We’ve all done it. We’ll be driving along a rural road or zipping down a highway when we spot a historical marker off to the side. We find ourselves swerving dangerously onto the shoulder, catching just enough words on the marker to secure our interest and then contemplating an illegal U-turn to learn more about this unknown but undoubtedly juicy nugget of Civil War history.
Suffering the complaints of our passengers, we generally return to the site and delight in the rewards of our discovery. Sometimes it points out the site of a famous battle—but more often than not it involves a completely forgotten episode. Whether it’s on the side of a road, in an overgrown field, or along a sidewalk in a historic city, readers of this magazine know the thrill of these unexpected finds. But did you realize that such discoveries don’t have to be left to chance?
In 2006 J.J. Prats, a computer programmer who collects images of markers such as these, launched “The Historical Marker Database” (hmdb.org), with nearly 200 listings that include photographs, detailed descriptions of the plaques, instructions on how to find them and guidelines for contributing your own discoveries. Today there are approximately 30,000 available entries, and a team of editors has joined Prat. Included in this enthusiastic cadre is Craig Swain, who tirelessly manages the thousands of U.S. Civil War contributions— on a daily basis.
The entries highlight battlefield events, hospital sites, the location of slave auctions, the experiences of civilians when armies invaded the home front, and a countless number of other events dating from the sectional conflict. You can search the site online or on your smartphone (an iPhone app should be coming soon). You can also narrow your queries by subject, by state or by clicking on a link to pull up markers within 50 miles of your home.
Prat’s database is a wonderful resource if you’re planning road trips and battlefield hikes, and it also comes in handy for classroom use. And remember that although the Civil War dominates much of the content on the site, Pratt’s eclectic collection covers just about every period of American history. So visit hmdb.org to find some little-known Civil War history in your area. And consider contributing some of your own finds as well.
Originally published in the April 2011 issue of Civil War Times. To subscribe, click here.
