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It's been a dream 15 years in the making, but this weekend - on the 143rd anniversary of the clash between Union Colonel Abel Streight and Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest in Cullman County - Fred Wise will hold the grand opening of the Crooked Creek Civil War Museum at one of the sites where the running battle took place. On April 30, 1863, Col. Streight and his men - en route from Memphis, Tenn., to Rome, Ga., with the intention of cutting off the railroad that supplied Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg's army - crossed Crooked Creek and were met by Gen. Forrest's forces at the Battles of Hog Mountain and Day's Gap. Although he harbored an interest in Civil War memorabilia prior to purchasing the property, Wise was unaware that the site he had chosen for his home contained the ford where the two men had crossed many years before ... along with bullets, cannonballs, trace chains and even the remains of several entrenchments near the creek itself. "I started collecting over 30 years ago, but when I moved here in 1981, that's when I started planning to open the park and museum," Wise said. Wise had originally planned to open the museum in April of 2000, but financial setbacks caused him to abandon the project until six months ago. "It certainly wasn't from lack of interest," he said. "I retired from my construction job and didn't have the funds to continue. I sold part of my collection, but my sons got interested in the Civil War and we decided to start work on the museum again." |
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Since that time , Wise has bought back much of his collection and obtained permission to display some of the items he was unable to purchase. In addition to the items he has found on the property, the museum also contains many other Civil War pieces Wise has collected. Included among them are a very rare Allegheny Arsenal saddle made in 1862, numerous belt buckles and unit insignias, bullets, a Confederate cooking pot from 1863, and a stunning Lorenz-Jager .72 carbine imported by the Confederacy and later modified by Native Americans, who decorated the rifle with leather, trading beads and feathers. The museum itself has historical value, Wise said. The entrance and gift shop are housed in the old Vinemont Stagecoach Inn, which Wise purchased and moved to his property years ago. Also on the property is the Mayes homestead cabin from Somerville, Ala., built in the 1830s. Wise numbered each board and reconstructed the cabin after moving it to his property with hopes of turning it into a small bed and breakfast someday. In addition to the museum, Wise has added picnic tables and covered pavilions by the creek. Following the trail that leads from the hilltop museum to the banks of the creek, visitors can see areas where Union soldiers entrenched themselves for protection from enemy fire. Some of the trenches still have rocks piled around them, stacked by the soldiers to offer further protection, according to Wise. "I want to eventually have nature trails cutting through the property," he said. "We've been getting ready for this grand opening for the last six months ... we thought we had plenty of time, but it's creeped up on us." "It's really come together this week, though. I hope we have at least a hundred people come out. It should go pretty good if the weather will hold out." The grand opening will be April 29-30, 9 AM to 5 PM each day. A Civil War reenactment group, the 11th Alabama Cavalry, will be on hand to speak with visitors about Streight's Raid and the life of a soldier during the Civil War. Food and drink will be available. Admission is $5. Crooked Creek Civil War Museum is located at 516 County Road 1127 in Cullman County. For more information, contact Fred Wise at 256-739-2741.
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