Chickamauga: A city saved by its past
On September 17, Confederate and Union re-enactors and ladies dressed as Southern Belles gathered in Chickamauga to commemorate a barbecue attended by thousands of men 127 years ago. The history that led up to the now annual event in the city is a story in itself.
From 1905 through the 1990s, Chickamauga was a thriving little textile town, says former city manager John Culpepper. Then the industry moved largely overseas, and the Northwest Georgia town went from a textile workforce of 1,200 to only 100.
“Our town was dying,” says Culpepper. “You could hardly buy a thing in Chickamauga — not a pair of socks.”
The city administration started to brainstorm possibilities for revitalizing the ailing municipality. What did the town have that it could capitalize on? It’s history, for sure.
Chickamauga, referred to as Crawfish Springs at the time, started out in the early 1800s as the farming and business ventures of the three Gordon brothers, who bought land in the area. One of the brothers — James — built a grist mill, a general store and a home now known as the Gordon Lee Mansion on his land, all property that would be inherited by his grandson, Gordon Lee.
In 1863, the Civil War that had been ravaging the country for two years came to the area and the mill and mansion were used as hospital facilities to treat the wounded and as strategic positions by the Union to block Confederate advances when the fighting moved to Chattanooga. Gordon Lee was only four years old at the time.
In 1889, with the war 24 years in the rearview, soldiers South and North decided it was time for a reunion. About 14,000 veterans of the battles fought in Chickamauga and Chattanooga gathered in Chattanooga to recall the time in their lives when they had taken up arms against one another.
Gordon Lee, now 28 years old and a successful businessman, extended an invitation to all 14,000 men to come to Crawfish Springs, for a giant barbecue, at his expense. The men came and a committee was formed that would contribute to the establishment of the Chickamauga Chattanooga National Military Park — the country’s first and largest such park.
Fast forward back to modern times — the early 2000s. Following their sense that the city’s history was key to its successful future, leaders developed a revitalization plan and secured grants for streetscaping that restored the flavor of the past. Tourist-centered business was encouraged.
But that was just the start. Culpepper came up with the idea for an annual festival — War Between the States Day, to be held at and around the Gordon Lee Mansion. People would be able to learn about local history, see soldiers and ladies dressed in period costume, step into realistic encampments to see how the common soldier lived. Plans were made to include cannon fire, re-enacted skirmishes, local arts and crafts and plenty of
food. It was an ambitious but workable project.
Arrangements were made with the Tennessee Railroad Museum’s excursion tours to make weekly stops in Chickamauga from May through September, so tourists could see the city, learn its history and shop and eat. Chickamauga’s train depot was turned into a museum.
“Our goal was to become the Gettysburg of the South,” says Culpepper.
Late in the 2000s, the decision was made to add another element to the
event — a barbecue commemorating the original one of 1889, when Blue and Gray came together to “smoke the peace pipe.” The barbecue features a cook-off contest. Both Confederate and Union re-enactors sit down to eat together, just as they did so long ago, and the Chickamauga living history event has come to be known as the Blue and Gray Barbecue.
“Chickamauga,” says Culpepper, “our southern Gettysburg, is reviving. We’ve created a place people like to live and visit, with events that draw in tourists. Our retail base is growing and we’re looking at a hopeful future.”