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Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009

Civil War markers selected for trail

Washington Memorial Library archivist Muriel Jackson spends her days digging through history.

People from all over the world inquire about their family heritage and come looking for links to the Civil War.

Macon-Bibb County Convention & Visitors Bureau CEO Janice Marshall knows Macon’s role in the War Between the States could be worth a fortune. It’s like gold waiting to be mined.

Both women are working with the Macon Sesquicentennial Planning Committee to erect 10 more markers along Civil War Heritage Trails that are designed to spread the word and reap the benefits of Georgia’s rich history during the war’s 150th anniversary that begins in 2011.

“Other states in the South — in particular North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee — have taken advantage of this Civil War history, and Georgia really has never explored this history as a statewide project,” Marshall said.

There are so many stories to tell from the heart of Dixie. Macon’s excellent rail and road connections coupled with the Ocmulgee River offered a safe haven for many needs of the Confederacy.

In addition to the exporting of materials and supplies, farms in southern Georgia and the midstate produced food, livestock and tobacco for the war effort. Macon was a hub to distribute those items to the front lines.

Macon’s secure location and role as a distribution center led the Confederate government to house captured and wounded Union officers at the city’s old fairground — Camp Oglethorpe.

“I don’t think that’s widely known,” said Bill Elliott, who is helping lead the charge to erect markers at points of interest in Macon.

He also is a member of the board of the Civil War Heritage Trails organization that has designated six trails across Georgia to tell Civil War tales.

“It’s going to be a big thing. It’s important,” Elliott said. “This will be here after we’re gone.”

One of the hardest jobs facing the Macon committee is narrowing down the options.

Three markers are already approved. One was funded by the CVB and erected in front of City Hall. Another is planned to mark the site of the old Lanier House on Mulberry Street, where Jefferson Davis was brought after he was recaptured following his escape. The third will be placed on Walnut Street at the Baber Lamar house that was occupied by Union forces and served as their headquarters in the final days of the war.

Recently, 10 more areas of interest have been selected and will include multiple locations mapped out on some of the markers.

Macon’s role as a transportation hub, hospital and manufacturer of supplies will be highlighted on three of the markers.

Some of the city’s fine homes and architecture will be the focus of another marker that likely will be placed near the Woodruff House atop Coleman Hill.

The casualties of war will be commemorated at Rose Hill Cemetery, the resting place of soldiers from both sides of the conflict.

Macon’s defense will be conveyed through markers at Fort Hawkins and at Riverside Cemetery, where earthworks of protective piles of soil are still visible.

The Union officers’ prison will have a marker as will the old Dunlap farm where the Battle for Macon was waged on the current Ocmulgee National Monument property.

And Jackson is researching and will spotlight the role of blacks during the war.

“Most of (the markers) will mark places, battlefields and buildings, but this will be telling a story of a people,” said Jackson, whose grandmother’s grandfather answered the call to work in the ironworks. “You wonder how your ancestors fit into history. In a lot of history, slaves and free people of color often get left out.”

Jackson is striving for accuracy without any political spin.

“I’m going to make sure there are no judgments in it. It’s just telling the stories,” she said.

Marketing those stories could bring a big economic boost to Macon.

“We know a heritage tourist is generally retired, spends more money and stays longer,” Marshall said. “There are some Civil War buffs who just want to walk a meadow where there’s been a battle.”

The committee is now working to secure locations and find sponsors for the markers that cost $5,000 each.

Everything must be erected in the next 13 months to capitalize on the Civil War Sesquicentennial.

“This will be a huge commemoration all over the country,” Marshall said. “We don’t want to miss out on this like we did in the Olympics. Our markers will be in place.”

To contact writer Liz Fabian, call 744-4303.