Tullahoma recalls Civil War history

The Ganoe-Bussell cabin, seen in this file photograph from 2013, is believed to be the oldest structure in Tullahoma. It was rebuilt on the lawn of the South Watson Civic Center, near its original location.
The Ganoe-Bussell cabin, seen in this file photograph from 2013, is believed to be the oldest structure in Tullahoma. It was rebuilt on the lawn of the South Watson Civic Center, near its original location.

The homes, lawns and streets of Tullahoma, Tenn., have grown up and over important Civil War history that many people, even local residents and history buffs, don't know about.

Members of the Historic Preservation Society of Tullahoma hope the latest edition of its periodical, Tullahoma Time Table, will attract new interest and visitors from among the fans of the Civil War's history in Middle Tennessee.

GET YOUR COPY

To get a copy of the Tullahoma Time Table, contact Marjorie Collier, vice president of the Historic Preservation Society of Tullahoma, at marcollier@lighttube.net or 931-455-4186. The latest edition is $10 plus $4 to cover shipping costs. Other editions are also available. The Time Table is also available at local business Couch's on Northwest Atlantic Street, Tullahoma.

The current edition, Tullahoma Time Table: Featuring the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War Tullahoma Campaign, is among 25 editions the society has released since it was founded in 1980, society Vice President Marjorie Collier said Friday. Collier edits the publication.

"It really emphasizes the effect of the Civil War on the city," Collier said.

The town's Civil War sites are scattered and many haven't been preserved. But that doesn't mean history doesn't remember them, Collier said.

Collier and society President Mark Schempp believe the latest edition of the Time Table combined with the commemoration in 2014 of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War's Tullahoma Campaign should generate interest from people near and far.

The edition contains a number of articles about Civil War history of the town, the roles area families played on both the gray and blue sides. One article by her Collier's son, James Collier, is about local families splitting over the blue and gray battle lines. The new edition also includes maps, a guide to the local sites and updates about the society.

View our Civil War Sequicentennial site


"We want to let folks know about the existence of various Civil War structures and events that took place here," Schempp said of the Tullahoma Campaign of 1863. "It might not have been one of the big battles that people associate with the Civil War, but from the impact of the outcome, I think it certainly was significant."

The state also has developed a Civil War driving trail that passes through Tullahoma and the new edition will give people "another reason to stop and enjoy the area," Schempp said.

"The concept of being able to stand there on a given spot where historical events took place has always captured my imagination," he said. "You don't have to be a historian to enjoy it."

Contact staff writer Ben Benton at bbenton @timesfreepress.com or twitter.com/BenBenton or www.facebook.com/ben.benton1 or 423-757-6569.

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