Homes, buildings are bulldozer bait for Kennesaw Civil War history

One of the most visited and historically significant Civil War sites in the Southeastern U.S. will soon be more complete and authentic, officials say. 

Along the western edge of Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, American Battlefield Trust plans to restore a 2.63-acre site near the Illinois Monument as closely as possible to its 1864 appearance, continuing a restoration of the scenic greenspace and historic destination.  

To achieve that, the trust recently completed the $1-million purchase of two properties along Cheatham Hill Road, with support from Georgia Battlefields Association and a matching contribution from Sandy Springs residents R. L. and Christina J. Dougherty. 

Plans call for demolishing and clearing two houses and several outbuildings on the current properties—most recently used for scrap metal recycling—to set the restoration in motion. 

Situated a mile south of Dallas Highway in Marietta, the acreage includes about 1,000 feet of frontage along Cheatham Hill and John Ward roads. 

According to American Battlefield Trust, a national charitable organization, the site was home to a section of a battlefield where Union and Confederate forces fought during a pivotal part of the Atlanta Campaign in 1864. 

The $1-million acquisition preserves a “continuous historic landscape” and removes the final remaining developed stretch along a two-mile section of the battlefield’s western boundary, per trust officials. Plans call for the parcels to be incorporated into the 3,000-acre Kennesaw park—considered one of Georgia’s most-visited historic sites—where opposing forces clashed between June 19 and July 2, 1864 as Union Gen. William T. Sherman pushed toward Atlanta.

“I’ve been looking at this property for a long time because of how significant it is, not just for its location and frontage, but for what it represents,” said R.L. Dougherty, a retired real estate developer, in a May purchase announcement. “I believe strongly in the importance of preserving these places so future generations can understand the history that shaped this country.”

Across the U.S., the trust partners with willing sellers and deploys a range of conservation strategies to protect historic battleground land in perpetuity. 

The acquisition follows another 21.4-acre Trust for Public Land purchase last year that secured property adjacent to Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park previously targeted for residential development. 

That acreage will be part of a larger, cohesive park under National Park Service ownership and will remain permanently preserved for conservation, public recreation, and historical education purposes, according to TPL. 

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