New state program links Civil War sites,
aids understanding of war in Kentucky

As the nation observes the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, a new state program to link Civil War sites throughout Kentucky is designed to help visitors and residents understand how the conflict shaped a state torn by the war.

The Kentucky Civil War Heritage Trails program was unveiled recently at the 149th anniversary of the Battle of Perryville. In addition to battlefields and other war sites, the program includes a new website, www.kentuckycivilwartrails.org, that features maps, a monthly listing of commemorative events and a blog providing interpretive information.

“The trails initially included more than 50 sites that are ready to receive visitors, have historical interpretation and are near to major routes for both in-state and out-of-state travelers,” Tourism, Arts and Heritage Secretary Marcheta Sparrow announced. “More sites will be added to the trails as they meet these criteria.”

Rather than running in one continuous route, the trails provide clusters of sites that can be visited conveniently in various regions of the Commonwealth, Kimberly Clay, cultural heritage tourism director with the Department of Travel and Tourism, said.

“We believe the trails will attract visitors from outside the state who aren’t necessarily Civil War buffs, but who want to learn more about what happened here,” Clay said.

The director has worked with officials from the Kentucky Historical Society, Heritage Council and the Transportation Cabinet to coordinate the project.

The initial sites include:

1. Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park (Hodgenville)
2. Abraham Lincoln Boyhood Home at Knob Creek (Hodgenville)
3. Ashland, The Henry Clay Estate (Lexington)
4. Battle of Ivy Mountain (Prestonsburg)
5. Battle of Richmond (Richmond)
6. Battle of Sacramento (Calhoun)
7. Battles of Cynthiana (Cynthiana)
8. Camp Nelson (Nicholasville)
9. Cave Hill Cemetery (Louisville)
10. Civil War Fort at Boonesboro (Winchester)
11. Columbus-Belmont State Park (Columbus)
12. Cumberland Gap National Historical Park (Middlesboro)
13. Farmington Historic Plantation (Louisville)
14. Fort Duffield (West Point)
15. Fort Heiman (Calloway County)
16. Fort Hill (Frankfort)
17. Fort Smith (Smithland)
18. Frankfort Cemetery
19. Frazier International History Museum (Louisville)
20. Freedoms Underground Railroad Museum (Maysville) (Covington)
21. Green Hill Cemetery (Frankfort)
22. Hardin County History Museum (Elizabethtown)
23. Hunt-Morgan House (Lexington)
24. James A. Ramage Civil War Museum/Battery Hooper (Fort Wright)
25. Jefferson Davis Birthplace State Historic Site (Fairview)
26. Lexington Cemetery
27. Lexington History Museum - statues at old courthouse
28. Lincoln Homestead State Park (Springfield)
29. Lincoln Memorial at Waterfront Park (Louisville)
30. Lincoln Museum (Hodgenville)
31. Lincoln Statue in downtown Springfield
32. Lincoln statues in downtown Hodgenville
33. Lloyd Tilghman House and Civil War Museum (Paducah)
34. Mammoth Cave (Cave City)
35. Mary Todd Lincoln House (Lexington)
36. Middle Creek Battlefield (Prestonsburg)
37. Mill Springs Battlefield (Nancy/Somerset)
38. Munfordville Battlefield and Rowlett’s Station (Munfordville)
39. National Underground Railroad Museum (Maysville)Center (Maysville)
40. Old Bardstown Village Civil War Museum (Bardstown)
41. Old Fort Harrod State Park (Harrodsburg)
42. Old State Arsenal (Frankfort)
43. Old State Capitol (Frankfort)
44. Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site (Perryville)
45. Riverview at Hobson Grove (Bowling Green)
46. Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill (near Harrodsburg)
47. Spalding Hall (Bardstown)
48. State Capitol Rotunda (Frankfort)
49. Tebbs Bend Battlefield (Campbellsville) Greensburg (community)
50. Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History (Frankfort)
51. Waveland (Lexington)
52. White Hall State Historic Site (Richmond)
53. Wildcat Mountain (London)
54. Women of the Civil War Museum (Bardstown)