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Clark historic sites participating in statewide tourism program

July 06, 2012|By Rachel Gilliam | The Winchester Sun

James Mann/jmann@winchestersun.com

Two Clark County historical sites are participating in a statewide tourism program.

Both the Bluegrass Heritage Museum and the Civil War Fort at Boonesboro are on a list of 16 Kentucky Civil War sites compiled by the Kentucky Civil War Sites Association for the organization’s Passport Program. Participants are given “passports” they can take to all 16 sites and receive stamps, like a real passport.

Individuals who visit 10 sites can submit their passports to KCWSA and receive a certificate.

“The goal is to get more people to come here, and it’s a nice partnership with the other Civil War sites, because most of us have very limited budgets. By working together it allows us to do things we couldn’t otherwise, and it better tells the story of the Civil War,” said Nancy Turner, director of tourism in Winchester and Clark County.

All members of the KCWSA were invited to participate in the program, which began June 15.

Turner said encouraging visitors to see sites throughout the state will give them a more detailed picture of what the Civil War was like in Kentucky. The Bluegrass Heritage Museum provides visitors with more information about the Civil War site, and the Civil War in Clark County, Turner said.

“The Museum is a nice complement to the Civil War Fort,” Turner said.

Many of the sites have shared histories, Turner said. Soldiers from Camp Nelson were called on to man the Civil War Fort in Clark County at various times during the war, and Turner said seeing both sites allows visitors to better understand what the experience was like for them.

“That’s kind of an additional story you wouldn’t necessarily know at our site, or strictly at Camp Nelson, but when you put those together, you get the whole story. By driving to those two sites, you have a better appreciation for the distance the soldiers have to travel,” Turner said.

The Civil War site already is a popular tourist destination, and Turner said her office receives more calls about it than anything else in Clark County.

“It is amazing how many phone calls we get about the Civil War site from all over. ... I¿think Civil War heritage is so diverse, it’s really something people are trying to learn more and more about it,” Turner said.

For more information, or to obtain a passport, visit www.kycivilwarsites.org.

For more information on Winchester tourism sites, visit www.tourwinchester.com.

Contact Rachel Parsons Gilliam at rparsons@winchestersun.com.

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