker); The Confederate Defenses of Kinston (a few steps from this marker); Fighting at Harriet's Chapel (a few steps from this marker); Kinston Battlefield Park (within shouting distance of this marker); First Battle of Kinston (within shouting distance of this marker); Wessells' Advance—December 14, 1862 (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Center of the Confederate Line (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Kinston.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 8, 2024. It was originally submitted on November 25, 2013, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,570 times since then and 70 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 25, 2013, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.


