A JOINT RESOLUTION honoring the founders of the city of kinston.

Whereas, the City of Kinston, located along the banks of the Neuse River, is steeped in tradition and culture; and
Whereas, in 1729 a grant of 640 acres of land was given to Robert Atkins in the area later known as Kinston and, for a time, the site was known as Atkins Banks; and
Whereas, on November 3, 1762, the Colonial Assembly established the Town of Kingston and named it in honor of King George III; and
Whereas, in 1777, during the Revolutionary War, North Carolina's first Governor, Richard Caswell, a resident of Kingston, ordered all of the State's records be moved from New Bern to Kingston due to his belief that New Bern's location was vulnerable to attack from the British. The relocation of the records made Kingston the de facto capital of North Carolina. Meetings of the Council of State, war planning board, and other official gatherings were held in Kingston; and
Whereas, on April 19, 1784, the General Assembly, at the request of the citizens of Kingston, acknowledged our freedom from England and changed the spelling of "Kingston" to "Kinston"; and
Whereas, in 1791, Lenoir County was created from the abolished Dobbs County with the town of Kinston as the seat of the newly formed county; and
Whereas, Kinston has also served as the location of a number of noteworthy events, including two Civil War battles in 1862 and 1865, Kinston becoming the home port to the CSS Neuse, which is a Civil War ironclad gunboat. The first X‑ray machine in the South was assembled in Kinston; and
Whereas, the 19th and 20th Centuries brought major trading centers for tobacco, cotton, and prosperity to Kinston. Kinston was known as the "World's Foremost Tobacco Market." During the 20th century, Kinston thrived, becoming a major manufacturer in the textile industry with numerous clothing factories and DuPont; and
Whereas, in 1944 the United States Navy built a United States Marine Corps flying training airfield known as Marine Corps Auxiliary Airfield Kinston. That facility is known today as Kinston Regional Jetport and still possesses the distinction of having a single runway that is one of the longest on the east coast of the United States. In January 1999, ownership of the Kinston Regional Jetport was transferred to the North Carolina Global TransPark Authority, a combined airport‑industrial complex designed to attract industry and bring increased economic opportunities to the citizens of Eastern North Carolina and beyond; and
Whereas, Kinston takes pride in its historic sites, serving as the location of 22 sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places; and
Whereas, Kinston has contributed to the cultural prosperity of the State, with the Kinston Community Council for the Arts, a public arts trail, Blue Grass Music Concerts, Sand in the Streets Concerts, Barbeque Festival on the Neuse, and the restored Grainger‑Hill Performing Arts Center; and
Whereas, in 1988 and 2009 Kinston was selected as an All‑American City; and
Whereas, Kinston is observing its 250th anniversary in 2012; Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring:

SECTION 1.  The General Assembly honors the founders of the City of Kinston and honors the historic city for its 250 years of contributions to its community, the State of North Carolina, and the nation.
SECTION 2.  The Secretary of State shall transmit a certified copy of this resolution to the Mayor of the City of Kinston.
SECTION 3.  This resolution is effective upon ratification.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 2nd day of July, 2012.

	s/	 Walter H. Dalton
	 President of the Senate

	s/	 Thom Tillis
	 Speaker of the House of Representatives