Lee Curtis, director of program development for the Tennessee Department of Tourism, is excited by the success and the prospects of the Civil War Trails (civilwartrails.org) program, funded by federal grants and local fund-raising.
“The Civil War Trails program is a multistate program that interprets not only the major sites, but also the lesser-known sites across the state,” she says. “It interprets the story of that site. It defines and creates driving tours that enable the tourist to find a map guide, find the sites, and follow the trail.”
Right now, she says, there are 212 markers “in the ground” across the state. The total in the five states is 1,300 sites.
“The beauty of this program is that those are newly interpreted sites. These places did not have to be built. They were already there. They have been there since the Civil War,” she says, adding that there are markers now in 75 Tennessee counties and eventually all 95 counties will be represented on the trail.
It’s not just the big battles that are highlighted, but happenings in a house or a building – or perhaps a hillside along an interstate – that will help tell the story of the Civil War.
And she says there is something unique about Tennessee, in that it is the only congressionally designated National Heritage area that encompasses an entire state, based on the fact that the war touched all counties, leaving battle sites and stories that need to be told.
The Tennessee State Museum’s Jim Hoobler notes that there’s reason for the war touching the whole state, as the Volunteer state is very narrow and long, meaning it was the front line for so much of the War Between the States.
Curtis anxiously awaits seeing the trails program grow.
“We do think that it is going to help with travelers and tourists,” she says, noting that map guide to Tennessee sites is the most requested in all states participating.
“People are traveling during the sesquicentennial. People want to learn more and honor those who come before us.”
In Davidson County, there are markers at Fort Negley, the Capitol, Bicentennial Mall, Travellers Rest, the Hermitage and Belle Meade Plantation.
She points out that these markers will help not just tourists, but help residents realize what happened at sites that they may pass by regularly en route to work without taking special notice.