Collections from Georgia National Parks

In celebration of the National Park Service Centennial in 2016, this exhibit showcases one object from every national park museum collection in Georgia. We invite you to explore museum collections from Andersonville National Historic Site, Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, Cumberland Island National Seashore, Fort Frederica National Monument, Fort Pulaski National Monument, Jimmy Carter National Historic Site, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site, Moccasin Bend Archeological District, and Ocmulgee National Monument.

In the early winter of 1945, Lt. B.F. Huckins and hundreds of other American and British prisoners of war were forced to march over 400 miles from Stalag Luft III to Stalag VIIA in Germany. His boots wore down, but protected his feet throughout the ordeal. When he returned home Lt. B.F. Huckins wanted to immortalize the boots that saved his life, and bronzed them. The boots represent the core attributes of prisoners of war: perseverance, sacrifice, and memory.

Andersonville National Historic Site, ANDE 3248

This 12-Pounder Napoleon is located within Point Park atop Lookout Mountain. This Civil War artifact marks the location where Garrity’s Alabama Battery took up their position during the Battle of Chattanooga and shelled the Union forces down inside the city and on Moccasin Bend. The American Model 1857 “Napoleon” was the main type of field gun artillery of the Civil War. Both sides used this type of cannon because they found the weapon to be reliable, effective at both short and long distance, and devastating when it found its mark.

Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military, CHCH 1096

This wooden sign hung on the east side of the Plains Depot which served as the campaign headquarters for Jimmy Carter's first presidential campaign. The depot opened on Easter Sunday, 1976 after local Carter supporters, later called Peanut Brigaders, painted it white with “Carter” green trim. The Plains Depot was chosen because it was the largest building in downtown Plains that had a bathroom. This iconic sign was seen by many visitors, curious to see Georgia's native son and his rural hometown.

Jimmy Carter National Historic Site, JICA 15

This cannon, model 1857 12-pound Napoleon, was the most common artillery piece of the Civil War. It was identified as being one of six Napoleons serving with Battery M of the 1st New York Light Artillery of Sherman's XX Corps, which fought at the Battles of Resaca, New Hope Church, Mud Creek, Kolb's Farm, Kennesaw Mountain, and Peachtree Creek. The cannon is depicted in 'Rebel Works in Front of Atlanta, Ga., No. 3,' George N. Barnard's photograph taken shortly after the surrender of Atlanta in 1864.

Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, KEMO 1312

This pulpit is an important piece of civil rights history as three generations of Dr. King's family used the pulpit as a platform to address social injustice as community leaders. It is believed that the pulpit was present at the first sermon in Ebenezer Baptist Church in 1922. The pulpit itself is oak and has a raised wooden cutout that has four circles in the shape of a cross, flush with the upper molding, is a decorative motif of intersecting arches. The entire structure remains intact and is still located in its historic setting.

Martin Luther King Jr National Historic Site, MALU 796

During the archeological excavations conducted at Ocmulgee National Monument in the early 1930s, the significant colors and stages of the bisected Funeral Mound were revealed. Since neither black and white film nor the color film of the period could capture the distinctions and/or colors, Dr. Arthur R. Kelly, the senior archeologist on the project, commissioned Mrs. Carolyn Smith Meriwether to capture the distinct colors in this oil painting. Currently the museum collection of Ocmulgee National Monument is comprised of 2,585,411 items. The bulk of this collection is archeological material and its associated archival documents. The collection contains artifacts collected primarily through large-scale excavations conducted between 1933 and 1941. The Smithsonian Institution administered the first excavations with Dr. Arthur R. Kelly and James A. Ford, who lead the combined labor force of the Smithsonian research team and the Civil Works Administration (CWA). The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) assumed archeological responsibilities from the CWA in 1934, but fieldwork continued under Dr. Kelly's guidance. Archeological research continued under the National Park Service from 1936 to 1942 with continued involvement from FERA, CWA, and the Civilian Conservation Corp, uncovering both prehistoric and historic materials.

Ocmulgee National Monument, OCMU 6869