A broad overview of Ringgold’s history – from Civil War times to the modern day – can be experienced during weekly hour-long walking tours of its downtown.
Beginning May 13, interested individuals or groups can meet at 10 a.m. on Thursdays for these informative strolls departing from the city’s historic railway depot.
“We want to give a reason for people to stop and stay for a few hours in Ringgold,” said Meaghan Dant, marketing coordinator for the city of Ringgold. “This will be for everybody, tourists and locals.”
These walks will last about an hour and visit eight historic sites: the Depot, the Whitman Anderson House, Downtown, the Wedding Chapel, Ringgold Baptist Church, the Methodist Cemetery, the Original Bell of the church that once stood where the Methodist Cemetry is located today and which is now at Ringgold United Methodist Church, and the Catoosa County Courthouse.
There will be a lot of Civil War history as well as interesting stories about events and places in the town, Dant said.
The Wedding Chapel, famous in years past for quickie weddings much as Las Vegas is today, will be one of the featured sites, she said.
“And of course, I will be mentioning that Dolly Parton got married at First Baptist Church,” Dant said, adding that that same church served as a hospital during the Civil War.
Most of the historical profiles are being developed from stories collected by county historian Bill Clark, she said, and her commentary will be “a mix of facts and emotional, firsthand accounts.”
STROLLING THROUGH RINGGOLDWhat: Guided walking tours of downtown Ringgold.When: Thursdays at 10 a.m.Where: Tours begin and end at the depot.Cost: Free. Reservations are appreciated but not required.For more information contact Meaghan Dant at (706) 935-5290 or meaghandant@catt.com
An example is the Whitman Anderson House, located directly across the street from City Hall.
Aside from its significance, Dant said she will tell how the family living there in November of 1863 “watched the Battle of Ringgold Gap from their upstairs windows.”
Visitors will be shown where repairs were made following an unsuccessful attempt by Union forces to destroy the town’s railroad depot, which at the time was one of the South’s busiest.
“It’s 18-inch-thick stone walls withstood their efforts,” Dant said. “They were only able to blow the roof off the building.”
A change in the color of stonework, plainly visible where the depot faces the railroad tracks, shows where blasts, cannon and rifle shot damages were repaired, she said.
“The stories will change as we find out more about the city,” Dant said.