A group of civic and business leaders in the area of Hocking County, OH, have begun plans to develop a Civil War Living History park near Logan. This complex would include a formal museum with displays on life in Ohio in the mid-1800s, covering social, military, political and cultural trends or lifestyles, as well as Civil War artifacts. A second aspect of this historical complex would be an interpretive Civil War trail winding through the very scenic and rural Hocking County hills.

The Civil War trail would include recreations of earthworks, trenches, log and rail fences, hasty works, abatis, etc. The trail will also be bound by a variety of 1860s-type scenery (small farms with split rail worm fences, fields, etc.), as well as wooded, more rugged hilly terrain that somewhat resembles that of Tennessee. Interpretive markers and living history reenactors will be posted along the trail to help the visitor understand ACW tactics and the challenges faced by the common soldier. Planned scenes include a typical Civil War field hospital, an army tenting ground and a supply depot. There will also be a small log hut village patterned after Union camps in Virginia, which will feature weekend encampments of reenactors during the summer.

The only thing that may stop this project is the age-old lack of funding for such an endeavor. Assuming cash is generated, the plans will go forth. The sponsoring group has incorporated under the name "BattleCry," in an effort to generate community interest, publicity, and attract public and business investors. They have begun meeting with local leaders to discuss this project.

Logan, OH, is located along St. Rt. 33 about an hour south of Columbus and its network of interstates -- making access to the proposed site quite easy for the Civil War buff. The area is quite rural, and extremely scenic, with rolling farmlands (similar to the Antietam and Gettysburg areas). There is also rugged, heavily-wooded hill country (similar to Shiloh, for example). A trip to this Living History museum and park could easily be tied into a family outing at two other state parks that are extremely beautiful and scenic -- Old Man's Cave (used to hide escaping slaves in the Underground Railroad) and the Hocking Hills State Park (again, quite rugged and wonderful for hiking and picnicking).

Other Civil War attractions within an hour's drive include Somerset, OH, childhood home of Union Gen. Phil Sheridan, and location of The Clay Haus -- a popular 1830s restaurant and tavern frequented by Andrew Jackson and Henry Clay. Also nearby are Lancaster, OH, home of Gen. William Sherman and his brother, the U.S. Senator, and the Ohio Historical Society in Columbus, where Ohio's regimental flags from the Civil War are displayed. It also houses a nice section on Ohio's contribution to the war.