Governor Phil Bredesen announced today that the state will provide an
enhancement grant in the amount of $537,240 to assist with the Tennessee Civil War
Trails program, operated by the Tennessee Department of Tourism.
STATEWIDE - Governor Phil Bredesen announced today that the state will provide an
enhancement grant in the amount of $537,240 to assist with the Tennessee Civil War
Trails program, operated by the Tennessee Department of Tourism.
"This exciting program will create a uniform and well-designated path for travelers to
follow as they explore sites and transportation corridors associated with the American
Civil War in Tennessee," said Governor Bredesen. "It also encourages partnerships
between state agencies and local communities. I'm proud the State of Tennessee can
make investments like this to enhance local communities for the benefit of citizens and
visitors alike."
Susan Whitaker, Commissioner of the Department of Tourist Development said, "On
behalf of the many state agencies, legislators and local community leaders who partnered
to develop the Civil War Trails initiative, I would like to thank Governor Bredesen and
Commissioner Gerald Nicely of TDOT for this enhancement grant. It will enable
hundreds of thousands of Tennesseans and visitors from around the world to experience
and appreciate Tennessee's rich Civil War heritage as well as preserve the integrity of
these historic sites for future generations."
"The history of our nation and of our state should be clearly marked for all to see and all
to learn from," stated Senator Doug Henry. "I'm happy to have been able to help make
this program happen."
"The project will enable the state to identify all of these important historical sites and
create a network of historical and directional signs. This is a very important, team
oriented project that I'm proud to be a part of," reported Representative Steve McDaniel.
The grant is made possible through a federally funded program administered by the
Tennessee Department of Transportation.
"This exciting trails program will allow Tennesseans to create the nation's best program
for telling the whole story of the Civil War and to bring new benefits to our towns and
communities through heritage tourism," said Dr. Van West, director of the Tennessee
Civil War National Heritage Area at Middle Tennessee State University. "I am pleased to
see Governor Bredesen and Commissioner Nicely funding this effort."
"Including this year's enhancement grants, TDOT has helped fund approximately $189
million worth of transportation related projects such as the restoration of historic
facilities, bike and pedestrian trails, landscaping and other non-traditional transportation
projects," said TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely. "These grants were made possible in
the 1990s when Congress established a grant system funding activities designed to
strengthen the cultural, aesthetic and environmental aspects of the nation's transportation
system."
Fred Prouty, Director of Programs for the Tennessee Wars Commission added, "I have
long advocated the creation of a statewide Civil War trail signage system as a means to
promote and educate the general public about the benefits of preserving our endangered
historic Civil War sites. It is my hope that the end result of this effort will be to
encourage the long-range preservation of many of our endangered historic resources
connected with the War Between the States."
The Tennessee Civil War Trails program will be both a freestanding, statewide program
and a part of the existing 700-site, three-state Civil War Trails program which has been
developed through similar grant funding. The project will encourage and reward local
governments and private sector participants that establish, promote and maintain the
program in their areas.