The Dade County Historical Society's long-anticipated coke oven hike planned for February was rescheduled to this Saturday, March 2. But at this point we don’t know if the hike will be postponed again.
The weather looks very doubtful. The weather man was calling for 60 percent chance of thunderstorms on Saturday. If the hike is postponed again, it will be posted on the DCHSGA Facebook page and on the library electronic sign on the courthouse square as soon as a decision has been finalized. All who have signed up will receive an email about the status of the hike.
If you haven't signed up for the hike, and want to, please call the Dade County Public Library at (706) 657-7857.
Meanwhile, here are a couple of other upcoming opportunities for local history buffs:
Uncle Billy's Boys
On Saturday, March 9, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will host the second presentation in its new “Emerging Scholars Lecture Series.” This
one-hour lecture, entitled, “Uncle Billy’s Boys – The 15th Army Corps at Chattanooga,” will be presented in the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center’s theater at 2 pm.
Some of the most cutting edge scholarship on the Civil War era is being conducted by graduate students at universities and colleges throughout the nation, and this lecture aims to promote the work being done by the next generation of Civil War scholars. Eric Burke is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where he is researching the military operations and lessons learned by the 15th Army Corps during the Civil War. His presentation will explore how these soldiers’ unit identity and culture shaped their operations as they arrived in Chattanooga in November 1863 This presentation is made possible through the support of the park’s cooperating association, Eastern National.
Women’s Army Corps
Then, on Saturday, March 23, and Sunday, March 24, from 9 am - 4 pm, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will present a living history weekend focusing on the Women’s Army Corps training facility at Chickamauga Battlefield. Throughout the day, visitors will have the opportunity to interact with WAC living historians at various training stations. These stations are designed to be hands-on experiences for young people, who will have the opportunity to earn a WAC Training Certificate and a special Junior Ranger Badge.
Each day, at 11 am and at 1 pm, there will be 30-minute formal living history presentations on the Women’s Army Corps, then, at 2 pm, there will be a one-mile, 90-minute hike to the ruins of the historic WAC training facility. All programs originate at the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center.
Women played a critical role in the Allied victory of World War II. Around 150,000 women served in the Women’s Army Corps and 50,000 trained at Chickamauga Battlefield, which was home to the Third WAC Training Center. These women performed many jobs vital to Allied victory and paved the way for future generations of women to serve in this country’s armed forces.
For more information about upcoming programs at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, please contact the Lookout Mountain Visitor Center at 423-821-7786, the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center at 706-866-9241, or visit the park’s website at www.nps.gov/chch.
