150 Years | Tennessee Civil War Sesquicentennial
Attractions
Tennessee Civil War Attractions
Use the tabs above to learn more about trails, markers and other interpretive sites; battlefields, and the many Civil War-related museums and other attractions designed to help travelers understand the legacy of the war in Tennessee.
Tennessee's Civil War history is a study in contrasts: a secessionist state with staunch Union loyalties, divided cities held by both Union and Confederate troops, constant danger and hardship, and nagging uncertainty about friends, neighbors and families, about who was friend or foe.
Tennessee's Civil War tale is one of divided loyalties, crucial battles, and the wide-reaching devastation of "total war." People throughout the state were completely immersed in the economic, social, and physical effects of the conflict, subject to violence and terror, disease and malnutrition, heartbreak and loss, and military rule by both sides. The stories of the Underground Railroad and Emancipation bring out the other side of war in the African American struggle for freedom and citizenship. Many grim reminders of the war—as well as hopeful symbols of heroism and kindness—stand today as testament to how the war transformed Tennessee.
Abraham Lincoln Library & Museum
Located on the beautiful campus of Lincoln Memorial University, the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum is one of Harrogate's finest attractions. Home to one of the most diverse Lincoln and Civil War collections in the country, The Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum offers something for every Abraham Lincoln enthusiast.
View many rare items such as the cane Lincoln carried on that fateful night at Ford's Theatre, two life masks, the tea set he and Mary Todd used in their home in Springfield and numerous other fascinating ...more
Region: Knoxville & Middle East
City: Harrogate, TN
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Affair at Travisville
September 29th., 1861 marks the date of what has become known as the Affair at Travisville. Until the events of this day transpired, people locally had assured themselves that they were too far off the beaten paths to see any fighting. The event of that particular Sunday, one hundred and forty one years ago, represents the first military action in Tennessee during the Civil War. Only in the past several years has Travisville been acknowledged as the official beginning of the conflict and the struggle for control in Tennessee.
Call 1-888-406-4704 or e-mail info@theborderlands.com for more ...more
Region: Upper Cumberland
City: Byrdstown, TN
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Andrew Johnson National Historic Site
Site marks the home of the 17th president, who succeeded Lincoln and oversaw Reconstruction. Contains a visitors center, Johnson's tailor shop, two homes of the president (one furnished with Johnson memorabilia) and the National Cemetery. Open ...more
Region: Northeast
City: Greeneville, TN
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Armstrong-Lockett House & W.P. Toms Memorial Gardens "Crescent Bend"
Historic 1834 house museum furnished wtih fine antiques and art. Extensive American and English silver collection (1610-1830). Terraced three-acre formal garden wtih roses, thousands of blooming flowers and five fountains overlooking the Tennessee ...more
Region: Knoxville & Middle East
City: Knoxville, TN
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Arts Center of Cannon County
The award winning Arts Center of Cannon County is a unique model for rural arts organizations. Situated in an underserved rural area in a town of 2,000 and a county of 12,000, The Arts Center annually commands a worldwide audience of 40,000 through its facility and over 100,000 through web sites, publications, and recording projects. Drawing on the blue-collar roots of its community, the organization focuses on self-sufficiency, fiscal responsibility and social ...more
Region: Nashville & Surrounding Areas
City: Woodbury, TN
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Battle of Franklin Trust
The Battle of Franklin Trust is dedicated to a better understanding of the five bloodiest hours of the American Civil War. Two historic landmarks witnessed the carnage first hand: The Carter House and Carnton ...more
Region: Nashville & Surrounding Areas
City: Franklin, TN
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Battle of Hartsville Civil War Driving Tour & Memorial Park
Across courthouse, signs direct you to trail that overlooks battlefield. Graves of Civil War soldiers and monument with all names ...more
Region: Nashville & Surrounding Areas
City: Hartsville, TN
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Battle of Hartsville Memorial Park
17-stop self guided driving tour and Battle of Hartsville Memorial ...more
Region: Nashville & Surrounding Areas
City: Hartsville, TN
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Battle of Nashville Driving Tour at Shys Hill
The Battle of Nashville was one of the final large-scale engagements of the Civil War. Fought on Dec. 15-16, 1864, the Confederacy’s last offensive action finished the Army of Tennessee as an effective fighting force. The driving tour includes the main points of the Union defenses of Nashville and the Confederate lines of battle. Brochures are available at the Nashville Chamber of Commerce and the Metro Historical Commission, Mon.-Fri. and the Nashville Visitors Center, daily. Admission is ...more
Region: Nashville & Surrounding Areas
City: Nashville, TN
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Battle of Nashville Monument
<p>The 1926 statue by Giuseppe Moretti has recently been restored and rededicated on a small tract of the battlefield where the clash of Dec. 15-16, 1864, took place. Nearby, Confederate forces under General Hood reached their furthest advance in their failed attempt to retake Nashville. Somewhat unusual in that it was designed to memorialize both Union and Confederate soldiers, this was also a peace monument to honor the Americans who fought and died in World War ...more
Region: Nashville & Surrounding Areas
City: Nashville, TN
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Battle of Parkers Crossroads Self-Guided Driving Tour
The Battle of Parkers Crossroads was fought Dec. 31, 1862. The Parkers Crossroads Battlefield Park offers a self-guided driving tour, two miles of paved walking trails with interpretative signs and battlefield ...more
Region: Southwest
City: Parker's Crossroads, TN
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Battle of Statesville
Along an old country road (now State Hwy. 267) and the main road leading to Lebanon (U.S. Hwy. 70), the Confederate cavalry of John Hunt Morgan encountered the 101st Indian Infantry and fought a short battle on March 19, ...more
Region: Nashville & Surrounding Areas
City: Watertown, TN
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Beech Grove Confederate Cemetery & Park
Home of Hoover's Gap Civil War Battlefield. Site brochures and interpretive signs of one of the South's earliest Confederate ...more
Region: Nashville & Surrounding Areas
City: Beech Grove, TN
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Beech River Cultural Center & Museum
Chronicles the history of Henderson County. Displays pertain to geology, native inhabitants, early settlers and wars. Reconstructed log cabin ...more
Region: Southwest
City: Lexington, TN
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Belle Meade Plantation
Once one of the largest private estates in Nashville encompassing 5,400 acres and home to five generations of the Harding-Jackson family, Belle Meade Plantation today is a 30-acre historic site 6 miles west of Nashville. Before the Civil War, Belle Meade flourished; today bullets from the Battle of Nashville scar the house, used as Confederate Gen. Chalmers' headquarters.
Known as "Queen of the Tennessee Plantations," Bell Meade was known world-wide for its thoroughbred horses.
Experience frontier life of 1819 through living history demonstrations at the Harding Cabin. Demonstrations available every Friday and Saturday April through October. Guided tour of the 1853 Greek ...more
Region: Nashville & Surrounding Areas
City: Nashville, TN
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Belmont Mansion
The largest house museum in Tennessee. One of the few 19th-century homes in which the story revolves around a woman.
The 1853 home of Joseph and Adelicia Acklen, it served as headquarters for Union General David Stanley and General Thomas J. Wood. After her husband died, the remarkable Adelicia, one of the richest women in America and a shrewd business woman, secretly did business with both sides to survive.
During the war, the homes served as headquarters for Union Gen. David Stanley and Gen. Thomas J. ...more
Region: Nashville & Surrounding Areas
City: Nashville, TN
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Bethesda Church and Cemetery
Bethesda Church, built in 1835, was used as a hospital for wounded soldiers on both sides during the Civil War, as well as serving patients with smallpox. The cemetery behind the church contains the graves of 80 Confederate soldiers. An informational display on the church grounds provides more information on the history of the building and ...more
Region: Knoxville & Middle East
City: Morristown, TN
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Big Black Creek Historical Society
The Big Black Creek Historical Association (BBCHA) was founded in 2006 with the express purpose to identify, preserve and promote historical sites with the communities of Denmark, Mercer, Leighton and Woodland, all small towns West of Jackson, TN.
The BBCHA meets on the last Thursday of each month at the Mercer Presbyterian Church in Mercer, TN at 7:00 p.m. You don’t need to be a member to join them as they preserve the history of these important ...more
Region: Memphis & Surrounding Areas
City: Denmark, TN
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Bills-McNeal Historic District
Some of Bolivar's oldest and most historically significant homes are found in this district. Structures include the McNeal house and the ...more
Region: Southwest
City: Bolivar, TN
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Bledsoe's Fort Historic Park
Eighty-acre park. Includes archaeological site, Isaac Bledsoe's fort c. 1780s. Also features restored log cabin and stone Irish ...more
Region: Nashville & Surrounding Areas
City: Castalian Springs, TN
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