The Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area (TCWNHA) is a federal, state, and local partnership managed by the Center for Historic Preservation at Middle Tennessee State University. The goal of the heritage area is to preserve and interpret the stories, effects, and legacies of the Civil War and Reconstruction in Tennessee. The TCWNHA includes the entire state and features eight heritage corridors along river and railroad systems.

Tennessee is rich in sites, buildings, landscapes, and documented sources that tell the stories of the American Civil War and Reconstruction. Geographic location, along with strategic river and rail routes, productive farmlands, and industrial sites, made the state a crucial prize fought for by both armies. Every county in Tennessee was affected by the destruction of the land, loss of life, bitter divisions within families and communities, and political and social turmoil of the war years and the following decades.

Tennessee's landscape contains many powerful reminders of the Civil War. Shiloh, Fort Donelson, Stones River, and Chickamauga/Chattanooga National Battlefields are critical sites preserved by the National Park Service. This military landscape extends beyond the battlefields to churches where soldiers camped, houses where doctors amputated, farmsteads where soldiers stole and plundered, and cemeteries where loved ones were buried. These sites have served as significant places of conflict, memory, and identity for generations of Tennesseans.

Intertwined with these military and political struggles are the stories of the homefront, occupation, and Reconstruction. During this time of tremendous upheaval and uncertainty, courageous women took on new roles and responsibilities. At the same time, enslaved African-American men and women contributed to their own emancipation, helped define a new era of race relations as freedpeople, and established new communities throughout the state.

Whether you are a researcher, educator, tourist, or citizen interested in learning more about Tennessee's Civil War and Reconstruction heritage, you will find here valuable resources on important sites and organizations, as well as interpretation and sources for additional research.

The TCWNHA is one of the newest of the twenty-three heritage areas. We are just beginning to assist Tennessee communities in their programming and tourism efforts through the TCWNHA consulting partnership program. We hope you will bookmark our site and check back often to watch our progress. Most importantly, we encourage you to visit Tennessee and see first- hand the many sites included in the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area.