By Margaret Duncan, Ed.D.
Do
you like to travel? Do you like
History? Do you like combining
both? One of the places to visit with an
eye towards history is Columbus—founded in 1828 on a bluff overlooking the
Chattahoochee River, it is Georgia's second largest city. The city’s past is connected to the Creek
Indians, textiles, Civil War Naval battles and today’s military at Fort Benning.
Some historic points of interest to see:
National Infantry Museum—Located at the entrance of
Fort Benning, the museum honors Soldiers by providing education and training to
Soldiers, families, and the general public on all facets of the history of the
United States Infantry. The museum also
educates on the origin and development of Fort Benning. The exhibits within the museum tell the story
of the United States Army Infantryman, from the fields of the American
Revolution to the sands of Afghanistan. You will also find displays of
artifacts from all eras of American history and numerous interactive exhibits
helping to bring the nation’s past to life through the latest in technological
innovation.
National Civil War Naval
Museum—located
on the Chattahoochee River the museum tells the story of the Sailors, Soldiers,
and Civilians, both Free and Enslaved as affected by the Navies of the American
Civil War. The museum overlooks the
Chattahoochee River and houses the largest surviving Confederate warship, the
CSS Jackson. When seeing the CSS
Jackson, the sheer size is overwhelming.
Also, the smell of the ship is formidable. Visitors also have the chance to walk around a
full scale ship replica of the USS Water Witch.
For those who love flags, the museum includes the largest collection of
Civil War Naval-related flags on display in the country.
Columbus Museum—is a wonderful free museum founded
in 1953. It is one of the largest
museums in the Southeast and contains exhibits concentrating on American art in
all mediums, artifacts from the Lower Chattahoochee River Valley including
Indian archaeological artifacts, and overall regional history. A real surprise
is the interactive children’s gallery.
As a parent, I can say the children’s interactive area is one of the
best I have seen in a museum.
Heritage Park—take a walking of the park to see the
industrial history of Columbus from 1850 to 1910, through interpretive
sculptures and descriptive venues. The
outdoor sculptures and historic elements of the park represent the textile,
gristmill, brick and foundry industries involved in the growth and development
of the area, as well as agriculture and forest products, dams and bridges,
river trade and travel, and Coca-Cola. You can either walk around on your own or schedule a guided
tour through the Historic Columbus Foundation’s Heritage Tours.
Heritage Corner—Walk around the historic district at
the corner of 7th Street & Broadway.
The area contains the five preserved homes you can tour representing different
eras of Georgia history. Among them is the Pemberton House, once the home of local
pharmacist Dr. John Pemberton, inventor of Coca-Cola.
The Riverwalk—stroll the banks of the
Chattahoochee River stretching 22 miles from Lake Oliver on the north to Fort
Benning on the South. The Riverwalk links
many key historic sites and points of interest in the city.
Kadie the Cow—is a supersized 20 feet tall cow and more of a roadside
attraction than a real history lesson. For
many years Kadie stood on a hill outside the Kinnett Dairies overlooking a
shopping mall. Sadly, the dairies were torn down in the early 2000s and have
since been replaced by Best Buy, but Kadie remains.
These are just some of my Columbus historical
highlights. What would you include in
your historical tour of Columbus?
