Resaca Battlefield Historical Site Park

So Close, We Reflect and Plan

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November 15, 2015 -

After many rain delays this past month we feel confident that the final work on the 500+ acre Resaca Battlefield Historic Site will be completed in the next few weeks. FORB will meet with the Georgia DNR & Gordon County officials in early Dec. on site to conduct what will hopefully be the final site inspection. After this point, if all is agreed upon, FORB's recommendation will then go before the Gordon County Commissioner's meeting. If accepted, the paperwork will be approved and the park handed over to Gordon County. FORB President, Ken Padgett, stated: "I see no real road blocks ahead."

In the past few months FORB has worked with the State and Gordon County on several initiatives. We finalized the new site map. These will be installed along with the nine interpretive panels that had some historic and spelling errors displayed. See here for FORBs work on the park signage. We continued to work with DNR on the trail marker posts and some minor work to be completed at the base of the new entrance sign due to drainage issues.

Of continuing concern is the access over an old bridge crossing the wetlands between the adjacent private property and the park. FORB is recommending this be secured by a sturdy metal gate to prevent visitors from entering onto the private property and to secure public entrance into the park itself. Judging from numerous vehicular tracks in the typically wet terrain, much traffic has been entering the site from this point.

FORB will remain in contact with the DNR regarding future interpretive trail signage, park benches, and monument guild-lines, and other improvements. FORB has worked hard to establish good working rapport with DNR over a close –working relationship the last few years. We are hopeful of continuing that partnership as we address the immediate future needs of the park. There is still a lot of work to do.For example, the park will have no museum or interpretative center when it opens in 2016.

Speaking of 2016, next year will be the 20th Anniversary for the Friends of Resaca Battlefield, Inc. If we can pause for a moment and take account of what we have accomplished, we see steady and positive involvement in spite of the many regrettable set-backs in protecting this park and opening it to the public. We were the motivation behind the Fort Wayne Historic Site, we worked to prevent a major power company for putting power lines though the Chitwood Farm. We have worked to preserve the Chitwood Farm and to particularly protect the Cherokee Battery there. We have offered hundreds of people the opportunity to explore the battlefield through our free driving brochure distributed through the Gordon County Chamber of Commerce.

A small group of volunteers has built a national organization of many supporters in states both North and South. We have partnered with the Civil War Trust, Georgia Battlefields, Trust for Public Land, local, state, and other national organizations. As this park opens, hopefully sometime early in 2016, we want to thank our national supporters. There have been times when we have asked our grass roots membership to rally and write letters and send emails to key officials. This has given the FORB board the "clout" it has needed from time to time to fight the good fight. The annual dues paid by people from Illinois and Alabama, from Ohio and Florida, from more than 20 different states and some from overseas has allowed FORB to organize a war chest with which to work toward the future interpretation and continued protection and security of the Resaca Battlefield Historic Site.

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