Work has not yet begun on Fort Wayne, the county’s historic park, but it hasn’t stopped Ken Padgett and the Friends of Resaca from giving tours.
Last week, they brought out nearly 50 history buffs from all over the country and Canada.
They have also recently given tours to the members of the Board of Commissioners, the Convention and Visitors Bureau, county officials, MACTEC, and the Historic Preservation Committee.
Last week, the Compuserve Civil War Forum toured Fort Wayne, did a drive through of Snake Gap Creek, and then continued to Atlanta. They started as an Internet group of those passionate about the War Between the States.
Then about 12 years ago, they decided to begin touring different Civil War battlefields. Although they toured Chickamauga several years ago, this was their first time to the Resaca area.
“It’s amazing that (Fort Wayne) has been preserved so well,” said Margarett Farr of Toronto, who said she has been on all 12 tours. “I’m glad we have this kind of access to it; the guides have been great.”
Rudy Perini, and his wife, Joan, from New York were also a part of the tour.
“I read a book about Andersonville, and it grew from there,” said Perini, adding that many in the group had Civil War veterans in their families, but he didn’t even have family in America at the time. They immigrated later from Italy.
The group was impressed by the information and the Southern hospitality. The Friends of Resaca provided refreshments for them.
“We’ve never had that before,” one member noted.
On Thursday, Padgett invited members of the Board of Commissioners and the Convention and Visitors Bureau to tour the site. Commissioners Judy Bailey and Dick Gordon, along with Beth Grubbs of the CVB, took the tour.
Grubbs said the county could only benefit from having the Fort Wayne park and the state park at the original battlefield, about a mile away. The state is hoping to have the battlefield site and visitors center completed by 2011, the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.
“When they complete it, Gordon County will be one of the few counties with two historic state parks – the battlefield and New Echota,” Grubbs said. She added she didn’t have exact figures, but said many of the visitors’ packets she sends out is because of the county’s rich history. She said she recently sent out 200 packets in one day to potential visitors.
The Historic Preservation Commission is working with the county on Historic Preservation Ordinances, which would ensure Gordon County’s historical resources are protected by restricting the type of developments allowed. Padgett said the Fort Wayne area ties into not just the Civil War, but pre-Civil War and post-Civil War history for the area. The railroad, which Fort Wayne was designed to protect, was built by Irish workers. Many of them returned to the area after the Mexican-American War to live. The fort was also occupied during Reconstruction to protect the railroad.
Padgett said the Friends of Resaca is working to help the county raise the money needed to turn the area, located off Highway 136 in Resaca, into a park with interpretive signage and walking trails. The whole scope of the project, based on a Master Plan designed by MACTEC, would cost about $1.2 million.
The county recently received a $200,000 grant toward the project.
Bert Brantley, with the governor’s office, said they were working on possibly getting a bond to cover the expenses with developing the parks. Gov. Sonny Perdue had allocated money for the state battlefield park, but the money was eventually reallocated elsewhere then taken out of the budget.
“The governor is excited about the Civil War anniversary coming up. We are working very closely together to promote Georgia as a critical piece in the war,” Brantley said.
