Your Support In Motion
September is a special time in the annual life of our National Park. Each year as we near the end of summer and approach the Anniversary of the Battle of Chickamauga (Sept 18-20), we also look forward to one of our favorite nights of the year for the Party at Point Park, our annual fundraiser to celebrate and support the national treasure that is our Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park. This year’s party was held on September 9 with the theme “Come Back To Your Park.” Check out the gorgeous photos from Umbrella Rock!
In 2019 the Party at Point Park’s special appeal contributed to the purchase and installation of new and newly needed security cameras that were crucial to the successful and safe return of Evi the Bobcat after an accidental escape from her home at Reflection Riding - Arboretum and Nature Center into the adjacent wilderness of the National Park on Lookout Mountain.
National Park Partners are here to respond to park needs and are confident that our sponsors and attendees each year appreciate that their contributions are being put into immediate direct action. This year a special appeal to our annual event ticket holders raised additional funds that will contribute to the newly established Brown’s Tavern Fund . The BTF will assist our support of the restoration of the oldest-standing building in Hamilton County, a critical piece of Indiginous and Civil War history.
In 2020, even as our own event had to be cancelled, we were made aware of an emerging immediate need. Last Fall, more families than ever found their way to parks like ours that were still open and discovered ways to recreate safely – such as using the Chickamauga Battlefield Audio Tour app. But the app’s funding was discontinued, amid shutdown fallout. NPP stepped up with our special appeal to National Treasures ticket holders in lieu of attending the 2020 postponed event, and we continue to fully fund one of the park’s most popular self-guided historical resources.
Take me there!
If you have never experienced the audio tour and the companion interactive storytelling provided on the Chickamauga Battlefield App website it is well worth a trip back to your park. The car tour features 8 pivotal stops within the 5300 acres of the Chickamauga Battlefield and provides a captivating and safe way to follow the stories as they unfolded across the fields and hills, all from the comfort of your vehicle. While brief recorded narrations set up the scene in front of you and describe the primary actions and decisions that took place in that location, the companion website link that is sent to your phone unlocks easily digestible mixed media that further contextualizes the stories and places inside the park by combining historical maps and images, living history reenactment clips, and award winning park ranger storytelling.
Did you know Lytle Hill is named after a famous poet who also commanded a Union brigade at Chickamauga? Learn about him at Stop 7. Hear what happened at Widow Glenn’s home on a late September morning at Stop 6 and how the Wilder Field was later used by U.S. Army aviators in the 1920s after the park was officially created. Inspect a charcoal drawing by a sketch artist depicting soldiers in the wooded battlefield that surrounds you while listening to the story unfold at Stop 4. Hear about the astronomer soldier who discovered the rings of Saturn, then fought and died in Viniard Field at Stop 5.
This wayside sign can be found along tour stop 2. National Park Partners are the stewards of the Jewell Monument and Landscape Restoration Fund created in 2009 to support the National Park Service in their commitment to restore view-sheds, monuments and markers throughout the Chattanooga-Chickamauga National Military Park’s six units.
The experience is free and self paced by following the easily marked tour stops in the park. If a particular tour stop inspires a walkabout with more reflection and exploration, visitors are free to park in the available spots and follow their curiosity and let their imagination linger in these spaces that hold so much history and intrigue. Perhaps the best feature for busy families when younger attention spans don’t allow for the full drive-through deep dive, is the digital companion content can easily be accessed back at home. Of course nothing beats being there in the park listening to history come alive as the mist rises on Snodgrass Hill or a family of deer quietly cross the road where you’ve pulled over to simply take it all in. With every return to your park your experience is a little more enriched knowing there is always more to understand and appreciate.