Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 31, 1995 TAG: 9503310089
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: FARMVILLE LENGTH: Medium
But with the path of Lee's final march now dotted with historical markers, outlined on state highway maps and being promoted as a new regional tourist venue, Hillsman expects visits from lost strangers to slow to a trickle.
Hillsman and several men in gray Confederate uniforms formed a color guard Wednesday as Gov. George Allen and other state and local dignitaries dedicated the 20-stop, 90-mile Driving Tour of the Route of Lee's Retreat.
``I'm an amateur armchair historian, and I love anything that promotes the history of the area,'' Hillsman said after the hour-long ceremony in Farmville, one of the stops along the self-guided tour route.
The drive takes tourists off U.S. 460 for a backroads jaunt through the countryside of seven counties in Southside Virginia where tourism previously was little more than an afterthought.
``The Lee retreat program is really the first venture for Prince Edward County into tourism,'' said Sarah Elam, the county's director of economic development.
``Until we found Lee's Retreat, we hadn't found our niche.''
She said there has long been interest in Petersburg, which fell to Union troops April 3, 1865, and Appomattox Court House, where Lee surrendered to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant six days later. But the driving tour will also acquaint tourists with such places as Marshall's Crossroads, where Union cavalry won a skirmish with Confederate infantry, and Farmville, where Grant's soldiers scuttled Lee's attempt to issue rations to his troops.
Allen said in his keynote speech that the tour will serve two purposes: historic preservation and economic development.
``What we're doing here is not just promoting the retreat ... but promoting greater cultural awareness,'' Allen said.
Chris Calkins, a National Park Service historian at Petersburg National Battlefield, said he expects the retreat route to increase attendance at the battlefield, but he is not sure how much. About 600,000 people visit the battlefield each year. Maps for the tour are available there.
``Every year, interest in the war gets greater and greater,'' Calkins said. ``There's always been a strong interest for people to see this route. Now it will be easier.''
Calkins wrote a 3- to 5-minute audio narrative that explains the significance of each stop. Visitors tune their car radios to 1610 on the AM dial to receive the narrative. Calkins also wrote the text for marker signs at the sites.
The total cost of the markers and other items required for the tour was $607,000. It was funded by the localities and the state.
by CNB