150 years on, vestiges of the Civil War in the Bluegrass continue to fascinate. Hoping to paint a more detailed picture of how the conflict shaped the state, the Kentucky Department of Travel and Tourism has launched a new program to link historic sites around the Commonwealth.The Civil War Heritage Trails project, unveiled at the 149th anniversary of the Battle of Perryville, provides tourists and civil war buffs alike with new perspectives on the war and how it affected the state.
"It's an effort to let everyone know about Kentucky's role in the Civil War, not just on the battlefield but also in society and in regular life, whether it was the effect on families or businesses or what African-Americans went through," say Gil Lawson with the Tourism, Arts, and Heritage Cabinet.
The trails, which include The Henry Clay Estate and the Hunt-Morgan House in Lexington, are documented on a website that also features monthly listing of commemorative events and a blog offering interpretive information. Lawson says the cabinet intends to add more sites over time. The project's website is www.kentuckycivilwartrails.org.
Below is the current list of sites:
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)
