Good Morning.Dayton, Dr. Bragg, Mrs. Sellers, Ms Cannon (that’s an appropriate name today). I want to thank you for the opportunity to be with you today on this important occasion. I want to put into context what this marker means not only to the City of Augusta, but our country as a whole.
Last March, First Lady Laura Bush announced a substantial initiative to focus on our country’s vast heritage and natural resources. The program is called “Preserve America.” At the same time, President Bush signed an executive order directing Federal agencies to inventory their historic properties and to engage states, communities and tribes to develop heritage tourism programs. According to Chairman John Nau of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation: “Preserve America will call all Americans to explore our heritage, discover our special places and share and cherish these national treasures.”
Georgia is responding. The Georgia Civil War Heritage Trails program is a Preserve America success story. The planned trails that trace General Sherman’s March to the Sea and the Atlanta Campaign are great examples of how heritage tourism uses existing community assets to bring into local communities visitors and new dollars. History is economic development.
Research shows that people participating in heritage tourism will stay an extra night in a city and spend more money than a casual tourist.
Communities don’t have to build assets for heritage tourism; the assets are already here. We merely need to provide the interpretation. Doctor Bragg gave us a great overview of the Powder Works and the contributions of Colonel Rains. The design, construction and operation were indeed an engineering marvel in its time. And, the powder works’ importance to the war effort could not be understated. I’ve often wondered whether it was powder made by Augustans that propelled the minie ball that severely wounded my great, great, great grandfather at the battle of New Market, Virginia in May of 1864. Yes, he was on the other side.
At Magnolia Springs in Jenkins County, visitors will learn about the prisoner of war stockade that was reputed to be the largest in the entire world.
And, a tour wouldn’t be complete without including Scarborough Landing, the railroad stop that looks today much as it did in 1864. This is why Georgia Civil War Heritage Trail is important to our community and state. This is why President Bush has undertaken “Preserve America.” And this brings to focus the much larger puzzle into which we fit the marker we dedicate today. In announcing Preserve America last March, Mrs. Bush said: “Our land is the foundation upon which the American story is written. Our history is rooted in buildings, parks and towns.” So, let us now walk the trails of history in Georgia. Through this marker, let Georgia history come alive.