Lincoln sculpture selected for Civil War trails

Springfield’s Abraham Lincoln bronze sculpture, entitled “In Sacred Union,” by Paula B. Slater of Hidden Valley Lake, Calif., has been selected to be part of the Kentucky Civil War Heritage Trails.

Jesse Osbourne

Springfield’s Abraham Lincoln bronze sculpture, “In Sacred Union,” has been selected to be part of the Kentucky Civil War Heritage Trails.

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Kentucky Civil War Heritage Trails is a new state program to help visitors and residents understand how the conflict shaped the commonwealth as the nation observes the Civil War’s 150th anniversary.
Fifty-four sites around the state make up the initial group of attractions on the Civil War Heritage Trails, which was announced on Oct. 1 by Marcheta Sparrow, the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet Secretary .
The selected sites are ready to receive visitors, have historical interpretation and are near major routes for both in-state and out-of-state travelers. More sites will be added to the trails as they meet these criteria.
Besides battlefields and other sites of the war, the Kentucky trails program includes a new website, www.kentuckycivilwartrails.org, which features maps, a monthly listing of commemorative events and a blog providing interpretive information.
“The trails are not intended to be one continuous route, but instead to provide clusters of sites that can be visited conveniently in various regions of the commonwealth,” said Kimberly Clay, Cultural Heritage Tourism Director with the Department of Travel and Tourism.
 “It is truly exciting news that the Abraham Lincoln sculpture, ‘In Sacred Union,’ has been included on the new Kentucky Civil War Heritage Trail,” Washington County Judge-Executive John Settles said. “President Lincoln’s involvement in the Civil War is well-documented, and now the story of Kentucky’s heritage in shaping the national leader is better understood.”
“We believe the trails will attract visitors from outside the state who aren’t necessarily Civil War buffs, but who want to learn more about what happened here,” said Clay, who has worked with officials from the Kentucky Historical Society, Heritage Council and the Transportation Cabinet to coordinate the project.