Gordon secures funding for Stones River on The Murfreesboro Post

Sidebar Ads

Gordon secures funding for Stones River

Related Articles

Registration opens for Civil War sesquicentennial event

Fortress Rosecrans plays host to living history

Confederare belt buckle found in Franklin

Baseball clubs create new field of dreams

Remembering the Alamo

Last week marked historic moment for Murfreesboro

Sparks inspired by fiery Civil War story

Battlefield tourism creates $9M for local economy

City Council approves north Murfreesboro rezoning

La Vergne Public Library to mark Civil War anniversary

View All

Posted: Wednesday, December 16, 2009 12:35 pm

Congressman Bart Gordon announced today he was able to secure funding for Stones River National Battlefield to improve the historic site and make it more accessible to visitors.

Stones River National Battlefield received $1.5 million, which will be used to improve the entrance on Thompson Lane and continue construction of the much-needed access roads for the tour bus route.

The project will allow visitors to see new portions of the battlefield and improve the overall visitor experience.

“The Stones River Battlefield is one of the most popular attractions in Middle Tennessee. It attracts more than 200,000 people each year,” said Gordon. “This project will change the face of the park, making the entrance noticeable and inviting to all, which will help to attract even more visitors and benefit Murfreesboro’s local economy.”

Gordon has been instrumental in obtaining funds for the Stones River National Battlefield. The Battlefield was once among the nation’s 10 most endangered civil war battlefields.

Over the years, Gordon has helped secure funds that have led to nearly doubling the battlefield area that is now protected.

“The battle at Stones River was one of the most important fights to take place during the Civil War,” Gordon said. “Historians conclude the battle was one of 45 – out of 10,500 armed battles and skirmishes – that had a significant effect on the outcome of the war. Further preserving the site is important for Middle Tennessee’s history.”

Gib Backlund, Chief of Operations at Stones River National Battlefield, said, “When the project is complete, it will enable us to attract many more people and help us better tell visitors the story of the Civil War battle that took place here in Murfreesboro. We are extremely grateful for Congressman Gordon’s support in helping us obtain these funds.”

Tagged under Civil War

Member Opinions:

By: Macgyver on 12/17/09
Way to spend more money this country doesn't have, good job Bart.

By: biker on 12/17/09
Typical pork barrel spending without regard to national debt.

By: shortdog on 12/18/09
Great job Congressman Gordon! Worrying about the deficit after the republicans tanked our economy would be short sighted. Now’s the time for government funding to stimulate and create jobs by concentrating on improving our infrastructure including our parks and national heritage sites. Once the economy is moving again and we have only 4% unemployment then taxes revenue will help us reduce the deficit. Maybe if we hadn’t blown all that dough on Iraq to find the nonexistent weapons of mass destruction in the wrong war we might have gotten the people who did attack us. Thank you for bring some stimulus to Tennessee. The appropriate will create jobs, improve tourism revenue, and bring credit to the area. Moreover, the amounts the former administration did not spend on important things like our national parks is a crime.

By: biker on 12/19/09
Shortdog, we cannot borrow our way to prosperity. The fact that the republicans waste just as much on pork barrel spending as the democrats cannot justify more pork barrel spending. It's referred to as "stimulus" to sugar coat it and hide the fact that is nothing more than pork.

By: canalou on 12/23/09
Anyone firing insults on this forum ever had guts enough to run and serve in political office...? No, I think not. If it brings more tourism dollars that creates jobs here, go Bad Bart....wish you would run again...!!