The newly-restored Texas is unve Transportation, April 28, 2017. ATLANTA, GA.—Fresh from a 15-month restoration at the Nort Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer, N.C., the Western & Atlantic Railroad locomotive Texas returned to Atlanta on May 4, and was gently lifted by a cr into its new home at the Atlanta History Center. The historic loc motive will be displayed inside specially designed glass-fronted hallway-gallery connected to the new Lloyd and Mary Ann Whitaker Cyclorama Building, which is scheduled to open in the fall 2018. The Texas, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was produced by New Jersey locomotive maker Danforth, Cooke & Co. in 1856. The Texas is most famous for its
role in the 1862 Great Locomoti Chase, when it was used to chas down Union Army raiders who commandeered another W & A steam locomotive, the General. Both the Texas and General were saved from the scrapyard because of their roles in the G Locomotive Chase. The Texas was also a workhorse along the W & A railroad for many years after the war, hauling freight until 1907, whe it was finally taken out of ser In 1908, after a public outcry its preservation, the Texas was donated to the City of Atlanta, which displayed it outdoors in Grant Park. At the time, Atlantans wanted the Texas displayed in their city, because Chattano ga had the General (since moved
to the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History in Kennesaw, Ga.). In 1927, the Texas was moved inside the Atlanta Cyclorama building where it was exhibited with the 1886 cyclorama painting The Battle of Atlanta. In 1936, Atlanta his torian Wilbur Kurtz added a new smokestack, pilot (“cowcatcher”), and name plates and painte the Texas so it would resemble its 1862 appearance. Much of Kurtz’s research was based the appearance of the General after was re-built in 1892. A 2012 conservation assessment by Scott Lindsay of Steam Operations Corporation (which specializes in the restoration a operation of historic locomotives) confirmed that the Texas needed substantial work. Unchecked rust was present in many areas (some of it painted over i the 1936 restoration), several t bers comprising the tender frame were rotten, and a variety of pa had gone missing over the years.
72 Pages, July 2017 Franklin Battlefield Procu Artillery for Interpretat By Gregory L. Wade FRANKLIN, TENN.—
Authentic replicas of artillery that played a critical role in the November 1864 Battle of Franklin, Tenn., will soon be par of the rising battlefield park in this bustling community south of Nashville. The battle, known for its incredible Confederate infantry charges into the face of raging cannon and musket fire, was an unusually intense event even by Civil War standards. Federal artillery “played a devastating role in determining the outcome of this fight,” says Eric Jacobson of the Battle of Franklin Trust, the organization that manages the Carter House and Carnton plantation sites. To place cannon as they were during the battle “is a huge step in interpreting” the action of th day, Jacobson noted. When the local preservation group known as Franklin’s Charge began the difficult work
The Franklin’s Charge Cannon Comm placement site and measurements f Smith, Bruce Hohler, Gary Rosenth
of acquiring battlefield ground back in 2005, few who knew the battle site’s then could envision the full scope of such a project. The effort of raising millions of dollars, reaching alliances with land owners, government officials and historians required lot of imagination and creativity over the last decade. Since 2005 the battlefield at Franklin, once considered lost to development, has now become one of the greatest preservation stories in American history. To date over
battlefield experience in Frank with more likely to come.
Local leaders, who initiated the movement that continues to this day, now find themselves with a jewel well past its roug stages. Land acquisition effort continue to evolve while the already acquired properties are being refined. About twenty acr preserved in the midst of the core around the Carter House on that hellish November 1864 day, reflect what the Civil War Trus Jim Lighthizer once referred to as a “miracle” of preservation. “We did it the hard way,” notes Jacobson, “by buying land and removing existing structures.” Once virtually written off as l to development, visitors today see what charging Confederates saw of the Carter House farm, i riddled outbuildings providing stark evidence of the savagery
ee reviewing a possible cannon. L-R: Cullen and Sam Huffman.
Inside this issue: 30 – Advertiser Index 23 – Ask The Appraiser 11G – Black Powder, White Smoke 14 – Book Reviews 29 – Classifieds 18 – Critic’s Corner 24 – Events Section 8 – Inspection, ARMS! 2 – Preservation News 16G – The Source 32G – Through The Lens 7 – The Unfinished Fight 19 – Small Talk-Trivia