You can't drive to the top of Kennesaw Mountain anymore. But hard campaigners can still walk or bike up; weekend shuttle will go to daily in a couple months

Restriping and other work was scheduled to begin this week at the park outside Atlanta (NPS photo)

I drove Saturday morning (Jan. 3) across town to Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, hoping to drive to the top of the Georgia peak a couple days ahead of the formal closure of the road to private vehicles.

Oops.

The walk to the summit provides some pretty cool views (Picket photos)

I had forgotten Mountain Road wasn’t open to cars on weekends. OK, how about the shuttle bus operating next to the visitor center? Well, it wasn’t operating because of rainy conditions. So, I did what hundreds of people do every day: Walk the 1.6 mile paved surface to the summit.

I greeted fellow walkers and took in a few signs indicating Confederate cannon and defensive positions from June 1864.

There’s a few for Maj. Gen. Edward Walthall’s division, namely  Quarles and Reynolds brigades. At the top, I used a marker to match views of Marietta and Atlanta and saw one listing 14 Georgia generals who fought for the Rebel army at Kennesaw Mountain. And above that is a cool stretch of emplaced cannons mimicking the Confederate positions.

Beyond the history, you get great views of the skyline and buildings below as you walk the winding road. I returned via the same route because the popular walkup trail was a bit wet and I didn’t trust my knees and bum ankle. (For the curious, the summit is 1,808 feet above sea level.)

I imagine my experience of seeing the road entrance blocked will be a surprise to many visitors this week as the news spread that the park Monday closed the road to private vehicles seven days a week as part of a safety improvement project.

The aim is to reduce congestion, ensure safety and protect resources.

"This change in use addresses growing safety concerns on a narrow, heavily used road," said Acting Superintendent Beth Wheeler in a news release. "We understand this change may impact how some visitors experience the park, and we are committed to prioritizing a safe and accessible experience for all visitors while also preserving the natural and historical integrity of the park."

A marker provides details on what can be scene from near the summit (Picket photos)

The road to the summit will eventually be accessible daily by shuttle, foot and bicycles, the latter of which must follow a specific schedule. The unpaved walkup trail will not be affected by the project.

"Once construction is complete, the park will expand its existing weekend/holiday shuttle service to seven days a week." said Wheeler in an email to the Picket. She said the park has seen increased visitation and held a public comment period in summer 2024.

The bottom line for the next couple months: Visitors can walk up the mountain on the road or the trail, bicyclists can come each day and the shuttle still operates on the weekend.

Work includes restriping the road and improvements to the summit and shuttle plaza near the visitor center. 

Wheeler says there will be a pedestrian lane on the outside edge of the road. The pedestrian lane will be wide enough for both ascending and descending walkers. 

A wider lane will be available for the shuttle and bicycles. It will be separated from pedestrians by new striping.

I noticed Saturday, ahead of the closure, that walkers were spread out over much of the road, so it will be interesting to see whether rangers will be able to keep them to the designated lane. Perhaps there will be sticks or something similar to separate the two lanes. (At right, a walker carried this replica canteen up the road)

Cyclist access will be permitted daily from 7:30 a.m.-10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. (or 6 p.m. during winter hours) outside of shuttle operating times.

The road has a pretty good elevation grade increase in places and has a couple blind spots. And there's no shoulder lane. In other words, it has looked like any other old road -- with no marked spots for pedestrians.

Park officials say it has seen increased traffic incidents and medical emergencies.

While cars, when not attended to properly, are the most inherently dangerous of the three modes of transportation, pedestrians and bicyclists often have close calls and incidents.

Intermittent road closures to all forms of transportation will occur through late March, perhaps longer, the park said.

Visitor Ann Wright told the Atlanta CBS News affiliate that motorists sometimes sped up not matter how many strollers or bikes were on the road.

Some have questioned whether fewer people will make the trek to the top if they can't drive themselves.

A trail leads from Mountain Road to Little Kennesaw Mountain (Picket photo)

"I think it kind of shuts off a lot of availability for people who aren't physically able to get up there because I know it is kind of more of a strenuous hike, but I think it would be better for the park and for the conservation of the nature for sure," hiker Jenna Nation told the station.

Wheeler said the new shuttle schedule has not yet been set. The park will share information in the spring when the construction project is complete and the new uses and times for Mountain Road begin, she said.

The wartime version of the road going to the mountain top allowed Southern troops to haul cannon to the commanding heights.

Union forces on June 27, 1864, made demonstrations in the area (above), but the real attack occurred farther to the south. The assault was a costly – but temporary --failure as the army neared Atlanta.

There was no fighting at the summit during the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain.

Fort Pulaski gives TLC to tough Cockspur Island Lighthouse, which survived Civil War shelling and challenges from humans and nature

Scaffolding went up this month at the Cockspur Island Lighthouse (NPS photos)

A reopened trail and a new observation deck will provide visitors at Fort Pulaski National Monument near Savannah, Ga., a front-row view of preservation work on a beloved lighthouse that survived the intense shelling of the neighboring fortification during the Civil War.

The national park’s preservation team earlier this month began deferred work on the exterior and interior of the Cockspur Island Lighthouse, which is in serious need of some TLC, officials said.

Most of the estimated $150,000 project will focus on the masonry and making sure that the mortar is stable. The team will be removing failing mortar and replacing mortar with a more compatible mix. Work is expected to conclude in October.

“These efforts will help stabilize the structure and mitigate damaged caused by rising damp, moisture infiltration, tidal conditions and past incompatible mortar and paint applications,” Emily Forlenza, exhibits and acting facility operations specialist at the park, told the Picket in an email.

Fort Pulaski also is replacing the 46-foot lighthouse’s door and windows. “These have been fabricated to match historic configuration and materials, while enhancing security to the site from wildlife and visitors,” Forlenza said.

The structure has endured high tides, hurricanes, waves from ever-growing container ships, careless individuals and – for a deafening 30 hours – the April 1862 bombardment of Fort Pulaski.

The Cockspur light’s masonry base was built in the shape of a ship’s prow to deflect the forces that have worn away at her, consuming much of the small island that serves as its foundation. And while her light was extinguished more than a century ago, the beloved beacon exudes charm for boaters and those making the trek on U.S. 80 from Savannah to Tybee Island.

Interpretive sign on the new observation deck (Picket photo)

Motorists and those venturing on the 45-minute round-trip walk to the observation deck will notice scaffolding all around the lighthouse.

Forlenza emphasized that the lighthouse remains closed, even when workers are present.

“There is no current plan for the park to open the site up for visitation once work is completed; these repairs are being done to stabilize the structure and for interpretive purposes at a distance,” she said. The park ended public access to the site several years ago, citing the precarious ecological situation and increased vandalism (people can walk to the lighthouse during low tide).

Lighthouse while it was still in operation; island has eroded (National Archives)

The South Channel of the Savannah River was the prime gateway to Savannah in its early years. One brick tower, used as a landmark, was built on Cockspur Island between 1837 and 1839. A major upgrade came about a decade later when an illuminated station was built. That tower has a focal plane 25 feet above sea level, according to the NPS.

A hurricane leveled the lighthouse in 1854 and a new tower was rebuilt a couple years later. The dawn of the Civil War brought a temporary extinguishment of its light.

Then the war itself came to Cockspur Island, home to Fort Pulaski.

Robert Knox Sneden map showing batteries that fired on fort (Library of Congress)

The Union’s strategy was to put a chokehold on Southern commerce by controlling ports and coastal areas, including this area next to the Atlantic Ocean. Federal soldiers landed at Tybee Island and set about preparing for an attack on Fort Pulaski, a brick guardian to the west.

Capt. Quincy A. Gillmore, a Federal engineer officer, began the bombardment on April 10, 1862, after Col. Charles H. Olmstead refused to surrender.

“The Federal batteries were 1,500 to 4,000 yards away from the fort,” said Charlie Crawford, who as president of the Georgia Battlefields Association led tours of Civil War sites in the Savannah area. “Part of Battery Halleck is still discernible on the south side of the road. Had the Federals chosen to aim at the lighthouse, the closest batteries would have been about 700 yards from it.”

Observation deck at end of Lighthouse Trail (Picket photo)

The Confederate garrison at Pulaski would learn first-hand about advances in technology.

“When Fort Pulaski was built (1830s, with Robert E. Lee as one of the principal engineers), the rifled gun was not around, so thick masonry walls were the best type of fortification, and the distance to Tybee Island would prevent any 1830s-era gun from getting close enough to do significant damage,” Crawford previously told the Picket. “By 1862, the James Rifles blasted apart the walls relatively quickly.”

The situation steadily grew worse.

“When the breach on the southeast bastion allowed the Federals to shoot across the parade ground and start bouncing shells off the temporary wood wall in front of the powder magazine, Olmsted knew that a potentially catastrophic explosion was likely,” said Crawford. He surrendered on April 11.

Remarkably, the lighthouse suffered little or no damage during the Federal attack. Crews manning 36 guns on 11 batteries stretching along the western end of Tybee Island likely used the lighthouse for sighting as they pounded away at the Confederate fort located about 1 mile beyond.

“Not much point to aiming at the lighthouse,” Crawford told the Picket in 2015. “If the Federals could capture the port, the lighthouse would be useful.”

Pulaski remained in Federal hands and the city fell in December 1864 in the closing months of the conflict. About a year after the war’s end, on April 25, 1866, the beacon was relit and painted white for continued use as a navigational aid. (At right, 1850s schematic for the current lighthouse, courtesy of NPS)

A storm in 1881 destroyed the keeper’s residence and the surge filled the lighthouse interior with seawater. The plucky tower remained in duty for another three decades, but the writing was on its walls.

To accommodate large freighters, the Savannah port routed vessels to the deep, more navigable North Channel. Effective June 1, 1909, the beacon light was snuffed. Its Fresnel light is long gone.

Nature’s assault on the lighthouse has continued, with officials fighting back against the effects of erosion and shipworms on wooden support timbers.

This isn’t the first preservation work on the lighthouse. It is a constant process, when funding is available. Hurricanes have damaged Fort Pulaski's grounds. The revamped trail (left, Picket photo) has been improved.

Forlenza said funding for the fabrication of the door and windows came from a grant given to the Friends of Cockspur Island Lighthouse by the Tybee Island Historical Society, which was matched by NPS Centennial Challenge funding. The Picket reached out to the friends group for comment on the project but did not receive a reply.

The lighthouse has a white exterior and that look persisted for decades. But much of that paint is gone or weathered now. The park does not plan to repaint the exterior, officials said.

“There will be no additional coating applied to the lighthouse, and the coating that is there will not be removed by any mechanical means,” said Forlenza. “Our cultural resource team decided that it was best to not risk further damage by removing the existing coating, and the brick is vulnerable enough in the extreme tidal conditions. Natural weathering of the exterior coating was decided to be the most appropriate treatment.”

Fort Pulaski was pulverized by rifled Federal guns (Picket photo)

Proposed trail along railroad debated

An effort to revive a Civil War rail trail in southern Washington County, Md., was met with opposition before its advocate even had a chance to address county officials. The proposed trail route would be about 24 miles long and run from Hagerstown's City Park to Weverton in the county's southern point. The northern end would run along an active railroad track, officials said. • Article

'Our time to shine': Kennesaw battlefield, trail club prepare for 150th, seek volunteers

Organizers are updating this website with Kennesaw 150th information

The National Park Service and a group that maintains 20 miles of Kennesaw Mountain trails are preparing for up to 100,000 visitors who will take in interpretive talks, weapons demonstrations, music and ceremonies marking the 150^th anniversary of the battle and the Atlanta Campaign.

Their partnership includes a website that is being updated with events, FAQs and volunteer and sponsorship opportunities.

Because of the anticipated crowds, visitors to Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park will park in satellite parking lots and take shuttle buses to various points around the park just northwest of Atlanta.

The park staff and the Kennesaw Mountain Trail Club – which is raising $150,000 -- are busy finalizing plans for the sesquicentennial observance that begins Thursday evening, June 26, and goes through a 5 p.m. closing ceremony on Sunday, June 29.

Fred Feltmann, communications director for the trail club, said “lots” of volunteers will be needed.

“They’ll be used in many ways: crowd control, guides, assistance in lighting luminaries on the night of the rededication of the Illinois Monument, interpretive hikes and more.”

Illinois Monument on Cheatham Hill will be rededicated (NPS

Frontal assaults at Kennesaw by Union Gen. William T. Sherman failed on June 27, 1864, to dislodge entrenched Confederates. The fighting over several days produced about 4,000 casualties in the eventually successful campaign to take Atlanta.

In 2013, 1.9 million visitors thronged to the 2,900-acre park in Cobb County, taking advantage of its trails, picturesque views and grassy meadows. Only about 20 percent come to learn about the site’s Civil War history.

Officials hope this summer’s events, combined with a new film at the visitor center and a new trail, will give thousands the opportunity to fully appreciate what happened in this scenic spot just northwest of Atlanta.

“One hundred and 50 years only comes around one time,” park Superintendent Nancy Walther recently told the Picket. “It is important for us to remember why this was designated a national battlefield and what went on here.”

Atlanta, Marietta and other communities this year also are sponsoring events related to Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign.

Walther and her staff and have been working with the trail club on the extensive logistics necessary for the signature observance, which is expected to draw between 60,000 and 100,000 visitors.

24-Gun Battery Trail will officially open in April (Kennesaw Mtn Trail Club)

The role of the website is to build anticipation, seek volunteers, donations and sponsors and direct visitors to events, says Feltmann and webmaster Jerry Givan.

It also will include the times of the various demonstrations and activities and where the parking/bus pickups will be.

The non-profit Kennesaw Mountain Trail Club has raised about $60,000 toward its $150,000 goal. 

Funds will go toward programming, concerts, traffic control, signage, first aid and restroom stations, transportation and more.

“With the help of our community, visitors will experience our Southern hospitality and leave with a lasting sense of our rich history,” says fundraising chair Lucy Denzin.

Trail club and park officials are excited about the upcoming debut of the 24-Gun Battery Trail, along the spot where Federal artillerymen opened up on Confederate positions in the heights above.

“These are some incredible cannon fortifications that the Union army built,” says Walther.

One of several bridges on the new trail (KMTC)

“The Federals massed guns to support attacks. This was for the attack on Pigeon Hill and Little Kennesaw,” says park historian Willie Johnson. “They were there the entire time the Federals were there and held until Confederates evacuated the line” in early July 1864.

The Union batteries were the 2^nd Illinois, 5^th Wisconsin Light, 7^th Indiana and 19^th Indiana Light. Lumsden’s Battery was among those in gray returning fire.

The park plans to eventually add interpretive signage to the trail, which is accessible from the visitor center and is near busy Stilesboro Road.

The trail club says the path will be officially open by the end of April. It is about 1.7 miles long, starting from the entrance of the environmental trail to Gilbert Road. The club urges walkers to stay on the path and not endanger the artillery emplacements.

“It is designed to be sustainable, such that it makes gentle grade changes,” said club President Scott Mackay. “There are five new wide bridges along the way and it passes some nice quiet sections of forest.”

Summer vegetation may screen some of the noise along Stilesboro Road.

New movie at visitor center was filmed in 2012 (Travis Devine)

While many will take advantage of the trail system, others attending the commemoration in June may be content to stay on the beaten path for events.

Activities will include music featuring Bobby Horton and bluegrass performer Claire Lynch on June 27.

The recently restored Illinois Monument, scene of the fiercest fighting on Cheatham Hill, will be rededicated at 8:30 p.m. on June 28. Luminaries in a field below will remember more than 3,000 casualties.

The June 29 closing ceremony includes lecturer Rebecca Burns and Oral Moses and the Georgia Symphony Orchestra choir.

In between, visitors to free events can hike the trails, take in living histories and see re-enactors drill and fire weapons.

Johnson, the park historian, said he will have re-enactors placed in Federal and Confederate camps on Cheatham Hill. They will drill, show camp life and have musket demonstrations. Invited units include the 21^st Ohio, 125^th Ohio, 11^th Iowa, the Georgia Division, 45^th Alabama and 34^th Georgia.

Johnson hopes to have six firing artillery pieces – two each at 24-Gun Battery, Kennesaw Mountain and Cheatham Hill.

Walther said the trail club is indispensable for the year-round operation of the park. Among the coordination with the group is accessibility to events for visitors with disabilities.

She touts the real-time hike at 9 a.m. on June 27 to the “Dead Angle” on Cheatham Hill.

An area along Burnt Hickory Road will have interpretive programs, geared toward both adults and children, on civilian life. A tent aimed for children will be set up at the visitor center. The center also will have information on Civil War medicine.

“It is our time to show off Cobb County’s national battlefield, Georgia’s national battlefield,” says Walther. “It is our time to shine. We have something very special here.”

• Points of interest at battlefield