By Andy Diffenderfer
Correspondent
CHICKAMAUGA, Ga. – Visitors to downtown Chickamauga on Saturday were able to step back in time twice, as two festivals celebrated the town as it was during the 1860s and the early 1900s.
For the first Chickamauga Yesteryear Festival, downtown merchants opened their doors and dressed in period clothes. The annual War Between the States Day brought to life the sights and sounds of the Civil War.
“I’ve had several customers say they feel they are actually in a town from 100 years ago,” said Andrea Cleckler, owner of Le Frou Frou antique store downtown. “It’s exactly what we were aiming for as merchants.”
Antique cars lined one side of Gordon Street, while artisans and crafters, including a blacksmith and yarn spinner, plied their wares. An afternoon parade featured living historians and marching bands from Gordon Lee and Ridgeland high schools.
“I opened the doors and they flooded in here,” said Joseph Oliver, owner of the Bare Walls? antique, art and frame gallery.
“This is what Chickamauga is about,” said Angie Davis, owner of the Oh! Fiddle-Dee Shoppe, an antiques and gift store. “We as merchants, we want it to feel relaxed, not hustle-bustle. Everyone is laid back and just enjoying themselves.”
War Between the States Day attracted about 18 living historians, said Chickamauga City Manager John Culpepper. Cannon firings, exhibits, demonstrations and other activities commemorated the Battle of Chickamauga on Sept. 19-20, 1863.
Tour host Susan Veazey said about 200 people had toured the Gordon-Lee Mansion by midafternoon. Built in the 1840s, the main house served as headquarters for Gen. William S. Rosecrans of the Union Army before the battle and as a Union field hospital during the fighting.
“There have been more people in here at one time than I’ve ever seen,” she said.
Partnering with the Yesteryear Festival has been a great fit, Culpepper said.
“This is all about the history of Chickamauga,” he said. “It’s only going to grow and get better. For the first combination event, I think the crowd has been great.”
Andy Diffenderfer is based in LaFayette, Ga. Contact him at andy diff97@comcast.net.