IT’S BACK

IT’S BACK — The Unknown Confederate Soldier Cemetery, located on Summer Street in Union City, is finally back on the official Civil War Trails. Otho French Stahl, Camp 176, Union City camp adjutant Barry Sowell praised the occurrence recently when Chris Brown (second from right) and Ashley Bassetti (right), representatives from the Civil War Trails organization, installed an information sign at the cemetery. He explained someone had been paying the maintenance fees on the sign, but unknown to the local camp had stopped. A neighbor saw someone removing the sign about five years ago and inquired to its removal. The inquisitive neighbor gave the business card she received to then-camp commander Harry Weatherly, who brought it to the attention of the late city manager Kathy Dillon. She then turned it over to Scott Williams, president and chief executive officer at Discovery Park of America. Williams told The Messenger because Civil War-related travel is big in the United States and he predicts it will be even bigger after America celebrates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence this year, DPA helped make connections between the Civil War Trail organization and Obion County Tourism. “With all we have to offer at Discovery Park related to history and into the Civil War, World War I and World War II, we believe visitors will come check out the Civil War marker, and the stories that it tells and then hopefully spend the night in a hotel, eat in a restaurant and visit Discovery Park of America, of course,” Williams said. OC Tourism director Caroline Partin (not pictured) was on hand for the sign installation and informed camp representatives (from left) camp commander Randy Cochrum, historian Jeff Kincade and Sowell that the local tourism board has agreed to pay the annual maintenance fee. The Civil War Trails sign tells the story of Camp Brown, which is one mile north of the cemetery and the site of the 1864 Battle of Union City. Confederates who died from disease and illness at the camp, as well as those who died during battle, are buried at the cemetery.