Veterans Day Events at Blakeley State Park

Description

Unique Veterans Day Events Slated at Blakeley State Park Blakeley State Park Nov. 11 honors the bravery and innovation of soldiers and sailors who participated in a defining moment in American history fought on land and waters of the Alabama Gulf Coast,--the American Civil War. Highlighting the day are two narrated boat tours of major Civil War defenses protecting Mobile and the sites of naval activity on the eastern Mobile-Tensaw Delta rivers where Confederate torpedoes sank three times as many Union vessels as had been lost at Fort Morgan during the naval battle that closed the mouth of Mobile Bay in August of 1864. “Confederate water batteries and prowling boats, some with make shift iron cladding, in April 1865 were among the last defense of Mobile as federal forces fresh from victories elsewhere turned their attention to the last remaining major city in Southern hands and one that had bedeviled them for four years.”, said Mike Bunn, Blakeley Park director of operations and historian who developed and leads the Veterans Day special events program. Blakeley's Delta Explorer morning excursion along the Blakeley and Apalachee river to sites of defending batteries Tracy and Huger is sold out but a second tour from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. has been added due to public demand. Tickets for the boat tour are $25 for adults, and $15 for children 6-12 available first come-first serve or in advance by calling 251-626-5581 and paying with major credit card. Sandwiched between from 12 noon to 1 p.m. is a public lecture by Dr. Steven Trout of the University of South Alabama on how aspects of the Blakeley Battle, the last major land battle of the Civil War, foreshadowed warfare during World War I and how we remember that conflict. Our Veteran's Day holiday has its origins in the aftermath of the first World War. The lecture is free with general park admission. A boxed chicken lunch is available for $10 by ordering in advance. Blakeley Park is located on State Hwy. 225 about 5 miles north of its intersection with U.S. 31 at Spanish Fort. The new State Veterans Cemetery is a few hundred yards away. For more information on recreational and educational offerings at the park go to www.blakeleypark.com,