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CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Every school kid learns the story of John Brown, whose raid on the armory in Harper's Ferry is widely considered the first skirmish in the Civil War. And most West Virginians have probably heard of the battlefields at Droop Mountain and Carnifex Ferry.
Charleston's role in the War Between the States is less known, however, except to enthusiasts.
That could soon change, thanks to the efforts of Martha Ballman. And once eight Civil War Trail markers are installed along Kanawha Boulevard later this year, tourists are likely to follow, possibly by the busload.
That's the plan, anyway. And it's already happening in Virginia, Maryland and other states that have joined the Civil War Trails program.
Ballman, director of the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia, said she checked out the website http://www.civilwartrails.org when she started planning the Charleston trail link last year.
"I clicked on 'Virginia' and I got a pile of stuff. They get nearly 4,000 hits a week, and that's doubled in the last year. So it will bring tourists."
Under the Civil War Trails program, volunteers in local communities research their war history and assemble photographs, maps and text that will be turned into 2-by-3-foot waist-high interpretive markers. The Virginia-based company behind the program manufactures each marker, and has final say on the content and layout. The cost: $2,700.
Local volunteers also have to find a sponsor -- typically a convention and visitors bureau or chamber of commerce -- to cover the $200 annual maintenance and marketing fee for each marker. That covers costs of printing brochures, running the website and insuring the marker against vandalism or other damage.
West Virginia joined the program three years ago, when the state Division of Tourism agreed to buy 150 markers, said Justin Gaull, a heritage tourism specialist.
"We see this as a great opportunity to gain market share from niche tourism," Gaull said. "To date, we have 45 markers in the ground. We have about 55 more in the works, in various stages of development."
The first marker, set in April 2008, honors the house of Dr. Robert B. McNutt in Princeton. The 1840 house, now home to the Mercer County Chamber of Commerce, served as temporary headquarters to Lt. Col. (and future president) Rutherford B. Hayes.
Other markers are scattered across the state -- Gauley Bridge, Sutton, Burnsville, Glenville -- with higher concentrations in war-rich areas like Moorefield and Shepherdstown.
"The original intent was about three markers per county -- 55 counties, 150 markers -- but some counties don't have a lot of Civil War history," Ballman said.
She learned about the trail program by attending statewide task force meetings while working under a Benedum grant to develop cultural heritage sites for tourism. When no one else volunteered to build a trail link through Charleston, Ballman stepped up.
"Part of the problem is it's nobody's job to do this," she said. "All the CVBs recognize it's a wonderful bargain. It's getting someone local to do the work."
To ensure accuracy, Ballman enlisted local historians like Richard Andre and Billy Joe Peyton, along with Stan Cohen, publisher of "Kanawha Valley Images."
"The Kanawha Valley Historical and Preservation Society has been involved, too," she said.
The team came up with material for eight markers. Rather than focusing on specific sites, the markers are tied more to themes -- Kanawha Riflemen, salt and Kanawha Salines (Malden), and military occupation.
"We tried to emphasize human interest," Ballman said, "not the generals and battles, but the human side."
Charleston's role in the War Between the States is less known, however, except to enthusiasts.
That could soon change, thanks to the efforts of Martha Ballman. And once eight Civil War Trail markers are installed along Kanawha Boulevard later this year, tourists are likely to follow, possibly by the busload.
That's the plan, anyway. And it's already happening in Virginia, Maryland and other states that have joined the Civil War Trails program.
Ballman, director of the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia, said she checked out the website http://www.civilwartrails.org when she started planning the Charleston trail link last year.
"I clicked on 'Virginia' and I got a pile of stuff. They get nearly 4,000 hits a week, and that's doubled in the last year. So it will bring tourists."
Under the Civil War Trails program, volunteers in local communities research their war history and assemble photographs, maps and text that will be turned into 2-by-3-foot waist-high interpretive markers. The Virginia-based company behind the program manufactures each marker, and has final say on the content and layout. The cost: $2,700.
Local volunteers also have to find a sponsor -- typically a convention and visitors bureau or chamber of commerce -- to cover the $200 annual maintenance and marketing fee for each marker. That covers costs of printing brochures, running the website and insuring the marker against vandalism or other damage.
West Virginia joined the program three years ago, when the state Division of Tourism agreed to buy 150 markers, said Justin Gaull, a heritage tourism specialist.
"We see this as a great opportunity to gain market share from niche tourism," Gaull said. "To date, we have 45 markers in the ground. We have about 55 more in the works, in various stages of development."
The first marker, set in April 2008, honors the house of Dr. Robert B. McNutt in Princeton. The 1840 house, now home to the Mercer County Chamber of Commerce, served as temporary headquarters to Lt. Col. (and future president) Rutherford B. Hayes.
Other markers are scattered across the state -- Gauley Bridge, Sutton, Burnsville, Glenville -- with higher concentrations in war-rich areas like Moorefield and Shepherdstown.
"The original intent was about three markers per county -- 55 counties, 150 markers -- but some counties don't have a lot of Civil War history," Ballman said.
She learned about the trail program by attending statewide task force meetings while working under a Benedum grant to develop cultural heritage sites for tourism. When no one else volunteered to build a trail link through Charleston, Ballman stepped up.
"Part of the problem is it's nobody's job to do this," she said. "All the CVBs recognize it's a wonderful bargain. It's getting someone local to do the work."
To ensure accuracy, Ballman enlisted local historians like Richard Andre and Billy Joe Peyton, along with Stan Cohen, publisher of "Kanawha Valley Images."
"The Kanawha Valley Historical and Preservation Society has been involved, too," she said.
The team came up with material for eight markers. Rather than focusing on specific sites, the markers are tied more to themes -- Kanawha Riflemen, salt and Kanawha Salines (Malden), and military occupation.
"We tried to emphasize human interest," Ballman said, "not the generals and battles, but the human side."
