Tunnel Hill Heritage Center and Historic Railroad Tunnel

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Tunnel Hill Heritage Center and Historic Railroad Tunnel Historic 1850 Railroad Tunnel and Museum One of the oldest railroad tunnels in the South; open 6 days a week. Visit the museum, walk the 1,477 ft.
(341)

railroad tunnel, 1848 Clisby Austin House, 1900's era replica General Store, and enjoy the outdoors on walking paths through the 85+ acre site. Hours: 10:00am - 4:00pm Mon-Sat

Admission: $12 Deluxe Tour - Reservations suggested
$10 for children 4-10
Kids age 3 and under are free

Group Tours are available. Please visit http://www.civilwarrailroadtunnel.com/educational-groups.html for more information.

Get ready for some chills and thrills at the Tunnel! 🎃👻 On October 30 and 31, dress up in your spookiest costume and joi...
10/21/2026

Get ready for some chills and thrills at the Tunnel! 🎃👻 On October 30 and 31, dress up in your spookiest costume and join us for family-friendly ghost stories, sweet treats, and unforgettable fun for all ages.

✨ Special Offer: Kids in costume get HALF OFF their ticket price! (10 and under)
Don’t miss out on this hauntingly good time!

The Battle of Chickamauga was fought September 18–20, 1863, along Chickamauga Creek in North Georgia. Named for the cree...
10/20/2026

The Battle of Chickamauga was fought September 18–20, 1863, along Chickamauga Creek in North Georgia. Named for the creek, the battle involved approximately 120,000 soldiers and resulted in more than 34,000 casualties, making it the second-deadliest battle of the Civil War.

At its heart, the battle was a fight for control of the LaFayette Road. Confederate General Braxton Bragg hoped to use the road to cut off Union forces from Chattanooga. After three days of intense fighting, Confederate forces claimed victory, but Bragg failed to press his advantage.

Union troops withdrew to Chattanooga, where they fortified their positions and awaited reinforcements. Generals Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, and Joseph Ho**er would soon arrive with additional troops, setting the stage for the next major struggle for control of Chattanooga.

Although Chickamauga was a Confederate victory, the Union army’s successful retreat meant the fight for Chattanooga was far from over.

Heads up, friends! Tunnel Hill Heritage Center & Museum will be closed during regular hours today as we prepare for our ...
10/17/2026

Heads up, friends! Tunnel Hill Heritage Center & Museum will be closed during regular hours today as we prepare for our special Moonlight & Moonshine event this evening. We appreciate your understanding and look forward to welcoming you back soon!

During the Civil War, some women disguised themselves as men to enlist in the Union and Confederate armies. In July 1863...
10/15/2026

During the Civil War, some women disguised themselves as men to enlist in the Union and Confederate armies. In July 1863, a burial detail at Gettysburg reportedly discovered the body of a woman wearing a Confederate uniform.

Estimates suggest between 400 and 750 women served as soldiers during the war. Some enlisted to be near loved ones, others sought steady pay, and many were motivated by patriotism. Loose, ill-fitting uniforms helped conceal their identities, allowing some women to serve alongside men for months or even years.

Women were sometimes discovered after being wounded, becoming ill, or receiving medical examinations in military hospitals. When discovered, they were generally sent home, though their presence could become a source of surprise and conversation in camp.

One documented example was Sarah Wakeman, who served for nearly two years under the name Private Lyons Wakeman in the Union Army. She died of illness in a New Orleans hospital in 1864.

Although women serving as soldiers was uncommon, their stories reveal another often-overlooked part of the Civil War’s history.

Frances Clayton disguised herself as Frances Clalin to serve in the war.

Shortly after the Confederate breakthrough at Chickamauga, General John Bell Hood rode toward the front near Snodgrass H...
10/13/2026

Shortly after the Confederate breakthrough at Chickamauga, General John Bell Hood rode toward the front near Snodgrass Hill to rally the Texas Brigade. During the advance, a Minie ball struck his upper right thigh, shattering his femur.

Hood fell from his horse and was carried to a field hospital near the Reed cabin. When surgeons informed him that his leg would need to be amputated, he reportedly replied, “I am in your hands, gentlemen; do as you think best.”

Surgeons amputated his right leg approximately four inches below the hip joint. Such high amputations were extremely dangerous during the Civil War, and survival rates were low.

In a rather unusual detail, Hood’s severed leg was sent along with him during his evacuation in case he died so that it could be buried with him. Hood survived his wound and went on to return to Confederate service, despite the loss of his leg.

Hood’s Tunnel Hill “legacy” is that his amputated leg was later buried near the Clisby Austin House where a marker stands today.

Tickets are almost sold out for the best event of the year! Join us for a fun evening under the stars with live music by...
10/09/2026

Tickets are almost sold out for the best event of the year! Join us for a fun evening under the stars with live music by Morgan Conway, delicious food, night tours of our infamous tunnel, and moonshine and w**e tastings. This event is 21+ only and sold out last year, too!
Tickets: https://ow.ly/K5g150ZV9Ow

After a grueling 900-mile railroad journey, John Bell Hood’s troops arrived at Catoosa Station on September 17, 1863, to...
10/08/2026

After a grueling 900-mile railroad journey, John Bell Hood’s troops arrived at Catoosa Station on September 17, 1863, to reinforce Braxton Bragg’s Army of Tennessee.

Hood’s command included three brigades: the Texas Brigade under Jerome Robertson, Evander Law’s Brigade, and Henry Benning’s Brigade. Just two days later, they entered the fighting at the Battle of Chickamauga, engaging Union forces near the Viniard Farm.

On September 20, Hood was given temporary command of a composite corps that included his own division and those of Joseph Kershaw and Bushrod Johnson. Their attack near Brotherton Field struck an opening in the Union line, contributing to the collapse of the Union right flank and its retreat toward Chattanooga.

The arrival of Hood’s troops by rail and their role in the fighting helped shape the course of one of the Civil War’s largest battles.

Private Joseph Harvey of Company C, 149th New York Volunteers, was severely wounded at the Battle of Chancellorsville on...
10/06/2026

Private Joseph Harvey of Company C, 149th New York Volunteers, was severely wounded at the Battle of Chancellorsville on May 3, 1863, when a shell fragment struck his face. His right eye was destroyed, his upper jaw was fractured, part of his lower jaw was damaged, and his right cheek was severely lacerated.

Harvey was captured by Confederate forces and remained a prisoner for 11 days. In June 1863, he was admitted to Mansion House Hospital in Alexandria, Virginia. Over the following months, surgeons removed pieces of damaged bone from his face as he recovered from his wounds.

This photograph was taken on June 22, 1865, at the Army Medical Museum in Washington, D.C. Nearly two years after his injury, the wound in Harvey’s cheek had still not fully healed, leaving an opening through which liquids and saliva escaped. He also experienced partial facial paralysis and some hearing loss on his right side.

Harvey was discharged from the Army in May 1865 because of his disability and later worked as a night watchman at a hospital in Alexandria. He received a military pension, but his health continued to be affected by his wartime injuries. His death was reported in December 1868 at the age of 26.

Photo Credit: National Museum of Health and Medicine, Otis Historical Archives

Camels in the U.S. Army? Yep, that really happened. 🐪In 1855, Congress approved $30,000 for the U.S. Army to import came...
10/01/2026

Camels in the U.S. Army? Yep, that really happened. 🐪

In 1855, Congress approved $30,000 for the U.S. Army to import camels for use in the deserts of the American Southwest. The experiment was championed by Secretary of War Jefferson Davis, who believed camels could improve transportation and communication across the difficult western terrain.

Major Henry C. Wayne and Lt. David Dixon Porter traveled to the Mediterranean and returned with the first group of camels in 1856. Tests showed they could carry heavier loads than horses, travel long distances with little water, survive on sparse vegetation, and handle rough terrain surprisingly well.

But there were problems. Horses were often terrified of the strange-looking—and strong-smelling—animals, while many Army handlers had little interest in learning how to work with them.

The outbreak of the Civil War in 1861 ended plans for a railroad along the 35th Parallel and effectively brought the camel experiment to an end. The Army eventually sold its camels as military surplus, while others reportedly escaped or were turned loose in the deserts of Arizona and California.

And that wasn’t quite the end of the story. One of the original Army camels reportedly lived to around 80 years old, dying at a Los Angeles zoo in 1934. A camel believed to be descended from the original herds was captured in Arizona as late as 1946, and reported sightings of wild camels continued into the 1950s.

From a U.S. Army experiment backed by future Confederate President Jefferson Davis to tales of wild camels roaming the American West, it’s certainly one of the stranger stories connected to the Civil War era! 🐪

Address

215 Clisby Austin Drive
Tunnel Hill, GA
30755

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 4pm
Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

(706) 876-1571

Website

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