Kennesaw Mountain NBP: Administrative History

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Kennesaw Mountain

Administrative History

KENNESAW MOUNTAIN

National Battlefield Park

ADMINISTRATIVE

HISTORY

by

Michael A. Capps

1994

Southeast Regional Office

National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Kennesaw Mountain

Administrative History

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Cover

Introduction

Part 1: Background History

Chapter 1: A Brief History of the Kennesaw Mountain Area

Chapter 2: Creation and Early Years of the Kennesaw Mountain NBP

Part 2: NPS Management of Kennesaw Mountain NBP

Chapter 3: Development of Kennesaw Mountain NBP

Chapter 4: Interpretation

Chapter 5: Law Enforcement Resources Management

Chapter 6: Planning Efforts at Kennesaw Mountain NBP

Chapter 7: Under Siege: Managing Kennesaw Mountain NBP

Appendices:

1: Kennesaw Mountain NBP A Selected Chronology

2: Kennesaw Mountain NBP Superintendents 1937 - 1993

3: Visitation Statistics

4: Legislation

5: Project Superintendents Barnes and Wilkins to Director

Notes:

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Photographs

Bibliography

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Kennesaw Mountain NBP: Administrative History (Introduction)

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Kennesaw Mountain

Administrative History

INTRODUCTION

Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park was authorized for protection by the War

Department in 1917 and was transferred to the Department of the Interior as a unit of the

National Park System in 1933. The 2,884 acre park includes the site of some of the heaviest

fighting of the Atlanta campaign of the Civil War. The park was set aside as an important

cultural property dedicated to public inspiration and interpretation of the significant historic

events that occurred here.

The purpose of this study is to explain the conception and establishment of Kennesaw

Mountain NBP and its management to the present. It includes an account of the park's

management and use prior to NPS incorporation; a discussion of the events that led to its

establishment as an NPS unit; a description of the major activities and events that have

affected the area under NPS administration; and appendices containing copies of key park

legislation, personnel rosters, visitation statistics, a selected chronology, and other documents

and data valuable for management reference.

I would like to acknowledge Kirk Cordell, Chief, Cultural Resources Planning Division,

Southeast Region, for giving me the opportunity to work on this project; Lenard Brown,

Southeast Regional Historian, Ed Bearss, Chief Historian, and former superintendents

Richard Boyer, Bernard Goodman, and Ralph Bullard for their assistance and valuable

comments on the text; and Superintendent John Cissell and his staff at the park for their help

and support.

Michael A. Capps

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Kennesaw Mountain NBP: Administrative History (Chapter 1)

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Kennesaw Mountain

Administrative History

CHAPTER 1:

A Brief History of the Kennesaw Mountain Area

HISTORY OF COBB COUNTY

The first human inhabitants of north Georgia were the Mound Builders, who moved into the

area about A. D. 900. The largest site of these ancient people was at Etowah in Bartow

County, but the presence of numerous small rock mounds around Kennesaw Mountain

indicate they may have lived in this area as well. For unexplained reasons the Mound

Builders' civilization eventually ceased to exist. Their descendants, though, became known as

the Creek Indians and continued to inhabit north Georgia until about A. D. 1700.

The Creeks were gradually pushed south by the Cherokees. The Cherokees lived in small

scattered farm communities north of the Chattahoochee River and had villages in what is

now Cobb County. One of these, Kennesaw town, was at the base of Kennesaw Mountain.

Following the American Revolution, white traders and settlers began moving into north

Georgia and onto Cherokee lands. With the discovery of gold in the area, the Georgians

called for the Indians' removal. In 1838, U. S. troops began rounding up the Cherokees to

move them west.

Once the Indians were gone, the pioneers began organizing the new territory. In 1832, Cobb

County was established and named for Thomas Welch Cobb of Lexington and Greensboro,

Georgia, who had been a distinguished lawyer, congressman, senator, and judge. In 1834,

Marietta was incorporated and made the county seat. In 1842, the Western and Atlantic

Railroad, coming south from Chattanooga, passed through Marietta and Cobb County and

into what is now Atlanta. Increasing development of agricultural and industrial production

had transformed the area into one of some significance by the time of the Civil War, with the

result that it became a prime target of Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman's campaign in 1864.

THE CAMPAIGN FOR ATLANTA AND THE BATTLE OF KENNESAW

MOUNTAIN [1]

In the spring of 1864, Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, recently promoted to military

commander-in-chief, ordered a concerted offensive by all Union armies. In the west, he

ordered Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman, then at Chattanooga, Tennessee, to march into

Georgia, crush the Confederate Army of Tennessee and take Atlanta, the railroad hub and

manufacturing and storage center for the southeastern Confederacy.

Opposing Sherman and his 100,000 men was a Confederate army of 65,000, commanded by

Gen. Joseph E. Johnston. Throughout the month of May the two armies fought each other in

engagements at Resaca, New Hope Church, Pickett's Mill, and Dallas. In each instance the

Confederates were forced to retreat in the face of Sherman's relentless drive. Using his

superior forces to maximum advantage, Sherman was repeatedly able to outflank Johnston.
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By mid-June, the two armies faced each other at Kennesaw Mountain where the Confederates

had erected a formidable line of entrenchments. Sherman extended his lines to the south to

get around the Confederate flank, but Johnston countered by shifting 11,000 men under Lt.

Gen. John Bell Hood to meet the threat. At Kolb's Farm on June 22, Hood struck the Federals

in a fierce but futile attack. At the end of the day the Union army held the line, but their

southward move had been temporarily halted.

Despite the strong Confederate lines, Sherman suspected that they were thinly held and that

one forceful drive would break through and enable him to destroy the Southern army.

Accordingly, he ordered attacks against Little Kennesaw and Pigeon Hill and the Confederate

left to divert attention from what he planned to be his main assault against Johnston's center.

At dawn on June 27, the battle opened with a massive Federal bombardment of the

Confederate positions. Following this the diversionary attack began. It quickly failed. Sheets

of fire pinned the Union brigades down in the rugged terrain below the crest of Pigeon Hill

and Little Kennesaw Mountain, With no hope of success, the attack was called off.

Meanwhile, south of Dallas Road, 8000 Union infantrymen in five brigades attacked two

Confederate divisions commanded by Maj. Gens. Patrick R. Cleburne and Benjamin Franklin

Cheatham. Most of the Northern soldiers were cut down by withering gunfire but some got

close enough that savage hand-to-hand fighting took place among the earthworks.

Ultimately, the strength of the position and the ferocity of the defenders were too much and

this attack failed as well. The Northerners lost more than 2000 men, the Confederates more

than 500.

Sherman declined to renew the battle and resumed his maneuvering. By July 2, he had again

outflanked Johnston and forced him to abandon his lines. A week later the Union army was

across the Chattahoochee River.

The campaign continued until September with heavy fighting at Peachtree Creek, Atlanta,

Ezra Church, and Jonesboro. Hood replaced Johnston as commander of the Confederate

army, but his aggressive attacks proved as ineffective as Johnston's maneuverings against

Sherman's superior forces. Finally, on September 2, Hood was forced to abandon Atlanta and

the Union army triumphantly marched in. The fall of Atlanta was a crippling blow to the

Confederacy. Coupled with Union victories elsewhere, it was enough to win Abraham

Lincoln's re-election in November. The war's outcome had been decided; it had become a

mere matter of time.

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Kennesaw Mountain NBP: Administrative History (Chapter 2)

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Kennesaw Mountain

Administrative History

CHAPTER 2:

Creation and Early Years of Kennesaw Mountain

NBP

KENNESAW MOUNTAIN BATTLEFIELD ASSOCIATION, 1899-1928

Some of the fiercest fighting of the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain took place on June 27,

1864, when the Federals made a determined assault on the center of the Confederate line. A

portion of this attack was directed at a salient defended by Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Cheatham,

in an area that became known as Cheatham Hill. Despite their best efforts, the attack failed

and the Federal forces suffered heavy casualties. Among the dead was Col. Dan McCook,

commander of the Third Brigade, Second Division, Fourteenth Army Corps.

After the war, survivors of this brigade established the Colonel Dan McCook Brigade

Association in memory of their fallen commander. To honor the sacrifice that he and other

fellow soldiers had made, the association decided to acquire the land at Cheatham Hill where

Colonel McCook had fallen. In December 1899, Lansing J. Dawdy, a veteran of the 86th

Illinois who had fought at Cheatham Hill, returned to Cobb County and on December 26 he

purchased from Virgil Channell a 60 acre tract which included the Federal and Confederate

trenches and the intervening land over which the Federals had fought. [2]

On February 15, 1900, Dawdy conveyed the land to Martin Kingman and John McGinnis

who, in turn, transferred the 60 acre tract to the Colonel Dan McCook. Brigade Association

on August 13, 1904. According to the deed, Kingman and McGinnis had been acting on

behalf of the Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield Association, a non-profit organization,

chartered under the laws of the State of Illinois, that had been established for the purpose of

erecting a monument or monuments on the property in memory of those who had fought and

died there.

With this goal, the Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield Association began a fundraising

campaign. A letter, sent to surviving veterans of the 85th, 86th, and 125th Regiments, Illinois

Volunteer Infantry, Company I, 2nd Illinois Light Artillery, the 22nd Indiana Regiment

Volunteer Infantry and the 52nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, asked them to contribute at least

one dollar in memory of their fallen comrades. It soon became apparent that the amount of

money required for a monument was beyond the Association's means, so it enlisted the aid of

the State of Illinois.

When sufficient funds were acquired, the Association contracted with McNeel Marble

Company of Marietta to erect a large monument of Georgia marble on the spot upon which

the Federal assault had peaked. The cost of the project was $25,000. The architect was James

B. Dibelka and the sculptor was J. Mario Korbel.

On June 27, 1914, the 50th anniversary of the battle, the monument was unveiled. Many civic

and patriotic organizations, including the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the

Daughters of the American Revolution, and the Marietta Chamber of Commerce participated
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in the ceremony. Also in attendance was the Governor of Illinois, many prominent citizens,

and a large number of veterans. In order that the veterans could have a souvenir of the

occasion, many bullets that had been picked up on the battlefield were scattered over the

Cheatham Hill area.

Several smaller markers were also erected during this period on the spots where Capt.

Neighbors, Capt. Fellows, and Sgt. Coffee fell mortally wounded, and on the site where Dan

McCook's Brigade formed for the assault. Another marker was placed at the entrance to the

tunnel near the Illinois Monument. The tunnel was to have been used to undermine and blow

up the Confederate works, but the Confederates withdrew before it was completed.

In subsequent years, local citizens volunteered to take care of the property. On June 8, 1922,

the first resident caretaker, Rev. J. A. Jones, was appointed by the Battlefield Association.

His duties were to maintain the grounds around the monument. As compensation he was

allowed to occupy the site and cultivate parts of the reservation provided it did not interfere

with access to the monument. He received no salary. Jones served as caretaker until March

1926.

FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE PROCESS

In 1916, the Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield Association realized it could not afford to

restore the battlefield as it had planned and wrote to the Secretary of War and offered to deed

the 60 acres that it owned at Cheatham Hill to the U. S. government. The Secretary of War,

however, could not accept the property without Congressional authority. Accordingly, Rep.

Joseph G. Cannon of Illinois introduced legislation that would make acceptance of the gift

possible. On February 8, 1917, Congress passed the bill authorizing the Kennesaw Mountain

National Battlefield Site. Transfer of the property, though, was delayed until clear title to the

land was established in 1926.

The legislative effort did not end with passage of the 1917 bill. Subsequent legislation on

April 5, 1926, authorized an inspection of the Kennesaw Mountain battlefield to determine

the advisability of commemorating it by the creation of a national memorial military park. [3]

The three man commission, composed of an officer of the Army Corps of Engineers and one

veteran each from the Union and Confederate armies, met and organized in Atlanta on June

25, 1926. After an exhaustive examination, during which they also studied the battlefields of

Lost Mountain, New Hope Church, and Peachtree Creek, they reported unanimously in favor

of Kennesaw Mountain. They recommended that the park should be at least 1,050 acres and

include Big and Little Kennesaw Mountains and the saddle between them. An appraisal by

the Atlanta Real Estate Board fixed a price of $307,550 on the property because of

development that had already taken place in the area. Certain parts of the slopes of Big

Kennesaw had been laid out in building lots and 130 of these lots had been provisionally sold

for $350-$ 550 each. Tracts adjoining Highway 41 were also viewed as having value for

development of housing subdivisions. Working through the Marietta Chamber of Commerce,

the commission obtained options on some lands to run for one year. [4]

Based on the commission's findings and recommendations, legislation was introduced on

December 7, 1926, for the creation of a national memorial military park in the vicinity of

Kennesaw Mountain that would include the Cheatham Hill tract and additional lands. Similar

bills were introduced for the next nine years, but each time they failed to gain the necessary

support for passage.

WAR DEPARTMENT ADMINISTRATION, 1928-1933
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In the meantime, the transfer to the government of the Kennesaw Mountain National

Battlefield Site, consisting of the 60 acre Cheatham Hill tract, was completed in 1926 when

the problems with the title were resolved. The site was placed under the jurisdiction of the

War Department and its administration became the responsibility of the quartermaster office

of the Fourth Corps Area, Atlanta. It was under the immediate supervision of the

Superintendent of the Marietta National Cemetery. But very limited funds were available for

improvement or maintenance and little was actually done with the site for a number of years.

When the Acting Inspector General made his first inspection on June 8, 1931, he found that

there was no caretaker for the site and that no work had been done by the government. He

recommended that a caretaker be appointed; that the site be surveyed and marked; that the

Illinois monument be cleaned and repaired (it had been damaged by vandals); and that

fencing be put up around the site. [5]

In response to these recommendations $500 was allocated for the care of Kennesaw Mountain

NBS during fiscal year 1932. With this money, the Quartermaster was to hire a part-time

caretaker and prepare an estimate for the surveying, fencing, and other repairs. An additional

$500 was to be used for repair of the Illinois monument. As it turned out, only $400 was

necessary and the other $100 was used for grounds improvement. Subsequent plans included

the construction of a new approach road and fences and a gate. [6] In June of 1933, the

Inspector General made a second inspection of the site and found that Benjamin F. Jones, son

of the Rev. J. A. Jones who had worked for the battlefield association, had been appointed as

caretaker, his compensation being a residence and 30 acres to farm; an entrance road 3/ 4 of a

mile long had been constructed from John Ward Road and passed between the old Channell

house and barn; and that a three-strand barbed wire fence had been erected on the south,

west, and part of the east boundary of the 60 acre tract. His recommendations included

completing the fencing; building a better road; clearing the underbrush around the

monuments and trenches; and a partial restoration of the trench system. [7] But before the

War Department could do any more work, Kennesaw Mountain NBS was transferred to the

Department of the Interior under the provisions of Executive Order 6166, dated June 10,

1933. The transfer was effective August 10, 1933, and the National Park Service assumed the

responsibility of administering the site.

On June 26, 1935, the effort to create a national military park was finally successful with the

establishment of Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. Under the provisions of this

bill, the park was to be expanded to include Big Kennesaw and Little Kennesaw Mountains

and other significant portions of the original battlefield. The Secretary of the Interior was ".

authorized to accept donations of land, [and] interests in land, buildings, structures, and other

property ." provided the purchase price was reasonable. If the price was too high,

condemnation proceedings could be utilized to acquire the land. An appropriation of

$100,000 was designated for implementing the act: $70,000 for land acquisition and $30,000

for development.

The bill had been sponsored in Congress by Representative Malcolm C. Tarver and Senator

Richard B. Russell and represented the culmination of more than two decades of work. Plans

for development of the new park called for winding trails and drives, the erection of

monuments, the conservation of natural resources, and general beautification of the area.

There was also the possibility of connecting the site with the Peachtree battle site by means

of a proposed federal road in east Fulton County. [8]

HISTORY OF LAND ACQUISITION

The Kennesaw Mountain NBS that had been created in 1917 and transferred to the NPS in

1933 consisted only of the 60 acre tract at Cheatham Hill. The intent of the 1935 legislation
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was to expand the park to include the mountain and other significant segments of the original

battlefield. Accordingly, the government set out to acquire these pieces of land with $70,000

specified for land acquisition.

By October 1935, the NPS had assigned an engineer, Olinus Smith, to the task of appraising

and acquiring land. Three survey teams began making topographical maps of the proposed

park. By December approximately 6,000 acres had been mapped and 5,000 had been

appraised. [9]

With news of the government's interest in acquiring land, real estate promoters persuaded

some owners to sign with them for the sale of their property. The promoters set high

valuations on the land hoping to make a good profit. Smith reported that his efforts to obtain

options on the lands were hampered by such schemes which resulted in prices as high as $76

per acre. This was more than the government was willing to pay and there was some concern

that the acquisition plans would be canceled since there was a reluctance to buy any land if

the expense meant that acquisition of what was considered the minimum amount to justify a

park was not possible. In addition, the $70,000 was to be used or obligated by June 1, 1936,

but in January little of it had actually been spent. Representative Tarver was so concerned

that he asked the subcommittee on appropriations for an extension. [10]

Among those eager to represent the landowners' interests was William Tate Holland, a man

who would figure prominently in the story of land acquisition at Kennesaw Mountain. In

1935, Holland offered to be the representative to the government for land purchases. He

disagreed with the government's policy of contacting owners directly. He claimed that they

wanted to deal through him. But Smith asserted that this was not true and urged that Holland

not be used as an intermediary. He also disputed Holland's assertion that the land had

suburban development potential. [11]11 Because of such disagreements, acquisition of land

for Kennesaw Mountain NBP proved to be a long and litigious process. Many owners

expressed their desire to sell but stated that they could not afford to under the terms of

agreements they had entered into with real estate brokers; in most cases, the realtors charged

a 10% commission fee. There was also the problem with the prices. As a solution, the

government initiated condemnation proceedings against several parcels of property.

Primary among these parcels was approximately 450 acres of land on Big and Little

Kennesaw Mountains owned by the Kennesaw Mountain Association, an organization of

investors chartered in Delaware in the 1920s, whose president was William Tate Holland.

The association had issued at least $70,000 in bonds and made plans to build a hotel on the

mountain and develop the surrounding real estate. It did manage to build a rough road up the

mountain, but when the group experienced financial difficulties the Cobb County Superior

Court ordered its holdings placed in receivership. For this reason, representatives of the

association's bondholders saw the creation of the national battlefield park as a way to recoup

some of their losses.

By December of 1936, the government had initiated condemnation proceedings against 11

parcels of land, eight belonging to the Kennesaw Mountain Association. In January 1937, a

federal jury in the U. S. District Court fixed a sale price of $30 per acre on the first parcel of

53 acres. The owner had wanted $60 per acre. With this addition, and other uncontested sales,

the government had been successful in acquiring approximately 600 acres. [12]

In February 1937 the hearings began for the condemnation of the 450 acres owned by the

Kennesaw Mountain Association. The court appointed a three member board of appraisers to

set a valuation on the land. Charles Brown represented the government; Thomas W. Jackson

represented the landowners; and Gordon F. Mitchell was appointed as a neutral party. [13]
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In the meantime, controversy arose over the issue of the land acquisition. While the owners

tried to hold out for a higher price, local citizen groups urged reasonable valuations and

cooperation with the government because of the potential long-range benefits they saw

coming from the creation of the park. Each side had its proponents and self-appointed

appraisers who determined widely varying values for the land. One group of Atlanta realtors

placed a value of $115,000 to $180,000 based on alleged mineral deposits and the potential

for residential development. But a citizens group from Marietta found that the land was only

worth $5 to $35 per acre, while another group of realtors claimed the land was unproductive

and only worth $10 per acre. [14]

In March 1937, the court appointed board determined its valuation. In a split decision,

Jackson and Mitchell represented the majority and set the value at $85,000, or approximately

$211 per acre. Brown, though, dissented from that view. and claimed the land was worth

$15,000 or $37 per acre. These findings were reported to Judge Marvin Underwood. If the

government accepted the assessors' decision the court would rule, but if rejected the decision

would be left to a jury. [15]

The government considered $85,000 too high and the issue became stalemated while a court

date was set for final resolution of the matter. One attempted compromise proposal,

suggested by U. S District Attorney Lawrence Camp, was that the mountain area be excluded

from the park. But Representative Tarver explained that all the land necessary in the

minimum area for the park must be acquired before any development could take place. The

mountains were considered the minimum area. [16]

Aware of the government's need to acquire its land, the Association attempted to capitalize

on the situation. It now claimed that the property represented a $200,000 investment on the

part of the bondholders and that they were entitled to a fair return. It also implied, in letters

to Tarver, that it might sell the property to someone other than the government who would be

willing to pay even more for it. [17]

Advocates of the park continued to work to counter such moves. One attempt to resolve the

issue was Cobb County Attorney James V. Carmichael's proposal to file suit against the

Association and ask the federal court to dissolve the injunction, imposed by the county court

when the Association went into receivership, that prevented the county from collecting

property taxes from the Association. If successful, the county could then sell the property for

$4000 in back taxes. The proposal was never acted on, though, and the government decided

to proceed with its condemnation suit before a jury. [18]

Finally, on July 21, 1937, the case went before District Judge Samuel H. Sibley, who was

acting in Underwood's absence. After two days of hearings, the jury fixed the value of the

land at $9000. Association landowners claimed it was "a miscarriage of justice" and Holland

vowed to appeal the verdict. But until such time as a new trial might take place, the

government could proceed with the park's development. [19]

Following this verdict, the court also concluded several other condemnation suits. Mrs.

Colleen Reed Guthrie was directed to accept $35 per acre for her 110 acres. She had

originally asked $150 per acre. Two consent verdicts fixed a price of $737 on 43 acres owned

by Mrs. Sallie Ashley and $1400 on 40 acres owned by the Kennesaw Mountain Association.

[20]

In August 1937, the Association filed a motion for a new trial to set a valuation on its

mountain property. It claimed that the first verdict had been contrary to the evidence and the

law. But instead of granting a new trial, Judge Sibley raised the price from $9000 to $16,000.

A new trial would be ordered only if the government did not consent to the new price. The
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government, though, indicated it would comply with the new order. [21]

Refusing to accept this new decision, Holland announced his intention to appeal once again.

He asserted that the land had cost $72,500 in cash and bonds and that $28,202 had been spent

on the mountain road. He contended that the bondholders should receive their original

investment and expenses. [22]

Holland's appeal was denied and a final judgement for $16,000 was ordered by the court.

Still, Holland would not give up and attempted to have the case heard before the U. S.

Supreme Court. But the Court refused to review the case. On May 31, 1939, the District

Attorney's office announced a hearing to decide distribution of the $16,000. Holland

continued to protest despite the community's overall support for the decision. [23] In one

final attempt to overturn the $16,000 judgement, a group of bondholders, including Mrs.

Stella T. Rambo (Holland's aunt), Mrs. Mary T. Holland (Holland's mother), George M.

Brown, and Dan Y. Sage filed a petition for intervention in the U. S. District Court. They

contended that true title to the mountain property rested with the bondholders themselves.

Consequently, the government's condemnation proceedings against the land that named the

Association as the defendant should be declared "null and void." They asked that the

previous assessment be set aside. The court dismissed the intervention suit and when the

decision was appealed to the Circuit Court of Appeals it was upheld. [24]

Despite its difficulties with the Association, the government's land acquisition program

proceeded on other fronts, although lack of adequate funding continued to be a problem. By

January 1939, approximately 1920 acres had been acquired but projections estimated that to

include all of the essential area of the battlefield would require acquisition of 3000 to 3600

acres. The initial appropriation of $70,000 was nearly spent and there was no additional

money available. National Park Service officials expressed their concern that key pieces of

property would remain outside of the park boundaries and could potentially be lost. [25]

Representative Tarver, who had been closely following the progress of land acquisition,

expressed this concern in Congress. House Bill 4937, calling for acquisition of additional

lands for Kennesaw Mountain NBP, was reported on favorably by the Interior Department.

On August 9, 1939, the Third Deficiency Appropriations Act ( H. R. 7426) was passed by the

Congress. It provided a blanket authorization under which the Secretary of Interior could

acquire additional lands "to protect the symmetry of the park area." To do this $55,000 was

authorized. [26]

In anticipation of the additional money, Olinus Smith began acquiring options on land to the

west of the mountains so that the National Park Service could implement its plans to build a

new road from the Dallas highway to Cheatham Hill. [27]

Even with the additional $55,000, the NPS was forced to be selective in its acquisitions; it

was still not enough money to buy everything. As a result, purchases were limited to only

those areas considered the most historically significant and least expensive. This consisted

primarily of the ridge lines where earthworks had been built and still remained. The Interior

Department justified its decision based on the following reasoning: the ridges were the most

important portions of the battlefield; buying the ridge lines would include all of the most

significant entrenchments; it was believed that the intervening lowlands would remain in a

cultivated state and so the historic scene would remain undisturbed; not buying the lowlands

would avoid having to displace 16 families and their property would not be removed from the

tax rolls; the ridges were the least productive areas and thus less valuable; maintenance of

ridges would be cheaper; and, perhaps most importantly, the ridges cost less. [28]

Because the $55,000 had to be obligated by June 30, 1940, government lawyers
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recommended that blanket condemnation proceedings be instituted for acquisition. A

declaration of taking would be filed for those tracts where prices were negotiable. [29] In

July 1941, the last condemnation suit was settled when 290 acres, which included federal

trenches in the northwest portion of the battlefield, were acquired. With this acquisition, the

park's size increased to approximately 3000 acres. [30]

Amazingly, though, the litigation concerning the land acquisition was not over yet. Mrs.

Rambo, Mrs. Holland, George Brown, and Dan Sage filed one last suit claiming that they, as

true owners of the land, had not been served proper notice when the government initiated

condemnation against the Association. As a result, they did not consider themselves legally

bound by the judgement. The court disagreed and on December 14, 1945, ordered that the

$16,000 be paid to the receivers representing the Association, as appointed by the Superior

Court of Cobb County. The acquisition of Kennesaw Mountain NBP was finally a closed

case. On October 25, 1947, the Secretary of the Interior declared Kennesaw Mountain NBP

officially established. [31]

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Kennesaw Mountain

Administrative History

CHAPTER 3:

Development of Kennesaw Mountain NBP

NPS development of Kennesaw Mountain NBP began shortly after its transfer from the War

Department in 1933. One of the first needs was the construction of a new approach road to

the site from Dallas Road. A request for $7000 was submitted to the Public Works

Administration in October 1933. Another $2500 was requested for the purchase of

approximately 12 acres through which the road would be built. Superintendent Richard B.

Randolph of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, who had been given

responsibility for administering Kennesaw Mountain NBP, was directed to obtain options on

the land needed. In November, Randolph proposed a 60-foot-wide right-of-way for a 1/ 2-

mile through the Channell property.

In the meantime, Cobb County worked to improve Dallas Road. [32] In January 1934,

forester A. Robert Thompson inspected Kennesaw Mountain NBP and filed a report on

conditions at the site. Thompson found that the central ridge of Cheatham Hill was covered

by sparse forest with no undergrowth. The forest floor had been swept clean of virtually all

topsoil and forest litter. An open area was partially under cultivation but the predominant

vegetation was broom sedge and Johnson grass with patches of loblolly pine. The Ward

Creek bed was badly eroded. Thompson recommended that the proposed Civil Works project

consist of forest clean up, grubbing out the broom sedge, disposal of the rocky litter, and

erosion control. Leaves and dead wood should be raked to the center ridge and burned. Poor

and dead trees were to be removed; only dead snags should be pruned; and no forest litter

was to be removed. He further cautioned against over-development of the area; the only road

should be the entrance road. To prevent further erosion, leaves and pine needles should be

scattered over the site to re-establish the forest litter. [33]

A second inspection by landscape architect Kenneth Simmons in March 1934 resulted in an

outline for improvement of the grounds that called for regrading the stream slopes and the

use of rip-rap to control erosion and the re-establishment of 40 acres of terraced hillsides and

lowlands as meadows. The project would involve seeding, fertilizing, and planting. Work

began in April 1934 with the employment of skilled laborers at $1.00 per hour and unskilled

laborers at 70 cents per hour. A temporary toolhouse and office was built in the Cheatham

Hill area and a trail that avoided the earthworks was constructed to the Illinois Monument. A

large quantity of stone was used for stream bank erosion on the eastern bank of Noyes Creek.

A small amount of native plant material was collected and planted in the woods near the

monument.

To rehabilitate the fields, including thirty acres previously cultivated by the caretaker, they

were plowed, harrowed, fertilized, and seeded to cowpeas. Considerable work was also done

on old erosion control terraces that had been improperly laid out. In September, the cowpeas

were plowed under, the fields were harrowed again, and the old terrace system was

completely replaced. By April 1935, the fields had been harrowed a third time and bermuda

sod had formed a permanent stand of grass. [34]
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In 1935, Superintendent Randolph inspected the site and announced that a program of

general physical improvement had begun. Among the early accomplishments were a

complete layout of trails and the planting of grass in key areas. In the Cheatham Hill area, the

parking lot, which had been built in 1934 and was located south of the monument, was

relocated to a site north of the monument. The ranger building, which had been near the

parking, was also moved and improved. A work plan completed in 1937 called for

construction of a custodian's residence, a utility building, a water and sewer system, a northsouth highway, bridges over Ward and Noyes creeks, an entrance station, an administration

building; the razing of undesirable buildings; the reconstruction of the road to the summit;

and general landscaping. Estimated cost of the development was $355,000. [35]

Much of the work done at Kennesaw Mountain NBP until 1934 was carried out through the

Civil Works Administration. A report on CWA work in April 1934 found that 60 acres had

been cleared of refuse, stumps, and other fire hazards; that 37 stone erosion dams had been

constructed; that 6000 square yards of extreme erosion had been filled and graded and 109

sod dams, totaling 537 linear feet had been built; that 620 linear yards of trail had been built,

with an additional 60 linear yards of trail foundation laid; that 158 pine seedlings, three cedar

seedlings, 78 sweet shrubs, three black haws, and eight sumacs had been transplanted; and

that 925 linear yards of Confederate trench near the Illinois monument had been planted in

honeysuckle. B. F. Lane, superintendent, and W. P. Lemon, skilled worker, had supervised

the work. [36]

CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS, 1938-1942

The establishment of CCC Camp NM -3 at Kennesaw Mountain NBP in 1938 provided the

NPS with a new source of labor and money. By April 1938, eight camp buildings, including

four barracks, an army and NPS headquarters for offices, and a welfare building, had been

built. Work had started on a mess hall. The completed camp was to have 22 buildings. In

June, 110 CCC workers arrived at the "Camp T. M. Brumby" as it became known. [37]

For the next four years, all development work done at Kennesaw Mountain NBP was done by

CCC labor. Much of it was a continuation of the earlier CWA projects such as erosion

control and planting. Also included were such ongoing projects as razing of undesirable

buildings on park lands; improvement of road shoulders along U. S. Highway 41; and the

building and improving of park roads. [38]

In addition to the ongoing projects, much construction was done. In 1939, work began on the

renovation of the Hyde House, at the base of Big Kennesaw Mountain, for use as a museum

and headquarters building and the renovation of farm residences in the park for use as

employee quarters. The superintendent's residence was the George Channell house, located

along the entrance road built by the War Department. By 1940, foundations had been laid for

utility buildings that would house trucks and equipment, a blacksmith and auto repair shop,

and storage. To provide water a 20,000 gallon water tank was built 200 feet up on the north

side of the mountain. By 1941, cast iron entrance signs were erected along U. S. Highway 41

and the Dallas Road and dry pit toilets were installed at the crest of Big Kennesaw and in the

Cheatham Hill area. By the time the camp was closed on March 10, 1942, CCC labor had

provided work worth 1283 mandays on road construction; 215 mandays on building the repair

shop; 225 mandays on construction of toilets; 70 mandays on erection of signs; and 79

mandays on building renovation. [39]

ROADS

One of the most critical early needs of the park was the development of adequate roads. To
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facilitate its road work, the CCC began operating a quarry in 1939 on the side of Big

Kennesaw and used a rock crusher to produce the necessary surfacing material. [40]

The first project was the construction of a road from Dallas Road to Cheatham Hill. [41]

Following a formal ceremony, on March 11, 1940, attended by NPS officials and Marietta

city officials, 50 CCC workers were put on the job. The Cheatham Hill road was graded and

rock surfaced, and headwalls and culverts were installed. By December 1940, a 160 feet by

100 feet parking area was completed. In March 1941, the road was opened for use. Work,

however, continued with additional grading and fill and seeding and sodding of the roadsides.

Its final total length was 3400 feet. In June 1941, the road was paved by the road crew from

Great Smoky Mountains National Park. [42]

Other road work was necessary when the state widened Highway 41 so that it could be

converted into a four-lane highway if necessary. The shoulders and back slopes were sloped

and planted by CCC workers. Similar sloping and planting was done along Stilesboro, Burnt

Hickory, and Dallas roads. [43]

The project that attracted the most attention was the proposed development of the road up

Kennesaw Mountain. The Kennesaw Mountain Association had built a road up the mountain

in the 1920s but it was rough and dangerous. The National Park Service improved it for use

as a work road but it remained closed to the public. When planning for the development of

the park began in 1939, NPS engineers started looking seriously at ways to improve the road

further so that it could become part of the park tour. At one point, they considered building a

loop road but finally rejected it as too intrusive. Instead they planned to widen the existing

road into two lanes, although problems were anticipated in providing a turn around and

parking at the crest. In January 1941, the Regional Engineer made a site visit and determined

that ditches needed to be widened, cross-drains and rock fill installed, the slopes stabilized,

and a guard wall built. He also recommended that the new road terminate at 100 feet from the

crest instead of at 60 feet as the existing one did; parking could be installed there. [44]

Despite these recommendations, though, the mountain road was not included in the initial

road system plan approved by the Interior Secretary in 1940 because details concerning how

the traffic would be accommodated had not yet been definitely determined. Topographical

surveys and other studies were still needed. [45]

By 1941, these studies had been completed and work on the road began on August 25. In

September, Superintendent George Wilkins announced that the road work was nearing

completion. More than 100 CCC workers were on the job and an October 1 opening date was

anticipated.

While construction got underway, different proposals were made for how the road would be

used. Olinus Smith suggested that the existing road be improved enough that buses could be

used to transport visitors. A parking area could be constructed at the intersection of the

mountain road and the CCC camp road where visitors would pay 10 cents per adult and 5

cents per child to board the bus. The old quarry could be used as a bus garage and a shelter,

picnic area, and comfort station would be built at the top. Another proposal was to let visitors

drive their own vehicles up the road after warning them of its condition. The charge would be

25 cents per auto, with annual passes available for $1.00. [46]

No decision was made regarding the proposals, though, since the opening of the road was

postponed indefinitely. At first it was because of the ongoing litigation. Then, with the

closing of the CCC camp in 1942 and the increasing demands placed on funds and the

workforce by World War II, the opening date had to be set back further. But despite these

problems, some work was accomplished in the 1940s. The road was graded and the ditches
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were cleaned out; culverts were cleaned and large rocks removed. It was open to hikers and

was used as a fire road by the park but remained closed to public vehicles since it was still

considered to be dangerous. Lack of funds during and after the war prevented any further

upgrading. [47]

In 1950, interest in opening the mountain road to public traffic was revived but, because of

the Korean War, the NPS did not have the money. Congressman Henderson Lanham, of the

7th District, tried but was unable to get $35,000 -$ 45,000 for improving and paving the road.

Finally, Cobb County raised $25,000 and received a $58,000 federal grant that enabled it to

rent machinery from the park and use county labor to reopen the road. Under the supervision

of the park superintendent, the upper half of the road was widened and a 15 -car parking lot

was built. [48]

The mountain road was not the only concern in park development. Planning for a park wide

road system. was also started in 1939 and a general policy of road location was approved by

the Director. Eventually, park and regional officials developed a plan to build a closed loop

road that would be located on the crests of the ridges and to the rear of the entrenchments.

This road would connect sites selected for interpretive development and would constitute a

complete tour of the park. The road was not to intrude on the historically important parts of

the field and the most significant sites were to be restored to their historic period. [49]

There were problems with developing a closed loop road, though, due to the number of

county roads that went through the park. To avoid them, several expensive overpasses would

have to be built. It was anticipated that two would be needed over Dallas Road, two over

Burnt Hickory, and two over Powder Springs. But the cost of such work was prohibitive and

the loop road was never built. At one point, Cobb County indicated a willingness to reroute

some of the roads to prevent the necessity for overpasses. In an attempt to capitalize on this

idea, Superintendent Bowling C. Yates suggested the closing to the public of John Ward, Old

Mountain, a portion of Burnt Hickory, and a portion of Stilesboro road. Anticipating that this

would be unpopular with the local residents, he further suggested buying all the interior lands

(approximately 850 acres). Doing so, he reasoned, would eliminate the need for overpasses

and be cheaper in the long run. But the government was not interested in acquiring more land

and nothing ever came of the idea. The county's offer was never acted upon either. [50]

The last major attempt at road development by the NPS at Kennesaw Mountain NBP began

in 1967. The construction of the new Highway 41 had made access to the park difficult. To

alleviate the problem, the Park Service began negotiations with the county and the state for a

possible land exchange so that a new entrance road to the park could be built. The county

was receptive to the idea but estimated that the cost of obtaining a standard right-of-way

would be $361,000. Unfortunately, the land the park had available for exchange was only

worth $63,000. The idea subsequently stalled. [51]

The proposal lay dormant until 1969 when the State approached the NPS with a proposal to

relocate Highway 5. The new route would sever a small tract of park land but it might be

possible to exchange this for land needed for an entrance road. Unfortunately, this plan also

failed. [52]

In the meantime, the NPS continued its efforts to obtain land for an entrance road. But any

land that the park had for an exchange was not equal in value to what was needed. The

proposed site of the entrance road was zoned primarily commercial and industrial whereas

the park lands were residential. Any exchange would require the government to pay the

difference, but there was no money. [53]

By 1972, the land exchange idea was abandoned. Instead the NPS decided to seek a boundary
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change and authority to use Land and Water Conservation funds for purchase of

approximately 50 acres to build an entrance road. As of 1994, though, this has not been

accomplished. [54]

MISSION 66

During World War II, development of the park all but ceased due to the lack of money and

manpower, especially after the CCC camp was closed in 1942. But in 1956 plans were drawn

up for development as part of the Servicewide Mission 66 program. More than $1.5 million

worth of road improvements, trail construction, landscaping, and building construction was

planned. [55]

Building construction proved to be a major part of the Mission 66 program at Kennesaw

Mountain. In June 1963, a $174,401 contract was awarded to Carters Construction Company

of Atlanta for the building of a new visitor center. Plans for the 7500 square foot building

included an audiovisual auditorium, a display room, an information desk, and administrative

offices. Groundbreaking ceremonies took place on July 17. [56]

Despite some problems with water intrusion that necessitated the use of rock fill under the

foundation and the redirection of surface drainage, construction of the visitor center

progressed rapidly. A new sewage disposal system and drainfield were also a part of the

project. On May 6, 1964, the new visitor center was occupied. Although scaled down from

7500 feet to 6000 feet, it was a vast improvement over the old Hyde House that had been the

headquarters building since the 1930s. [57]

Another project made possible by Mission 66 funding was the restoration of the Valentine

Kolb House. The Kolb House has the distinction of being the only structure at Kennesaw

Mountain NBP that existed at the time of the battle. Originally built in the 1830s by Peter

Valentine Kolb, the house was used in June 1864 as Union Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker's

headquarters. Some of the heaviest fighting of the June 22 battle took place on the farm and

around the house. After the war, it changed ownership several times and a number of

alterations were made, including the covering of the log exterior with weatherboarding.

In 1941, Superintendent B. C. Yates began interviewing surviving family members in an

effort to ascertain the appearance of the building in 1864. His hope was that the house would

be restored to serve as an interpretive exhibit for the park. Initially, his idea was not

favorably viewed. In 1946, the Regional Director, in a memo to the Director, stated that "...

unless the structure has other historical significance in the interpretive program to justify the

expense, . . . we . . . recommend the house be razed and the interpretive tour be terminated at

[Cheatham] Hill. " [58] But the Director disagreed and recommended that the house be

restored on the exterior and modernized inside for use as an employee residence. [59]

Despite this recommendation, though, funding for restoration did not become available until

the 1960s. In 1961, Yates compiled a history of the Kolb House based on his interviews and

research. That same year, architects made a preliminary investigation of the house to verify

the architectural details. In 1962 and 1963, an historic structure report was prepared to

identify and evaluate the original portions of the building and to determine what needed to be

done for the restoration. Similar period buildings in the area were studied for clues as to the

appearance of certain details. [60]

The historic structure report recommended that the foundations be restored, the exterior

weatherboarding be removed and certain logs replaced, the two porches be reconstructed, the

chimneys be rebuilt, and a new wooden shingle roof be installed. It also recommended the

restoration of as many of the original features as possible on the interior. Modernization

would include the addition of electric heat and insulation. [61] The restoration was completed
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in 1963.

Other Mission 66 construction in the park included two employee residences built near the

visitor center and a new concrete block oilhouse. Each house had 1607 square feet and

included three bedrooms, a utility room, carport, and storage. They were completed in March

1965. The oil house was built in 1966 by R. C. Powell Construction of Smyrna to replace the

old wood frame building which was subsequently demolished.

With the completion of the various building projects, contracts were let for grounds and

landscaping work. In the area of the new visitor center, trees and shrubs were planted,

grading was done around the building, the entrance terrace walls and steps were constructed,

a flagstaff was installed, and planting beds were built. The work was done by Scott's Grading

and Landscaping Company and Green Brothers Nurseries of Decatur, Georgia, for $49,285.

The project was completed in October 1966. [62]

Other work done in the vicinity of the visitor center and new residences consisted of the

demolition of the old headquarters building by Hudgins and Company of Atlanta for $1600;

the construction of roads to the new housing by H& H Construction Company of Marietta for

$1632; and the construction of slate, concrete, and brick entrance terrace steps and stepping

stones around the visitor center by Scott's Landscaping and Grading Company for $11,247.

[63]

In 1964, the Georgia Centennial Hall of Fame Committee built the granite Georgia overlook

on Big Kennesaw. Completed in June and dedicated to the memory of the 14 Confederate

generals from Georgia who fought in the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, the memorial was

donated to the NPS. The NPS installed a battery operated message repeater unit, erected

informational and directional signs, installed safety barriers, produced the message repeater

tapes, stabilized the rock wall as necessary, and planted shrubs.

Unfortunately, poor construction, lack of rigid specifications, and pressure to complete the

structure on schedule had resulted in a memorial that was soon a safety hazard. By June

1966, approximately 40% of it was closed due to movement of the retaining wall. Temporary

repairs consisted of installing reinforcing rods and placing fill material under the flagstone

flooring. But it soon became apparent to park officials that the memorial would have to be

rebuilt.

Mission 66 road work consisted primarily of upgrading and improving the existing roads. In

July 1963 the mountain and Cheatham Hill roads were treated with asphalt and rock. The last

dirt roads within the park were eliminated when Cobb County paved Ridenour and John

Ward roads in February 1963. Along with the road work new boundary and entrance signs

were erected. [64]

The first trails developed in the park were in the Cheatham Hill area in the 1930s. When Big

and Little Kennesaw Mountains were acquired, development there included the construction

of more trails and the work continued steadily over the years. When the park's Mission 66

program was inaugurated, additional trail construction and improvement was part of the

development package. In June 1964, a .20 mile trail from the mountain parking lot to the

summit was paved. Between 1965 and 1968, work was done on trails from the visitor center

to the summit and from Big Kennesaw to Little Kennesaw. Timber and brush was cleared,

the trails were marked, and erosion control devices were installed. In March 1967, the trail

from the visitor center up the mountain was made into a self-guiding historical-nature trail.

The Boy Scout hiking trail, built in 1963, was rerouted to get it off of the roads. In 1972, new

footbridges were built. Trail improvement and maintenance became a routine duty at

Kennesaw. [65]
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ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENT

In addition to NPS work, some development activities were accomplished by outside groups.

One such project was the construction of the Georgia memorial. In 1963, Representative A.

A. Fowler, of Douglas County, introduced a resolution in the state legislature calling for

$6500 to pay for a granite monument to the Georgians killed in the Battle of Kennesaw

Mountain. Although it failed to pass in that session, the resolution was reintroduced in 1964

by Cobb County Senator Edward S. Kendrick. Eventually the money was appropriated and

the Georgia memorial was placed at the foot of the mountain. Later, the state of Texas placed

a monument on the field in the Cheatham Hill area. [66]

By 1970, most of the development work planned for Kennesaw Mountain NBP had been

completed. Emphasis shifted to maintenance of existing roads, trails, and facilities.

In 1972, the mountain road was resurfaced and in 1976 a $105,000 contract for the leveling

and resurfacing of all major park roads and parking areas was awarded to Stewart Brothers

Construction. The work included building up and reseeding of the road shoulders. [67]

Park trails required regular routine maintenance for stabilization and erosion control. Foot

bridges were built where necessary. Beginning in 1975, Youth Conservation Corps labor was

utilized for much of this work. [68]

Facility maintenance consisted of periodic painting of the visitor center and residences;

installation of a burglar/ fire alarm system in the visitor center in 1976; the replacement of

the visitor center roof in 1979; the replacement of the visitor center heating and cooling

system; treatment of the Kolb House with wood preservative; and the construction of

wheelchair ramps at the visitor center. [69]

Other accomplishments during the 1970s and 1980s were cutting and marking the park

boundary; the erection of historic rail fencing around the open fields; selective vista clearing;

the cleaning of the Illinois and other monuments; the removal of the picnic tables and pit

toilets at Cheatham Hill; the installation of an interpretive exhibit at the Illinois Monument

and the refurbishing of interpretive signs on the mountain; the construction of a new parking

lot at the Kolb House; the placement of cannon at selected sites on the battlefield; the paving

of the parking area along Burnt Hickory in 1979; and the restoration of the Georgia overlook

in 1981. [70]

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Kennesaw Mountain

Administrative History

CHAPTER 4:

Interpretation

EARLY EFFORTS

The National Park Service's efforts to interpret the Kennesaw Mountain battlefield began

shortly after the site came under its administration in 1933. Money made available through

the Civil Works Administration program made it possible to hire one Historical Foreman, two

skilled employees and two semi-skilled employees to begin work at the battlefield site, which

at that time consisted only of Cheatham Hill. The majority of their time was spent in

providing educational service to the public. In 1935, B. C. Yates began his long association

with the park when he was hired as the Historical Foreman. [71]

After researching the battle and its role in the Atlanta Campaign and the Civil War, the

guides developed a story that could be told from Cheatham's Hill but would include all the

action that took place in the surrounding area. The next step was a publicity campaign aimed

at increasing awareness of the park and the interpretive opportunities that existed. An

exhibition of relics and pictures in one of Marietta's leading hotels attracted much attention.

Another display was put in one of the department store windows.

Information about the park was distributed in a number of ways. Material was supplied to the

hotels, radio stations, newspapers, tour agencies, and schools. As a result, some tour groups

and school groups ventured out the then primitive Dallas Road to Cheatham Hill to attend

lectures and guided walking tours. [72]

Such was interpretation at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Site during its first years

in the national park system. But in the late 1930s, the NPS began efforts to upgrade the

interpretive activities at all of its historic areas. Improvements were made in various types of

field exhibits and field historians began to give public lectures on a more frequent basis. At

Kennesaw Mountain this resulted in the announcement in December 1934 that four guides

would begin regularly providing tours of the Cheatham Hill area on weekends. These guides

(W. L. Benson, S. W. McCoy, P. O. Sawyer, and G. W. Dowell) were under the supervision

of Historical Technician H. C. Landrau of Chickamauga and Chattanooga NMP. Through the

week they could be reached at the Georgian or Marietta hotels in Marietta. [73]

To support the guides in their efforts, a display board was erected which featured canister,

cannon balls, shrapnel, bayonets, and other miscellaneous artifacts that had been found on the

field. Later, a local artist, L. L. Kelly, produced a large oil painting depicting the Union

assault that was placed on display in the administration building on U. S. Highway 41. Plans

were also made to build a relief model of the battlefield site, complete with topographic

features. [74]

By 1938, plans were being made for the expansion of the interpretive program at Kennesaw

Mountain. One proposal called for developing three distinct areas with their own specific

emphasis so that when taken together they would present a full and complete view of the
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battle and the field. The museum at the administration building was to present the

background information for the battle. Here, the visitor would receive an introduction to the

park and, hopefully, obtain, through the exhibits, an historical context within which to place

the battle of Kennesaw Mountain. From the crest of Big Kennesaw, the visitor would be able

to orient himself to the field. An observation station (possibly a circular building with a

parapet wall), relief maps, directional arrows, and binoculars would be provided to help the

visitor locate the major scenes of action. Finally, the story of the battle would be interpreted

on the battlefield itself at Cheatham Hill, Pigeon Hill, the entrenchments, and at selected

artillery positions.

To support the interpretive story, extensive research work was begun. A historical base map

was to include all areas that played any role in the campaign as well as features such as

woodlands, cultivated fields, pastures, roads, fences, and buildings. [75]

Another attempt to advance the interpretive program was a proposal by Superintendent Yates,

in 1939, to restore a period house in order to illustrate the "fundamental differences between

North and South in the 1860s" with a "demonstration of the independent self-sufficient

Southern farm home as contrasted with the industrial North." [76] But the Regional Office

did not approve of his idea. In addition to citing NPS policy against restoration, it was turned

down because the "... main object of the Kennesaw Mountain area is to commemorate a

military engagement... and is not primarily concerned with demonstrating the social

conditions existing in the South prior to the 1860s . . . ." [77]

The establishment of the CCC program at Kennesaw in 1938 brought further development of

the interpretive program. In August 1939, trained CCC guides began duty at the

administration building from 8: 00 am to 4: 00 pm on weekdays and 1 :00 pm to 4: 00 pm on

Sundays. [78] The training for these guides was comprehensive and intensive. Not only were

they expected to have a general knowledge of American and Civil War history, but they

were also trained in clerical work, tree planting, engineering, use of quarrying equipment,

building construction, mechanics, and road construction. [79]

The use of non-personal interpretation devices expanded during this period as well. With the

establishment of headquarters in the Hyde House, plans were made for development of

museum exhibits. The first was installed in June 1939. Others, consisting primarily of maps,

soon followed. Lithographs and paintings were also displayed. In addition, trailside exhibits

were prepared for Cheatham Hill and Little Kennesaw Mountain. Most of these consisted of

enlarged portions of the historical base map illustrating troop positions and movements and

supplemented with explanatory text. Additional exhibits were planned for Big Kennesaw

Mountain. For a time, Yates headed an effort to acquire the locomotive, the "General," famed

for its role in the Andrews Raid of April 1862. The effort, however, was unsuccessful. [80]

One of the more successful non-personal devices was an experimental registration desk at

Cheatham Hill. Mounted at the beginning of the trail, it featured literature displayed under

glass with registration sheets kept inside. It proved to be so successful that a national

interpretive conference at Gettysburg recommended that the idea be adopted at other

battlefield sites. [81]

Herbert Kahler, Chief of the Historic Sites Division, commenting on Kennesaw's interpretive

program in 1941, was generally impressed. Three cannons from Chickamauga and

Chattanooga NMP had been placed in the fort at Cheatham Hill and temporary trailside

exhibits had been installed. He did recommend that the orientation lecture emphasize more

the park's role as part of the national park system and suggested that the guides place the

battle within a broader historical context. [82]
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With the start of World War II, park funding was reduced and expansion of the interpretive

program was scaled back. But while limited, efforts did continue. Park staff continued to

distribute literature to public visitation points in Marietta, such as the post office, where a

poster was placed. Two posters were also placed in the Service Men's center in the Marietta

office of the National Housing Agency. Exhibits were taken to high school carnivals and

downtown businesses. As a result of these efforts, and the large number of war workers who

had moved to the area, visitation increased. [83]

By 1945, there were more plans for developing the program. An interpretive tour was to use

the museum for orientation with its relief maps and exhibits and include trails on the crest of

Big Kennesaw and Little Kennesaw, each with maps; an overlook in front of the Federal

trenches at Pigeon Hill; interpretive signs at an overlook on the Federal line opposite

Cheatham Hill; and an interpretive sign at Kolb House.

In 1948, the Kennesaw Mountain Historical Association was organized to assist the park in

its interpretive efforts. Through its operation of selling books and other educational materials,

the association raised money that could be used to enhance the park's interpretation and to

purchase additional books and museum objects. [84]

MISSION 66

In the mid-1950s, planning began for Kennesaw's participation in the Mission 66 program.

There were several goals for interpretation. First, the need for more research was recognized.

This program was " . . . necessary to obtain and evaluate information essential for the

interpretive program." Accordingly, topics for which research was needed were identified.

To present this information to the visitor, a new visitor center was envisioned as the nucleus

of the program. The museum, library, literature and lectures there were to be supported by

audio-visual devices and information service provided by personnel.

To provide maximum service for the increasing number of visitors, with a limited staff, selfguiding facilities were necessarily the heart of the program. A self-guiding tour with special

route markers and a guide sheet was already in use. Roadside exhibits and interpretive signs

placed at key points were also utilized. But park management believed there was a need for

more orientation devices, such as maps and panoramic sketches, to adequately interpret the

battlefield. [85]

During the 1960s staffing continued to be a problem. In 1965, the entire interpretation

division consisted of one historian, one park guide, and one seasonal ranger. [86] As a result,

there was further development of non-personal interpretive media, with many notable

accomplishments.

By 1960, two tours of the battlefield area had been marked for visitors. Both began at the

visitor center and ended at Cheatham Hill. One tour went via Marietta and one by way of the

Little Kennesaw area. New exhibits included a Sidney King painting of the Federal

bombardment of Kennesaw Mountain and a museum case displaying shoulder arms and a

battlefield log with shells embedded in it. Temporary exhibits were also considered for the

crest of Little Kennesaw, the Federal positions on Burnt Hickory and Dallas roads, and the

Federal skirmish line near the Kolb House. A leaflet and a tour guide were available. [87]

Another Sidney King painting, "The Crest of Kennesaw" was positioned on the crest trail of

Big Kennesaw in 1963. It depicted a birdseye view of the mountain and activities that

occurred there in June 1864. A review of the park's interpretive signs and exhibits revealed
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that most of the outdoor exhibits needed some kind of work. Subsequently, a number of these

were refurbished or replaced and some selective vista clearing was done. Four new aluminum

interpretive markers were also installed. [88]

Two new monuments were erected on the battlefield in 1963 and 1964. The first was donated

by the state of Georgia to honor its soldiers who had fought at Kennesaw and was placed

near the new visitor center. The second was donated by the state of Texas and was erected

near Cheatham Hill. Also, in 1964, the Georgia Hall of Fame Committee interpretive

memorial overlook was erected and dedicated in June, complete with a taped message

repeater. [89]

Research to support the growing interpretive program continued in the 1960s. Location of

artillery positions on the crest of Big Kennesaw were mapped out and troop movement maps

were prepared. Museum labels were corrected. Artifacts were collected for new exhibits.

Books and historic photographs were added to the park library. [90]

Reflecting a new trend in interpretation, there was also an increase in the use of audio-visual

devices at Kennesaw. An a/ v script was written and a contract photographer hired for the

development of a temporary slide show, which was used, despite numerous maintenance

problems, until the permanent program was completed in 1967. Remote audio stations were

installed at several locations around the park including the crest of Big Kennesaw, at Kolb

Farm, and at Cheatham Hill. Generally, these devices were very successful but, as park staff

discovered, the message repeaters often became the target of vandalism. [91]

In 1965, a new temporary park folder was developed to reflect changes caused by the opening

of the new visitor center. In March 1967 a mountain historical-nature trail was opened up and

a "Mountainside Trail Folder," financed by the Kennesaw Mountain Historical Association,

was produced. This folder was redone and illustrated by the Harpers Ferry Jobs Corps in

1969. A contract was also signed for the production of an Historical Handbook. [92]

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

By the late 1960s Kennesaw's interpretive program reflected changes indicative of those

taking place throughout the NPS. Increases in staffing made more personal interpretation

possible. In August 1966, guided tours of Cheatham Hill and Big Kennesaw began on a

limited basis. These proved to be popular but unfortunately those on the mountain had to

eventually be discontinued because of traffic congestion at the top. As an alternative, roving

interpretation was used. [93]

The biggest change in Kennesaw's interpretive program came about in 1968. In that year,

NPS began working with Mario Menesini, director of the Educational Consulting Service, on

National Environmental Education Development (NEED) materials for schools. NEED was

intended to develop environmental awareness and values through the application of five

"strands": variety and similarities; patterns; interrelation and interdependence; continuity and

change; and adaption and evolution. These strands were to be woven into all subjects taught

in schools and into all park interpretive programs. Parks were encouraged to establish

Environmental Study Areas (ESAs) to be visited by school classes using NEED materials. By

1970, 63 parks had ESAs. [94]

Kennesaw Mountain developed its ESA on John Ward Creek in 1968. In April 1969, the first

teachers' workshop was held there. Difficulty staffing the site was partially solved when a

seasonal teacher was hired through the Regional Environmental Education Coordinator's

office. By 1970, the park's ESA program was one of the largest in the country. Students were
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taken along trails to study the environment, steps in reforestation, and ecology of forests and

streams. [95]

The success of Kennesaw's environmental education program in the Cobb County schools

stimulated interest throughout Georgia and surrounding states and the park began receiving

numerous requests for assistance in training teachers as ESA leaders, helping schools

establish their own ESAs, and giving high level leadership to the state and regional school

systems. [96]

Several activities were part of this expansion effort. A meeting of the Interagency

Environmental Action committee met in February 1971. Represented at the meeting was the

U. S. Forest Service, the Soil Conservation Service, the Georgia Forestry Commission, the

Cobb County Youth Museum, the Cobb County school system, the Georgia Conservancy, the

Cobb County Water and Sewer System, Georgia State University, Kennesaw Junior College,

and the National Park Service. The purpose of the committee was to increase the number of

environmental study areas on local campuses. The park also made plans for participating in

the Summer in the Parks program in which the Marietta Parks and Recreation Department

would transport 12 groups of 30 children each to the park where they would participate in a

group activity that included a trip to Cheatham Hill that combined history with environmental

education and recreation. The Atlanta Parks and Recreation Department expressed an interest

as well and even agreed to help finance the project by paying up to 20% of the salary for

nine Atlanta Urban Corps workers to help it out. [97]

One of the groups that expressed an interest in Kennesaw's assistance was the Girl Scouts. In

1971, the Northwest Georgia Council approached the park for help in establishing an

"Environmental Teaching Center" at Camp Timber Ridge, a 175 acre camp north of the

Chattahoochee River. In September, park staff made a visit to the site and selected 30 acres

for development as an ESA. Superintendent Jack Ogle committed to the development of the

30 acres, the training of ESA leaders, the presence of a uniformed NPS interpreter, the

furnishing of materials through donation and sales by the Kennesaw Mountain Historical

Association, and the contacting and scheduling of schools. [98]

The park's ESA program continued for six years until the energy crisis of the early 1970s

forced the curtailment of school field trips. The ESA remained unused for four years.

Following the success of the NEED program, the concept of environmental education was

expanded into the SUM-NEED program. Children 8 to 12 years old, selected through

neighborhood playgrounds by park and recreation department workers, were invited to an

overnight camp at the park. After a tour of the museum, they hiked to a site in the fields off

Cheatham Hill Road near the Kolb farm. Evening campfire programs were held and Civil

War stew was prepared for supper. Twenty high school students, members of the

Neighborhood Youth Corps, and nine Urban Corps college students, worked as counselors

and environmental and recreational leaders. Officials of the Marietta Parks and Recreation

Department and the Atlanta Parks Department provided additional assistance. Food was

provided by a U. S. Department of Agriculture authorized project through the Special Food

Services Program for Children. In its first two summers, the program served more than 2500

children. [99]

In 1977, the environmental education program was revived, although on a smaller scale,

when the park hired an environmental education specialist. The ESA camp was relocated to

the old CCC camp behind Kennesaw Mountain and weekend camps were conducted for

Cobb County schools in the spring and fall. Weekday camps were held during the summer

for disadvantaged kids. [100]
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Although proud of their success with the program, the park staff soon realized that the

demand for leadership had grown far beyond its ability to provide. In appeals for more

personnel, park management warned that if the program was allowed to bog down, demand

would decrease and a valuable opportunity would be missed. [101]

VOLUNTEER PROGRAM

Shortage of personnel also led the park to initiate a Volunteer-in-Parks program in March

1972. It began with only three volunteers but by the end of the year, nine more had been

recruited. Four of them were involved in living history; six assisted with environmental

education activities; and two worked the information desk. Together, they contributed 2960

hours of work. [102]

Despite the demands of the environmental program, Kennesaw did expand its personal

historical interpretation for the general public. Roving interpretation and guided tours at

Cheatham Hill and Big Kennesaw took place as staffing allowed. In 1968, firearms

demonstrations began and were quite popular until 1973 when they were discontinued for

safety reasons. In 1970, the park became involved with the Neighborhood Youth Corps and

hired two high school students to work part-time. With the hiring of additional seasonal

interpreters, and more use of volunteers, there was a dramatic increase in the park's living

history programs. [103]

LIVING HISTORY

An effort to combine environmental, education with theme interpretation led to the creation

of living history programs stressing the Civil War soldiers' life. Lifestyles of the 19th and

20th centuries, with their consequent demands on the environment, were also compared.

Major elements of the living history program were camp scenes and cannon and musket

firing demonstrations. Purchase of new items, such as Union uniforms and equipment,

allowed for portrayal of both armies. [104]

Initially, the living history programs were conducted in the field in front of the visitor center,

with occasional weekend presentations on the mountain. But, by 1984, they were shifted to

the Cheatham Hill area because it was considered a more historic setting. The move also

alleviated overcrowding in the visitor center area and, it was hoped, the presence of park

personnel or volunteers participating in living history demonstrations helped protect the

earthworks at Cheatham Hill. [105]

The energy crisis of the early 1970s resulted in an increase in visitation for Kennesaw. People

in the Atlanta area were less likely to travel long distances and decided to visit sites nearby,

like Kennesaw Mountain, To accommodate the increase, park staff developed new programs

that included guided tours, new talks, an expanded living history program, and roving

interpretation. In the summer of 1974, the park offered, for the first time, seven days of

interpretation each week. In addition to the regular activities, a number of special programs

were developed in the 1970s and 1980s. As a Bicentennial project in 1976 a fife and drum

corps, made up of volunteers, was organized. In 1980, the wives and children of the soldier

volunteers began presenting programs in which they depicted wartime refugees. Also that

year, a Special Labor Day program was inaugurated at Cheatham Hill in which four artillery

pieces were assembled to demonstrate the operation of firing a Confederate four gun battery.

[106]

In the 1980s more non-personal interpretive devices were developed. Major temporary
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exhibits with rustic shelters were installed at Burnt Hickory and Old Mountain roads and at

the Kolb House to orient visitors to each location and explain the battle action that took place

there. Smaller interpretive metal photo signs were installed elsewhere throughout the

battlefield. Signs were also placed at historic home sites and several historic road traces were

identified and marked. In 1988, two field exhibit Napoleon guns and carriages were mounted

in the historic artillery emplacements at Cheatham Hill. [107]

As the interpretive program at Kennesaw continued to evolve the changes began to be

embodied in planning and management documents. According to the General Management

Plan of 1984, interpretation of the park's historic themes would occur at six locations. Overall

park orientation would take place at the visitor center. Aside from the exhibits there, the

interpretive opportunities available on the park trails would be emphasized. At Big Kennesaw

Mountain, Pigeon Hill, Cheatham Hill, the 24-Gun Battery and the Kolb Farm, historic

information about the battle would be provided through a variety of printed and graphic

materials. A wayside exhibit plan, to be prepared by the Harpers Ferry Center, was to be

developed as well. [108]

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Kennesaw Mountain

Administrative History

CHAPTER 5:

Law Enforcement and Resources Management

LAW ENFORCEMENT

In its early years, Kennesaw Mountain NBP did not have many law enforcement problems.

Because of its relative isolation, visitation was low. Most protection activities were directed

at fire detection and suppression. But as park development made the area more accessible to

more people, there was a subsequent rise in the number of law enforcement incidents,

primarily petty vandalism. By 1941, park management had recognized an increasing need for

ranger patro1s. [109]

During the period when the CCC camp was occupied, the mere presence of the workers had

acted as a deterrent, but when the camp closed in March 1942, the need for ranger patrols

became even greater. Increasing numbers of people began to frequent the park after hours,

many of them partying and "parking." In 1945, the park began coordinating its patrols with

the county police and deputy sheriffs. Old entrances were closed off to limit entry to park

lands. In 1947, the park hired another ranger and a guard. [110]

With these efforts park protection was adequate for a good number of years. But by the

1960s, the pressures of increasing visitation and the steady residential development of lands

around the park, especially on the inholdings, resulted in a greater number of law

enforcement incidents. Dumping of trash on park property and hunting violations became

routine problems, but by 1967 the biggest problem was vandalism. Signs and outdoor

interpretive displays were prime targets. In response to motor bikes on trails, foot patrols

became more frequent. Heavier traffic necessitated more vehicle patrols. [111]

More serious crimes also became more frequent. On September 6, 1966, an armed robbery

occurred in the parking lot on Big Kennesaw. On May 16, 1972, the visitor center was

burglarized. The thieves took $355 of the Kennesaw Mountain Historical Association's funds

and a safe. An alarm system was subsequently installed. [112]

By the 1970s, law enforcement activities had become a routine part of park operations. In

1973 alone, 87 violation notices were issued. Entering and remaining after hours was the

most common (27), followed by parking (16), possession of controlled substances (10), and

off-road travel (6). In the 1980s, the park rangers increased their cooperative efforts with the

Cobb County police to patrol the park. [113]

NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Natural resource management at Kennesaw Mountain NBP began with the establishment of

the CCC camp in 1938. Since the area was primarily rural and heavily forested, fire

protection was given early attention. The camp foreman was designated the Park Fire Chief,

all enrollees were given thorough training in suppression, and a lookout tower was
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established on Big Kennesaw Mountain, with a telephone for reporting fires (it was built

within the tower containing the CAA beacon). Fire hazard reduction work consisted of

cleaning out downed and dead materials. These measures were necessary because neither the

state nor the county provided any kind of fire protection. [114]

This changed, however, in 1943, after the closing of the CCC camp, when the park

superintendent signed a cooperative agreement with the Georgia Department of Forestry that

provided for a state employee to be stationed on the mountain; the NPS continued to pay for

the phone. Assistance also began to come from Cobb County in 1944 with the organization

of its Forest Fire Protection Unit. In 1945, a pump was purchased and installed on a pickup

truck. This, and the employment of a park ranger and guard, in 1946, proved to be of

considerable value in fire prevention, detection, and suppression. [115]

The major cause of fires in the park in the 1930s and 1940s was the North Carolina and St.

Louis Railroad. [116] Sparks from the coal fired locomotives often ignited the underbrush

and woods along the tracks. They were so frequent that fire boxes were built nearby to

contain firefighting tools. Although generally small, these fires, over a ten year period,

burned more than 240 acres of park land. Park staff worked successfully with railroad

officials in an effort to reduce the number of such incidents. Eventually, the introduction of

diesel engines eliminated this hazard. [117]

The park has continued to maintain a fire protection program over the years but as the city of

Marietta and Cobb County have become more densely populated and developed, there has

been more assistance from these sources.

Another area of concern in early management of the park's natural resources was the soil and

moisture conservation program. When lands were acquired for the park, most of the

cultivated acres had been in row crops for many years and the soil was depleted. Sheet

erosion was common and gullies were numerous. Re-establishment of ground cover was

vital. In some areas, the park worked with the Soil Conservation Service to establish new

terracing.

Corrective planting was implemented and a soil conservation program was initiated. Fields

were disked, limed, fertilized, and seeded; pine seedlings were spread on raw roadside banks.

By 1948, 118.9 acres of park land were under cultivation. Seed, phosphates, and ground

agricultural limestone had been used to increase the fertility of the soil and expedite its

recovery. Since the cessation of agriculture had increased the erosion, some lands were leased

for farming. [118]

Wildlife management has not played a large role in resource management activities at

Kennesaw Mountain NBP, primarily due to the amount of settlement around the park. In the

years before the park, most of the land was actively used for agriculture; any wildlife in the

area was largely restricted to the woodlands. But even with the forests, the number of

farmhouses and roads tended to keep away all but the smaller wildlife. With the

establishment of the park and the removal of many of those residences, wildlife did gradually

increase.

There were even a couple of attempts to re-introduce certain species to the park. In 1940, the

Georgia Division of Wildlife released 100 quail outside the park, many of which did

subsequently move onto park lands. In 1941, there was a proposal to release quail directly

into the park where they would be protected and would consequently increase in numbers.

The surplus could then be trapped and transferred to other areas. But the NPS did not

approve of the trapping. Instead, it was suggested that the park establish plant cover and food

sources that might attract the quail, provided this could be done without interfering with the
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management of the park as an historic site. [119]

Since those early years, natural resource management has continued to be an area of

emphasis at Kennesaw Mountain NBP. Fire prevention, removal of exotic plant species, vista

clearing, trail maintenance, and erosion control have constituted the majority of the effort.

CULTURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Cultural resource management concerns at Kennesaw Mountain NBP have, in many ways,

been addressed through the natural resource management activities. Planting of fields,

reforesting of certain areas, and clearing of historic house sites and roadbeds was intended to

preserve, and in some instances, recreate to a certain extent the historic scene on the

battlefield. [120] The only historic building in the park is the Kolb House. Its exterior was

restored in 1963 to the appearance it had in June 1864.

The primary cultural resources of Kennesaw Mountain NBP are the entrenchments and gun

emplacements that survive on the battlefield. For many years they suffered from the effects of

pedestrian traffic, vegetation encroachment, and erosion. But by the 1970s and 1980s more

stabilization and restoration was being done. In 1982, the earthworks on Big Kennesaw

Mountain, Pigeon Hill, and Cheatham Hill were fertilized and reseeded. In 1984, further work

was done on the Big Kennesaw gun emplacements including the addition of dirt and selective

tree removal. [121]

Cultural resource management at Kennesaw Mountain NBP has also included the

preservation of the monuments, most notably the Illinois Monument. In 1986, cultural

resource specialists determined that the base must be properly crowned to allow adequate

drainage. Splitting and crumbling of the floor had necessitated its replacement. In 1991, the

eagle at the top, which had been damaged by a thunderstorm in 1984, was repaired and

replaced. The pieces had been taken to Georgia Marble Company, which had done the

original in 1914. [122]

Some of the most extensive cultural resource management done at the park has been

archeological. The first archeological investigation directly associated with Kennesaw

Mountain NBP was conducted in July 1939 by NPS archeologist Charles H. Fairbanks, who

made a collection of prehistoric Indian artifacts from private property adjacent to the park.

However, the major purpose for his visit to the park was to confer with Superintendent B. C.

Yates regarding proposed test excavations to locate Confederate trenches between Dallas

Road and Cheatham Hill. Those excavations were carried out by Yates and CCC laborers in

August. [123] Archeological work in subsequent years was also project related. In 1975, the

NPS contracted with Anne F. Rogers, of the University of Georgia, to conduct a preliminary

surface survey of the park. Although limited in scope, the survey located 72 historic sites and

features including the sites of seven buildings. In 1980, Cobb County archeologist Lawrence

W. Meier made a survey of a proposed sewer line in the Dallas-Marietta highway right-ofway. During August 1985, Allen H. Cooper surveyed and tested the proposed route of a

handicapped access trail from Gilbert Road to the 24 Gun Battery. Also in 1985, the

Southeast Archeological Center surveyed and tested an area which would be impacted by the

widening of Powder Springs Road. In September 1987, Georgia Department of

Transportation archeologist William R. Bowen surveyed and tested a 100-835 foot wide

corridor along the portion of Dallas Road within the park. Ten historic features were

discovered, including three houses and a group of rifle pits that had been previously

unknown. [124]

Another discovery in the park occurred in 1980 when park staff found a number of
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prehistoric rock mounds. It was later determined that there may be as many as 500. Although

little is known about the origins of the mounds they are considered a significant cultural

resource.

In the 1980s, Kennesaw Mountain NBP began to reflect the NPS' overall greater awareness

of the need for a planned approach to resource management. A resource management plan

was prepared for the park that identified its baseline natural and cultural resources and

determined what was needed by park management to assure their preservation. For the first

time cultural resource issues were specified. Among the needs cited were a plan for a

complete survey of earthworks in the park, an archeological assessment of the park,

especially an evaluation of the prehistoric rock mounds, and the preparation of an historic

ground cover plan. Park management today is working toward these goals.

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Kennesaw Mountain NBP: Administrative History (Chapter 6)

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Kennesaw Mountain

Administrative History

CHAPTER 6:

Planning Efforts at Kennesaw Mountain NBP

1939 MASTER PLAN

From 1933 to 1939, the goal of most work done at Kennesaw Mountain NBP was the

accomplishment of specific tasks. Civil Works Administration workers were occupied with

forest clean-up, erosion control, and other grounds work intended to stabilize the landscape.

But with the establishment of the CCC camp in 1938, with its steady supply of labor, the

National Park Service began to plan for the long range development of the park. As a

consequence, the first Master Plan was prepared and completed in 1939. It addressed the

development of roads, trails, and utilities.

The establishment of a park road system was a priority in the Master Plan. It recommended

the improvement of the existing rough road up Big Kennesaw so that visitors could ascend to

the top. From there it would be possible to become oriented to the field of battle and gain a

better understanding of the mountain's importance in the military operations of 1864. Parking

would be located below the crest but a trail would allow access to the Confederate battery

positions. [125]

As for the rest of the park, the plan called for a loop road system that would connect specific

points selected for interpretation of the military actions in the vicinity. The road that would

cross Burnt Hickory and Dallas roads would do so at grade, but it was anticipated that when

traffic in the area became heavier, overpasses would be necessary. All park roads were to be

located along the ridgelines, to the rear of the entrenchments. This would prevent intrusion

into the historic fabric of the park, but would still allow access to the key portions of the

battlefield. All roads would be two way and hard surfaced.

Aside from facilitating access to the battlefield, another objective of a closed loop road

system was the establishment of some measure of control over traffic in the park. Those

roads not serving an historic area and not needed for interpretive purposes were to be closed

to the public. Their use was to be restricted to the movement of materials, for the patrol of

the park, and as fire truck trails. Historic roads were not to be used for modern traffic

because of the damage it could inflict. Certain portions of these roads could be preserved as

field exhibits, while others could become trails.

To allow the visitor greater access to the battlefield, a number of trails were to be developed.

These trails would radiate from each of the developed areas and would be connected at some

point with one another. In certain strategic areas, trailside exhibits, including maps,

photographs and narratives, would be placed.

The first priority for construction of roads within the park would be that portion extending

from Burnt Hickory across Dallas to Powder Springs Road. The portions of Stilesboro and

Old Mountain roads that extended from Highway 41 to Burnt Hickory would be utilized to

gain access to the park road system.
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In addition to the roads, the Master Plan also addressed the development of the proposed new

headquarters area, at the base of Big Kennesaw, and six other "developed areas" within the

park. In the headquarters area, construction of certain utilities would be necessary. For water,

a 20,000 gallon water tank was to be built on the side of the mountain. The sewage disposal

system was to be designed in such a way that only one septic tank and one disposal field

would be necessary. Power and telephone lines were to be placed underground. The objective

was to have as little direct visual impact as possible. [126]

The other areas to be developed included the line of Federal assault along Burnt Hickory; the

Federal position at Horseshoe Bend, the line of Confederate assault on Powder Springs Road,

and the scene of the Federal flanking movements that forced the Confederates to retire from

the field. Each of the points was chosen for its accessibility, visibility, and historic

significance. Development of each would require restoration of fields and woodland,

construction of overlooks, erection of trailside exhibits and markers, construction of trails

and parking, marking of building sites; restoration of fortifications, period homes, and

possibly of schools, churches, and mills. Undesirable structures would be razed. [127]

The 1939 Master Plan was the first comprehensive plan for the development of Kennesaw

Mountain NBP but it was not the last. For the next decade, park officials worked to

implement the projects it had outlined. They also revised and refined the plan in subsequent

versions. Some projects, such as development of the headquarters area, were accomplished

just as they were planned. But others, most notably the construction of a closed loop road

system, were altered as circumstances warranted. At a March 1947 planning conference, a

number of changes were made in the proposal for the road. It was decided that Stilesboro

Road would be used to reach the 24 gun battery; a new road would be constructed from the

battery to Burnt Hickory; Burnt Hickory would be used for access to the Pigeon Hill area;

and a road would be built on the ridge east of Pigeon Hill across Noyes Creek to Dallas

Road. There an overpass was to be built so the road could junction with the road to

Cheatham Hill, which would then be extended to the Kolb House.

But even these road plans were not fully implemented. Circumstances continued to conspire

against the planners and the ever changing situation demanded preparation of new plans.

MISSION 66 MASTER PLAN

With the inauguration of the Service-wide Mission 66 program in 1956, Kennesaw Mountain

NBP entered a new round of planning activity. Anticipating an influx of new money from the

program, park officials began considering the further development of the park. The Mission

66 plan also considered what kind of a park organization would be necessary for its effective

implementation.

According to the plan, the objectives of the park program were the administration and

protection of the area and the provision of adequate services and interpretation for the

visitors. To accomplish these goals, several things were necessary. To protect the park and its

resources, more effort was to be made in establishing and maintaining good public relations.

Contacts with local media and park neighbors were to be actively pursued. By doing so, park

officials hoped to enlist the public's aid in preserving the park. In addition, soil and moisture

conservation work and fire protection efforts were to remain top priorities. [128]

To facilitate visitor services, a new visitor center was to be built in the headquarters area.

Here, a museum, audio-visual devices, and information services would be readily available.

Other interpretive devices would include literature, roadside exhibits, signs, panoramic

sketches, and maps. The building would house the park's administrative offices as well. The
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proposal also called for the construction of additional maintenance facilities. [129]

Plans for the road system had been altered again, but the basic proposal for a closed loop

remained. Key historic points were to be connected by a ridgeline road that would overpass

Burnt Hickory and Dallas roads. The system would have one entrance and would enable park

officials to control, to some extent, access and traffic. The construction of the new Highway

41 made it desirable to acquire land for a new entrance road. [130]

The Mission 66 plan also considered the problems posed by the privately owned in-holdings.

With the growth of Cobb County and the Marietta area, land use patterns had changed.

Agricultural use of the in-holdings was being replaced with residential development. Park

management subsequently began to consider the possibilities of additional land acquisition.

Such a move, though, would require new legislation. [131]

To administer and operate the park there would be a superintendent, a ranger, an historian, an

administrative aid, a clerk-stenographer, and an information-specialist. These full-time

employees were to be supplemented with two historians and two seasonal rangers for six

months each year (April-September). There would also be a maintenance man and two

laborers.

The superintendent was charged with the responsibility of interpreting and applying all

phases of NPS policies and with the administration of the area and general supervision over

all planning and development. The business operations of his office were conducted by the

administrative aid.

The ranger was to be responsible for the protection and preservation of the park area; all

activities connected with forestry, wildlife, grounds, trail maintenance, forest fire suppression,

land appraisal and acquisition, enforcement of all applicable laws, rules, and regulations, fire

prevention and control, insect control, traffic control, furnishing of park and directional

information, and cooperative observance and recordation of weather. Hunting regulations

were enforced with the cooperation of state and county agencies.

The interpretive effort was to be directed by the historian. He supervised a program of

interpretive lectures, conducted tours, and information services to acquaint visitors with park

history and other features of interest. In addition, he conducted research, supervised the

operation of the museum and park library, the painting of signs and trailside exhibits, and the

collection and tabulation of records of park travel use. [132]

The maintenance man supervised all maintenance activities including utilities, water and

sewage systems, plumbing and heating systems, the operation of the garage and repair shops,

and the upkeep of all tools and materials. [133]

Following the completion of the Mission 66 program, planning at Kennesaw Mountain NBP

became less concerned with development and more emphasis was placed on management of

the park in the face of changing conditions. By the 1970s, increasing visitation and pressures

from surrounding development had made management of the park more challenging. Aside

from the heavy traffic and recreational use of the park, there was more vandalism, metal

detecting, and other law enforcement problems. [134]

GENERAL MANAGEMENT PLAN

By the 1980s, these problems and pressures had become so great that park management

instituted some restrictions and made some changes to the way the park was used. Primary

among these changes were the designation of specific areas for recreational use; the shifting
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of living history programs from the field near the visitor center to Cheatham Hill as a means

of providing an official presence there to deter misuse; and the prohibition against drug and

alcohol use in the park. Other changes, intended to promote the preservation of park

resources, included the stabilization of earthworks, the strengthening of the interpretive

program with new waysides, and a better safeguarding of the park's collection and

archeological resources. [135]

Individual components of the plan included land use and management, resource management,

visitor use and interpretation, general development, and boundary adjustments and land

protection.

For land use and management, the park was divided into two management zones. The historic

zone, totaling approximately 2878 acres, was the largest. Emphasis was to be placed on

preservation and interpretation of historic sites, structures and objects. The park development

zone consisted of the 4-5 acres around the visitor center, maintenance facility, and park

housing. Resource management placed emphasis on preservation of the park's collection,

structures, and archeological resources. This included the rehabilitation of earthworks as a

part of the effort to restore the park's historic scene. Interpretation was to take place at six

nodes: orientation at the visitor center with printed and graphic interpretive displays at Big

Kennesaw, Pigeon Hill, Cheatham Hill, the 24 gun battery, and Kolb Farm. A wayside exhibit

plan was to be prepared by Harpers Ferry Center. No further development was planned, with

the exception of some additional parking at selected sites. In fact, some previous

development, such as the picnic tables and toilets at Cheatham Hill, were to be removed. In

an attempt to deal more directly with the development pressures from outside, park

management committed to being more involved in reviewing new proposals adjacent to park

land. [136]

In 1989, park officials again addressed the major issues and objectives facing the park when

they prepared a Statement for Management and a Land Protection Plan. The pressures of

outside development, the need for more intensive resource protection, and the determination

of how best to accommodate a growing number of visitors were identified as major areas of

concern for future management.

Throughout its history, planning efforts have been a vital part of Kennesaw Mountain NBP's

story. From the early years of the Master Plan through the ambitious Mission 66 plan,

development was the primary focus. Getting people to the park and providing facilities and

services for them once they were there was the objective. But by the 1970s and 1980s,

planning efforts relected the changes the park and the vicinity had undergone. Instead of

needing to facilitate access to the park and attract more visitors, park management found

itself facing problems brought on by too much accessibility and too many visitors. The goal

was no longer development but wise and effective management. That goal will remain the

challenge of Kennesaw Mountain NBP's managers well into the future.

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Kennesaw Mountain

Administrative History

CHAPTER 7:

Under Siege: Managing Kennesaw Mountain NBP

TOWERS ON BIG KENNESAW

In its earliest years, Kennesaw Mountain NBP was located in a rural area and was removed

from any real urban pressures. Most residential and all commercial development was in

Marietta, two miles away. Even the primary roads through the park were unpaved and

unimproved. But gradually, over a period of years, the pressures from a growing urban

spread began to make themselves known to park managers. Increasingly, requests were made

for using Big Kennesaw Mountain for radio towers, for crossing park lands with utility lines,

and for widening and further improving roads that passed through the park. Changing usage

of the park by visitors also brought new challenges for managers.

The earliest request concerning Big Kennesaw Mountain was in 1939, when the Civil

Aeronautics Administration, which had maintained an airplane beacon on the mountain since

before the park was established, wanted to build a new, taller tower. Concerned about the

visual effect, the NPS rejected the request for a new tower but did allow an increase in the

beacon's candlepower. The CAA also agreed to place its cable underground. With this

decision, a precedent was set and subsequent requests for towers by AT& T, Southern Bell,

and the Georgia State Department of Forestry were denied. [137]

UTILITIES

Requests for permission to route utility lines through the park were not so easy to deny,

though. The basic policy of park officials was to limit the impact of such utilities as much as

possible; avoidance of park lands was the preferred alternative. In 1938, the NPS had

persuaded the Cobb County Rural Electric Administration to avoid erecting power lines on

park lands. However, sometimes it was impossible to go around the park, as when the new

headquarters area was developed at the base of Big Kennesaw Mountain. In those cases, the

solution was to put the lines underground. When it was not possible either to avoid the park

or put the lines underground, managers worked hard to assure that the lines were as

unobtrusive as possible. In 1940, when a new right-of-way was granted to AT& T for the

placement of overhead lines, it was with the stipulation that they be relocated to a less visible

area. For those utility lines along Highway 41, the park planted trees for screening. [138]

As development increased in the succeeding years, these kinds of requests became more

frequent and park managers found themselves feeling more pressure from local officials and

developers. Some of these requests were approved, but always under strict conditions so that

the impact was limited. Generally, these utilities were installed underground, within road

right-of-ways. [139]

In addition to utilities, development brought other requests involving park lands. In April

1966, Superintendent Vincent Ellis met with Edward Felmer regarding his proposal to
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construct a 60 unit campground on a tentatively selected site between Stilesboro Road and the

railroad tracks within the park. Ellis was able to dissuade him. But, in July and August, he,

and regional staff, were engaged in negotiations with the Cobb County Youth Museum

regarding its request for an access road across park lands to its property. This proposal was

eventually accepted and the access road was built from Cheatham Hill Drive to the museum

under the terms of a special use permit. [140]

INCREASING VISITATION AND ITS CONSEQUENCES

But outside development was not the only pressure the park was experiencing. Growing

numbers of visitors began to threaten park resources and force management to do things

differently. Since it was one of the few open areas in the rapidly developing county, the park

came to be viewed as a recreational area by many of the local residents. Picnics, kite flying,

sunbathing, and other recreational activities became predominant in the park, especially on

weekends. By 1974 traffic had become such a problem on weekends that on one occasion

firemen attempting to reach a blaze in the park were delayed for more than an hour. [141]

Traffic was particularly a problem on the Kennesaw Mountain road. By 1974, an average of

1000 cars were on the road on a busy Sunday. However, there was only enough parking for

33 at the top. As a result, many people parked. along the road further restricting traffic.

Numerous accidents took place in spite of the efforts of four rangers on traffic control duty.

Larger numbers of visitors on the mountain also led to increasing law enforcement problems

such as vandalism, relic hunting, use of alcohol and drugs at the old quarry, after hours

visitors, and occasional assaults.

In an attempt to solve some of these problems, park management decided to control access to

the mountain by instituting an emergency bus service. For 17 weekends between March 16

and July 7, 1974, two chartered buses were employed to carry visitors to the top. Private auto

use of the road on those weekends was suspended. The results were dramatic. First of all, it

eliminated the traffic problem and parking congestion. But is also resulted in less littering,

vandalism, and illegal drug and alcohol use. In addition, park managers discovered that the

bus service required less personnel and freed rangers to concentrate their efforts on resource

protection and interpretation. Rangers on buses were able to present interpretive programs to

the passengers and personal contact between rangers and visitors increased.

The success of the emergency program led to a formal transportation study prepared by Ralph

Liss Associates, under contract to the Denver Service Center. Citing the benefits of the bus

service, the study recommended that the system be implemented on a regular basis beginning

in 1975. The mountain road could remain open through the week but on weekends and

holidays during the busier season access to the crest should be by bus only. As visitation

increased, park management should consider using it daily. [142]

Despite the success of the bus program, there continued to be problems in other areas of the

park with the increasing number of recreational users and there were more incidents

involving drugs and alcohol, excessive noise, and destruction of property. In 1982, park

management began to consider the designation of specific areas for recreational uses and in

1983 began bringing rangers in from other parks to help deal with law enforcement problems.

[143]

In 1984, a new General Management Plan for Kennesaw Mountain NBP was released and the

concept of specifically designated recreational areas became official policy. Three sites were

selected: along Cheatham Hill Road just south of Dallas Road (30 acres); off of Old Highway

41 east of the headquarters (15 acres); and off of Stilesboro Road east of the headquarters (15
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acres). Explaining the changes, Superintendent Ralph Bullard said, "We're going to do the

bulk of our enforcement through interpretation. We want people to understand that times

have changed and we're just getting too many people here." Other plans included repairing

damage to earthworks. [144]

In addition to setting aside recreation areas, new regulations prohibited the use of alcohol or

controlled substances in "designated historic interpretive areas, parking lots, recreation and

picnic areas." With vigorous enforcement, these regulations resulted in fewer incidents. [145]

The new regulations aroused some opposition though. Responding to complaints from

constituents, Representative Buddy Darden, of the 7th District, said, "They're very unhappy

about the unnecessary strict regulations that have been imposed regarding the use of

recreational areas in the park." Sympathizing with them, he further added, "I understand the

need to monitor activities of visitors to the parks to prevent vandalism and crime. But I also

believe these parks are meant for the enjoyment and use of the public and not to be treated

solely as a museum." [146]

In addition to restricting recreational use, park management began denying permits for

activities it considered incompatible with the historic mandate of the park. The denial of one

such request for a road race brought a written inquiry from Representative Darden. Not

satisfied with the NPS' answer that policy had changed to emphasize the historic nature of the

park, Darden questioned the wisdom of such a policy. To him, " . . . the seemingly harsh or

unreasonable application of policies which prohibit the reasonable use of these facilities

seriously undermines public confidence and support . . . " for the national park system. As a

newly elected representative of the public, he wanted to remind the NPS that it was

dependent for its support on people like him. [147]

Despite the thinly veiled threat in Darden's letter, the NPS stood by its policies. In a reply

drafted by Superintendent Bullard, the NPS acknowledged the need of Darden's support but

also requested his ". . . understanding of a park dedicated to historical events . . . ." The

national park system, because of the diversity of its sites, needed to be managed by policies

appropriate to each of these sites. Kennesaw Mountain NBP was an historical area and

therefore had to be managed as such. Managing it as a recreational area would be

inappropriate. [148]

Not all people, however, shared Darden's belief that the regulations were unduly restrictive.

In fact, many local officials and residents welcomed the changes. Kennesaw Mountain NBP

had developed a notorious reputation as a place for "hanging out" and "cruising" activities

during the annual "rites of spring." Residents near the park were unhappy with the traffic and

numerous alcohol-related incidents. Working with Cobb County and Marietta officials to

implement the new regulations, the NPS was able to significantly decrease problems with

both. There was also general public acceptance of the separation of conflicting uses because

there were still some areas for recreation. The local press and the park visitors also supported

the changes. The park's efforts to use interpretation and education as the primary means of

communicating the changes proved successful. [149]

PRESSURE FROM OUTSIDE DEVELOPMENT

The change in policy and new regulations were an important step in the preservation of

Kennesaw NBP, but pressures on the park continued. The development of residential

subdivisions on the edges of the park, and especially on the private in-holdings, resulted in

numerous encroachments onto park land. To deal with this problem, the park began a project

to "re-establish its boundaries" with new and clearer markings. Residents were informed that
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they would have to remove any and all fences, vehicles, outbuildings, and anything else they

might have on park property. [150]

Private property surrounded by park land presented special problems since residents had to

cross park land to get home. Certain allowances were made but still problems arose. One

such incident took place in 1987 when Fred C. Davison, who owned 40 acres on the western

boundary of the park, announced his plans to enlarge his 12-foot dirt easement across park

property to 50 feet and pave it. This would have been a major encroachment on a nearby

entrenchment. To stop the action, the Department of the Interior filed a suit against Davison

and gained a restraining order. The issue was partially resolved when Davison sold the

property to a Marietta development company which could gain access to the property without

crossing park land. But to avoid any future disputes, the National Park Service paid Davison

$90,000 to relinquish his claim to the easement; the payment was part of the settlement of the

court case. [151]

In addition to these pressures, the park experienced threats from commercial development. In

1988, a developer proposed the construction of a shopping center and office park on a 4.3

acre tract at the southeast corner of Powder Springs and Callaway roads, across from the

Kolb House. Such a project would destroy the historic character of the farm. Fortunately,

Superintendent Larry Steeler was able to work with the Cobb County Historic Preservation

Commission to oppose the rezoning of the site from residential to commercial. As a result,

the project was abandoned. Since then the park has continued to work with the Commission

in an effort to keep land next to the park zoned for low density development. As Steeler put

it, " . . . there's much less of a visual impact on the park from a single-family residential

home than there is from having a warehouse next door." [152]

But despite these successes, the pressures continued to mount. Traffic was still so heavy on

the weekends that some road sections were converted to one-way only during those periods.

Encroachments from adjacent property owners was a continuing problem. Countless trails cut

across park lands, sometimes directly over fragile earthworks. Things had begun to improve

but park management realized that it was going to be an on going struggle. [153]

One of the problems that management had to deal with directly was the increasing use of

park trails by riders of mountain bikes. Earlier problems with motor bike use of the trails had

been largely resolved through stricter enforcement of regulations, but by the late 1980s some

people felt that mountain bikes fell into the non-motorized category and should be allowed on

the trail. In fact, Kennesaw Mountain NBP began to be publicized by patrons of the sport as

an ideal location. But, citing concern for the safety of other visitors and for the impact of

such activities on the trails, Superintendent Larry Steeler banned mountain bikes from the

trails in October 1989. This elicited strong protests from the Southern Off-Road Biking

Association which asserted that the ban was discriminatory. For a time the controversy was

heated but in the end, the ban was enforced. [154]

One consequence of the growth and development of west Cobb County that has had a major

impact has been the widening of roads through the park to accommodate more traffic.

Despite one early threat in 1944 when survey parties ran lines through the park in anticipation

of a new national highway, Kennesaw Mountain NBP was free from any substantial road

changes until the 1980s. [155] Roads were improved but, in general, were not greatly altered.

With the increase in the volume of traffic, though, the state and Cobb County began planning

for the widening of the primary roadways.

The first road widening to affect the park was that of Powder Springs Road in 1984. The road

had been realigned and paved in the 1930s and gradually widened over the years but Cobb

County wanted to make it into a four-lane roadway. The county owned enough right-of-way
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to construct the widened road but requested an additional easement for construction of the

road shoulders, safety slopes, and drainage channels. Although unhappy with the impact of

the new road on the park, especially the subsequent diminishing of the historic scene around

the Kolb House, the NPS granted the easement because without it the road would have

required curbing, vertical concrete retaining walls, and guard rails. Park management felt that

these things would have had an even greater adverse impact. The State Historic Preservation

Officer reluctantly agreed with the NPS' approval of the project but expressed concern "that

this is another example of a piecemeal approach which . . . as part of a series of small

individual encroachments could become a major concern for the overall park plan." [156]

As part of the agreement, the NPS informed Cobb County officials that it would not consider

any future road projects through the park unless an Environmental Analysis of Alternatives

was done first. The hope was to gain cooperation for future planning. However, such

planning has not yet taken place.

The Powder Springs Road project was only the first. In 1985, the Georgia Department of

Transportation (GDOT) announced its plans to widen Dallas Road from the Cobb-Paulding

county line east into Marietta. Like the rest, the two-lane section through the park was to be

made into four lanes. Anticipating a severe adverse impact, the NPS opposed the project. In a

letter to the GDOT, drafted by Superintendent Bullard, the NPS likened the situation to a

1958 request for a right-of-way that was refused. On that occasion, the NPS stated that "our

policy . . . is to refuse all requests for road right-of-ways that do not directly benefit a

particular park or its visitors. Even more, it is our policy to encourage the development of

through highways on routes that would bypass our parks and monuments and leave them

undisturbed." [157]

Specifically, park officials had concerns about the impact of the design on park resources and

about the cumulative impacts of all road widening proposals. Bullard stated his belief that, "in

widening the Powder Springs road, . . . we understood that a highway connector to the west

of the park would first be constructed to funnel traffic to the north into U. S. 41 and I-75, and

south into Powder Springs road, thereby relieving the Dallas Highway and Burnt Hickory

road of future traffic problems." [158]

At a public meeting in June 1986, the NPS again expressed its concerns and asked that

alternatives be developed. But GDOT was not interested in alternatives. At a meeting with

park staff, on June 26, it indicated that 100 feet of right-of-way was needed. The state already

owned 80 feet but design plans called for four twelve foot lanes, a twenty foot median, two

ten foot refuge lanes and two six foot shoulders. The designs also revealed that the proposed

alignment was directly across a major Confederate gun emplacement on the north side of the

existing road. The possibility of losing such a significant resource alarmed park officials and

they asked that the road be realigned to the south. They also opposed the 100 feet of right-of

way and the impacts it would have. In response, GDOT stated that it could build the entire

road within the existing 80 foot right-of-way but it would then build retaining walls and deny

turning access at Cheatham Hill Drive. [159]

Meetings between NPS and GDOT continued over the next two years. Compromises were

made and some alterations in the design took place. DOT agreed to landscape the median and

provide a traffic light at Cheatham Hill Drive. The alignment was shifted to avoid an historic

house site and the Confederate gun emplacement. It was also decided to construct a

pedestrian underpass between Cheatham Hill Drive and John Ward Road. [160]

With these agreements, the GDOT proceeded to revise its designs. By 1991, its revisions

were complete and consultation with the NPS began once again. In still more meetings in

1992, further changes were made. The pedestrian underpass was dropped because of the
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impact its construction would have on the Cheatham Hill area. GDOT also agreed to change

the grade of some of the slopes to minimize the loss of earthworks on the south side of the

road. But even with these alterations, the NPS continued to express its concern about the

cumulative impact of road widening projects and the lack of alternatives. As of this writing,

the NPS and GDOT are still negotiating this project.

The proposal to widen Dallas Road is an excellent example of the kind of pressure Kennesaw

Mountain NBP is under because of increasing development that threatens to strangle it. More

people, more traffic, more encroachments, and more problems will result from this pressure.

Kennesaw Mountain NBP is rapidly becoming an urban park; it is no longer the peaceful,

rural battleground it once was in its early years. Coping with these pressures and maintaining

the integrity of this significant historic park is the continuing challenge of its managers.

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Kennesaw Mountain

Administrative History

APPENDIX 2:

Superintendents 1937-1993

KENNESAW MOUNTAIN NBP -SUPERINTENDENTS, 1937-1993

Bowling C. Yates, Jr., Acting 4/ 9/ 37 to 5/ 1/ 38 

Bowling C. Yates, Jr. 5/ 1/ 38 to 4/ 21/ 41 

George Y. Wilkins, Acting 5/ 8/ 41 to 4/ 19/ 43 

Olinus Smith, Acting 10/ 12/ 43 to 11/ 29/ 43 

Ivan H. Smalley, Acting 1/ 25/ 44 to 12/ 15/ 45 

Bowling C. Yates, Jr. 12/ 26/ 45 to 8/ 31/ 63 

Richard H. Boyer 9/ 15/ 63 to 1/ 15/ 66 

Vincent Ellis 3/ 13/ 66 to 5/ 2/ 70 

Carroll W. Ogle 6/ 28/ 70 to 5/ 14/ 72 

Bernard Goodman 4/ 30/ 72 to 6/ 23/ 73 

Joseph R. Miller 9/ 30/ 73 to 12/ 7/ 75 

Alvoid L. Rector 3/ 28/ 76 to 5/ 31/ 80 

Marvin Madry 9/ 21/ 80 to 1/ 19/ 85

Ralph T. Bullard 1/ 20/ 85 to 11/ 8/ 87 

Lawrence Steeler 12/ 10/ 87 to 8/ 24/ 91 

John Cissell 1/ 12/ 92 to

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Kennesaw Mountain

Administrative History

APPENDIX 3:

Visitation Statistics

1939 4648

1940 7650

1941 14,460

1942 18,430

1943 11,467

1944 15,579

1945 20,571

1946 24,776

1947 37,688

*Visitation figures for 1948-1959 could not be found.

1960 203,480

1961 199,171

1962 178,176

1963 203,642

1964 286,848

1965 426,362

1966 428,889

1967 196,133

1968 256,047

1969 258,148

1970 385,632

1971 492,086

1972 527,410

1973 589,747

1974 616,243

1975 598,750

1976 676,473

1977 734,872

1978 864,203

1979 876,352

1980 934,778

1981 1,009,433

1982 964,323

1983 2,455,582
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1984 2,426,658

1985 2,285,246

1986 2,174,492

1987 2,257,953

1988 2,206,433

1989 2,271,332

1990 2,293,220

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Kennesaw Mountain NBP: Administrative History (Appendix 4)

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Kennesaw Mountain

Administrative History

APPENDIX 4:

Legislation

An Act Authorizing the acceptance by the United States Government from the Kenesaw

Memorial Association of Illinois of a proposed gift of land on the Kenesaw battle field

in the State of Georgia, approved February 8, 1917 (39 Stat. 901)

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in

Congress assembled, That the Secretary of War be, and he is hereby, authorized and directed

to accept from the Kenesaw Memorial Association, a corporation organized under the laws of

the State of Illinois, a gift of certain land, with all the improvements thereon, comprising a

part of the Kenesaw battle field, said land being described as lot numbered one hundred and

sixteen and the east half of lot numbered one hundred and seven in the nineteenth district and

second section, in the county of Cobb and State of Georgia, and upon which a monument has

been erected to certain organizations that participated in the fighting on Kenesaw Mountain:

Provided, that no expense shall be incurred by the United States in carrying out the

provisions of this Act.

An Act Providing for an inspection of the Kennesaw Mountain and lost Mountain and

other battle fields in the State of Georgia, approved May 21, 1926 (44 Stat. 588)

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in

Congress assembled, That a commission is hereby created, to be composed of the following

members, who shall be appointed by the Secretary of War, for the purpose of inspecting the

Kennesaw Mountain, Lost Mountain, and other battle fields in the State of Georgia: A

commissioned officer of the Corps of Engineers, United States Army; a veteran of the Civil

War who served honorably in the military forces of the United States; and a veteran of the

Civil War who served honorably in the military forces of the Confederate States of America.

In appointing the members of the commission the Secretary of War shall, as far as possible,

select persons familiar with the terrain of the said battle fields and the historical events

associated therewith.

SEC. 2 It shall be the duty of the commission, acting under the direction of the Secretary of

War, to inspect the said battle fields in order to ascertain the feasibility of their acquisition for

the purpose of a national military park and of preserving and marking them for historical and

professional military study and to ascertain the value of lands necessary to acquire for this

purpose. The commission shall submit a report of its findings to the Secretary of War not

later than November 1, 1926.

SEC. 3 There is authorized to be appropriated, the sum of $5,000 in order to carry out the

provisions of this Act.

An Act To create a national memorial military park at and in the vicinity of Kennesaw

Mountain in the State of Georgia, and for other purposes, approved June 26, 1935 (49

Stat. 423)
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in

Congress assembled, That when title to all the lands, structures, and other property within the

military battlefield area and other areas of Civil War interest at and in the vicinity of

Kennesaw Mountain in the State of Georgia, as shall be designated by the Secretary of the

Interior, in the exercise of his discretion, as necessary or desirable for national battlefield

park purposes, shall have been vested in the United States, such areas shall be, and they are

hereby, established, dedicated, and set apart as a public park for the benefit and inspiration of

the people and shall be known as "Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park" (16 USC

sec. 430)

SEC. 2 That the Secretary of the Interior be, and he is hereby, authorized to accept donations

of land, interests in land, buildings, structures, and other property within the boundaries of

said national battlefield park as determined and fixed hereunder, the title and evidence of title

to lands purchased to be satisfactory to the secretary of the Interior: Provided, That under

such funds available therefor he may acquire on behalf of the United States by purchase when

purchasable at prices deemed by him reasonable, otherwise by condemnation under the

provisions of the Act of August 1, 1888, such tracts of land within the said national

battlefield park as may be necessary for the completion thereof. (16 USC sec. 430)

SEC. 3 Upon creation of the national battlefield park the Secretary of the Interior shall.

(a) Allow monuments and memorials to be erected in the park by and to the various

organizations and individuals of either the Union or Confederate Armies, subject to the

written approval of said Secretary as to the location and character of such monuments and

memorials.

(b) Make such regulations as are necessary from time to time for the care and protection of

the park. Any person violating such regulations shall be guilty of an offense punishable by a

fine of not more than $500, or imprisonment not exceeding six months, or both.

(c) Provide for the ascertainment and marking of the route of march of the Union and

Confederate armies from Chattanooga, Tennessee, through Georgia, and of principal battle

lines, breastworks, fortifications, and other historical features along such route, and for the

maintenance of such markers to such extent as deemed advisable and practicable. (16 USC

sec. 430)

SEC. 4 That the administration, protection, and development of the aforesaid national

battlefield park shall be exercised under the direction of the Secretary of the Interior by the

National Park Service subject to the provisions of the Act of August 25, 1916, entitled "An

Act to establish a National Park Service, and for other purposes," as amended (16 USC sec.

430)

SEC. 5 The sum of $100,000 is hereby authorized to be appropriated out of any sums in the

Treasury not otherwise appropriated for the purposes herein designated. (16 USC sec. 430)

SEC. 6 All Acts or parts of Acts inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby

repealed to the extent of such inconsistency.

An Act To amend the Act approved June 26, 1935, entitled "An Act to create a national

memorial military park at and in the vicinity of Kennesaw Mountain in the State of

Georgia, and for other purposes," approved August 9, 1939 (53 Stat. 1274)

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in

Congress assembled, That section 5 of the Act approved June 26, 1935, entitled "An Act to

create a national memorial military park at and in the vicinity of Kennesaw Mountain in the
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State of Georgia, and for other purposes," be, and the same is hereby, amended by striking

the period at the end thereof and inserting a colon and the following proviso: "Provided, That

if, after the expenditure of the funds herein authorized, the Secretary of the Interior shall

determine that the acquisition of additional lands is necessary in order to perfect the

symmetry of the park area or to acquire locations of historic interest adjacent to the park

already acquired upon which fortifications or entrenchments are located which are likely to

deteriorate or be destroyed under private ownership, he is authorized to acquire additional

lands for such purposes." (16 USC sec. 430)

SEC. 2 There is hereby authorized to be appropriated to carry out the purposes of this Act not

to exceed the sum of $55,000. (16 USC sec. 430)

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Kennesaw Mountain NBP: Administrative History (Appendix 5)

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Kennesaw Mountain

Administrative History

APPENDIX 5:

Project Superintendent Paul Barnes to Director, July 8, 1941 

CCC work accomplished from July 1, 1938 to June 30, 1941 

1. Reconstructed old farm house into administration building 

2. Reconstructed old farm house into superintendent's residence 

3. Constructed combined toolroom and office 

4. Constructed storage shed 

5. Construction begun on equipment storage building 

6. Constructed camp garage 

7. Constructed repair shop 

8. Constructed latrines and toilets at Cheatham Hill and Big Kennesaw 

9. Constructed telephone line to lookout tower 

10. Constructed 20,000 gallon reservoir 

11. Constructed 6/ 10 of a mile of crushed stone road at Cheatham Hill 

12. Completed 3500 feet of preliminary grading between Dallas and Burnt Hickory roads 

13. Widened shoulders of U. S. 41; included headwalls, ditches, slopes, and plantings

14. Erosion control -filled gullies, sloped banks, seeded, sodded, planted 

15. Fought 29 fires that burned 18.72 acres 

16. Planted 600 seedlings per acre on 116 acres 

17. Obliterated terraces, scars, abandoned wells 

18. Constructed parking area at Cheatham Hill 

19. Provided 1766 mandays of interpretation 

20. Worked at removal of kudzu and other exotics 

21. Marked 13 miles of boundary 

22. Moved 21 cannons from Chickamauga / Chattanooga NMP 

23. Located 1800 feet of Confederate lines as part of archeological work for Cheatham Hill

road

Acting Superintendent George Wilkins to Regional Director, June 2, 1942 

Status of CCC work as of March 10, 1942 

1. Two old residences and one barn razed 

2. Administration building completed in April 1940 

3. Camp garage completed in February 1939 

4. Tool room/ office completed in February 1940 

5. Archeological work completed in March 1940 

6. Flagpole completed in March 1940 

7. Powder magazine completed in March 1940

8. Lumber storage sheds completed in March 1941 

9. Repair shop -80% complete 

10. Equipment storage -90% complete 

11. Latrines / toilets -90% complete 

12. Signs -25% complete
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Kennesaw Mountain NBP: Administrative History (Photographs)

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Kennesaw Mountain

Administrative History

PHOTOGRAPHS

Photograph 1. First park structure at

Cheatham Hill, contact station, c1934

Photograph 2. The Hyde House, park

headquarters, 1939
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Photograph 3. Kolb House, prior to

restoration, 1941

Photograph 4. Registration desk at

Cheatham Hill, 1942

Photograph 5. Status of work on Big

Kennesaw Mountain road, 1951
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Photograph 6. Kolb House, after restoration,

1963

Photograph 7. Moving cannon into place on

Little Kennesaw Mountain, 1968

Photograph 8. Living history, soldier life

talk, 1974
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Photograph 9. Cannon firing demonstration,

1974

Photograph 10. Recreational use and

uncontrolled parking along Highway 41 in

front of visitor center, 1974

Photograph 11. Bus service to top of Big

Kennesaw Mountain, 1974

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Kennesaw Mountain NBP: Administrative History (Bibliography)

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Kennesaw Mountain

Administrative History

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Cooper, Allen H., Jackson W. Moore, Jr., John Walker. 1985-1986 Archeological

Investigations at the Kolb Farm Battlefield Site, National Park Service, 1989.

Grossman, Charles S. Historic Structures Report, Part 1, Architectural Data Section, January

1962.

Grossman, Charles S. Historic Structures Report, Part 2, Architectural Data Section, January

1963.

Historic Listing of National Park Service Officials. U. S. Department of the Interior, May 1,

1986.

Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park Files.

Macintosh, Barry. Interpretation in the National Park Service: A Historical Perspective,

National Park Service, 1986.

McMurry, Richard M. The Road Past Kennesaw: The Atlanta Campaign of 1864 National

Park Service, 1972.

National Archives. National Park Service Central Classified Files, 1939-1949, Record Group

79, Boxes 2586, 2587, 2588, 2589, 2590, 2594, 2595. Kennesaw Mountain National

Battlefield Park.

National Archives. War Department Records, 1892-1937, Record Group 79, Box 43.

Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park.

National Archives. Mid-Atlantic Branch, Record Group 79, Box 81. Kennesaw Mountain

National Battlefield Park.

Newspaper Clipping File, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. Holdings include

coverage from the 1930s to the present from the following: Cobb County Times, The

Marietta Journal, The Marietta Daily Journal, Atlanta Journal/ Constitution.

Rogers, Edmund, compiler. History of Legislation Related to the National Park System

Through the 82nd Congress, U. S. Department of the Interior, 1958.

Transcript of Record, U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit. Kennesaw Mountain

Association v. U. S. of A. Federal Records Center, Atlanta, Georgia.

Unrau, Harlan D. and G. Frank Williss. Administrative History: Expansion of the National

Park Service in the 1930s, National Park Service, 1983.

Yates, B. C. Historic Cobb County, no date.
Kennesaw Mountain NBP: Administrative History (Bibliography)

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Yates, B. C. "Kennesaw Mountain and the Atlanta Campaign," Regional Review, OctoberNovember 1939, Volume 3, 11-12.

Yates, B. C. Origin and Expansion of Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield Park, National Park

Service, 1941.

Yates, B. C. History of Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, February 1941 -

February 1948, National Park Service, 1948.

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