Graffiti Continues to Mar Park Treasures

Date: October 9, 2012
Contact: Martha Wiley, [phone], extension 1051

Cameras Now in Place to Monitor Resources  

Nothing says love like carving your name on a heavy artillery piece used in the Civil War. That's the conclusion the staff at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park has come to after watching the continuous vandalism occurring at historic Fort Lyon near the Pinnacle Overlook.  Carving on the cannon is not a new problem, but lately as soon as staff repaints the tube covering names and initials, someone else has written his or her name to take its place.  "In this commemorative time of the Civil War," Park Historian Martha Wiley observes, "we're trying to preserve our Civil War past; yet much of our time is spent just trying to repair the damage a few visitors are doing to park resources.  It's frustrating!"     

Cumberland Gap was continuously occupied during the four years of the Civil War, and signs of that occupation by both Union and Confederate forces can still be seen throughout the tri-state area.  The national park has the good fortune to be the steward of many of these remnants; visitors can walk the trails and see remains of rifle trenches, earthworks, and old military roads.  Some of the most prominent symbols of the war at the Gap are the park's three cannon, located at the visitor center and Forts McCook and Lyon on the Pinnacle.  "People might not realize that these cannon were actually used at the Chickamauga/Chattanooga battlefield," explains Historian Wiley.  "They deserve respect as symbols of the sacrifices made by hundreds of thousands of soldiers, not this desecration we're seeing."     

The park has been monitoring the cannon for several months with strategically placed video cameras.  "We realized that we have to do more to protect these cannons," Chief Ranger Dirk Wiley explains.  "From this video evidence, in the past year, we've made five cases, four just in the last two months alone."  In addition to fines, the subjects are ordered to pay restitution to help pay for the repainting.  "In an era of decreasing budgets and complaints of the waste of federal money, what could be more wasteful than having park employees repainting the cannon every week or two?"  Chief Ranger Wiley asks.     

Visitors are encouraged to report any vandalism they observe anywhere in the park to park staff.  Reports of vandalism can also be made by calling the park visitor center at 606-248-2817, extension 1075.