TELLING THE WHOLE STORY
Telling the Whole Story
Telling the Whole story of
America's Greatest Challenge
Over the past 20 years, the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area has become a go-to institution for communities, non-profit groups, government officials, and property owners who wish to join the Heritage Area’s goal to “tell the whole
story of America’s greatest challenge.”
We achieve this goal through project-centered partnerships. Our national reputation is built upon our ability to sensitively work with diverse communities based on their needs, interests, and abilities. For over twenty years, we have provided leadership and support to organizations across Tennessee, creating opportunities for education, interpretation, preservation, and economic development.
With emphasis on providing authentic opportunities for Tennessee's residents and visitors, we expanded the Heritage Area’s services by creating opportunities for research and interpretation, ensuring academic excellence through hands-on student training, and supporting heritage tourism as a tool for economic development and resource conservation.
Key initiatives are based on four major goals outlined by our Congressional legislation:
1) Preserve, conserve, and interpret the legacy of the Civil War in Tennessee;
2) Recognize and interpret important events and geographic locations representing key Civil War battles, campaigns, and engagements in Tennessee;
3) Recognize and interpret the effect of the Civil War on the civilian population of Tennessee during the war and postwar Reconstruction period; and
4) Create partnerships among Federal, State, and local governments and their regional entities, and the private sector to preserve, conserve, enhance, and interpret the battlefields and associated sites associated with the Civil War in Tennessee.