Civil War Trails

Coker House, Champion Hill Battlefield.

The Mississippi Civil War Trails project has been undertaken with a goal of preserving cultural resources and promoting heritage tourism and education about Civil War history in the Magnolia State. The largest Civil War preservation project in Mississippi, the $6.2-million program is managed by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH), and funded largely through a federal TEA-21 enhancement grant administered by the Mississippi Department of Transportation. As the program management consultant to MDAH, PBS&J is responsible for the overall administration and management of the project, which involves historic restoration, interpretation, new construction, and making the important Civil War sites accessible to the public. Efforts involved in this large-scale program include the production of a statewide trail map that will increase the number of sites in the state to become part of The Civil War Preservation Trust's Civil War Discovery Trail. Major renovation projects involve converting the Coker House and the Shaifer House into visitor and interpretive centers, and restoring the Corinth Depot to its 1917 appearance for use as the Northeast Mississippi Museum. Bike and pedestrian trails are being developed or enhanced to link facilities on the battlefields in Corinth, Raymond, Brice’s Crossroads, and at the historic Jacinto Courthouse. Additionally, PBS&J is developing a stand-alone Mississippi Civil War Trails website.