Andersonville prison site now a war memorial

The reconstructed north gate of the confederate prison.

The overall Confederate prison site

The cemetery, showing the Minnesota monument and the civil war.

Road trip: Andersonville/Americus By LORI JOHNSTON
For AJC Gwinnett News

Published on: 07/20/07

We turn off the radio as we pull into the Andersonville National Historic Site. As we creep along the park's winding route, we roll down the windows and peer at the rolling landscape that was home to the Civil War's most notorious prison.

The 26.5-acre site in southwest Georgia has been preserved by the National Park Service, showing reconstructed stockades that held an unfathomable 32,000 Union prisoners in the latter days of the war, with more than 100 dying daily.

Trying to imagine what took place here turns my first trip to Andersonville into a sobering experience. It's difficult to picture the horrific, crowded conditions, and at times, I turn my head away from the double rows of white posts that my husband points out served as the barrier between life and death for prisoners.

We run into others who are visiting the site for the first time, including a couple from Louisiana who pause to chat with my husband, a history buff who's also serving as my personal tour guide.

For those making the trek for the first time or a repeat visit, Andersonville provides plenty of spots for reflection and remembrance.

GETTING THERE

The trip from Gwinnett County to Andersonville is about three hours. Travel I-75 south to Exit 149 (in Bryon) and follow Ga. 49 south, through the towns of Fort Valley, Marshallville, Montezuma and Oglethorpe. The park entrance will be on the left, approximately 10 miles south of Oglethorpe.Travel about 10 more miles along Ga. 49 and you'll reach Americus. A downtown landmark is the Windsor Hotel on West Lamar Street, (229-924-1555, www.windsor-americus.com), which dates to 1892 and reopened in 1991 after more than $5 million in renovations. It has 53 guest rooms, from $101 to $199 (the higher prices are for two rooms in the circular tower —– the Carter Presidential Suite or the bridal suite). The restored Rylander Theatre (229-931-0001, www.rylander.org) also hosts concerts, dance, choral and dramatic performances throughout the year.

The park is made up comprised of three areas —– the prison site formerly known as Camp Sumter, the National Prisoner of War museum and the National Cemetery. The prison site and the cemetery, which has more than 18,000 graves and still serves as a burial site for veterans, are driveable and walkable. The rows of small white gravestones seem to stretch to the horizon, a tribute to the sacrifices made by soldiers from the Revolutionary War to current day. The grounds are open from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. daily.

The National Prisoner of War Museum opened in 1998, with artifacts, videos, photos and other items that reflect the living conditions and other aspects of the prison.

The museum is It's open from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. daily (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Eve). T, and two free public prison talks are offered at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., weather permitting.

For kids, there are activity worksheets for use in the museum and on the grounds. Another tool for kids is a questionnaire that leads them on a 3-mile walking history hike through the site and the town of Andersonville. (Boy Scouts earn a patch for completing it.)

MORE INFORMATION

• Andersonville National Historic Site

496 Cemetery Road, Andersonville, GA 31711

229-924-0343

www.nps.gov/ande

• Americus-Sumter County Chamber

400 West Lamar St., Americus, GA 31709

229-924-2646

www.americus-sumterchamber.com