The Civil War Trail in Northwest Alabama
By: Kurt Vetters
Work has begun on the upcoming Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area’s Civil War Trail, an ambitious project to tell a more complete story of the region’s Civil War history and the importance of the Tennessee River from Florence to Decatur in northwest Alabama during that tragic period.
Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area (MSNHA) staff and members of the North Alabama Civil War Roundtable began work on the project in 2021, and in 2024 the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program approved a grant to facilitate the project. When complete, the Trail will encompass all six counties (Lauderdale, Colbert, Franklin, Limestone, Morgan and Lawrence) of the MSNHA with interpretative signage and access to QR codes that will tell the stories of and highlight significant events and people from the Civil War era.
Jordan Collier, Museum Collections Administrator for Florence Arts and Museums, is the administrator for the project and has been instrumental in crafting the narrative and assigning the workload. His vision for the project is the driving force for its success.
Phase One includes contracting with a local artist to develop historically accurate artwork for many of the sites. Local artist and University of North Alabama Graduate Public History student Kurt Vetters has completed five of the six commissioned pieces, including Colbert County’s Engagement at Little Bear Creek, Lauderdale County’s Union Cavalry Camp at Gravelly Springs, and Franklin County’s Burning of Hood’s Wagon Train. Vetters will unveil his latest completed painting, The Engagement at Little Bear Creek, on February 16th, at 2 pm, at the Colbert County Historical Landmarks Foundation meeting at Tuscumbia’s Helen Keller Library.
The Trail will include the significant Civil War engagements at Decatur and Athens and highlight the history of United States Colored Troops recruited and engaged across north Alabama. The MSNHA management plan calls for the development of a tour across the six-county region to explore these stories.
You can see the beginnings of the work on the MSNHA blog at https://msnha.una.edu/a-cannon-balls-tale/.
