Andersonville announces temporary partial closure
Jan. 20—ANDERSONVILLE — Andersonville National Historic Site kicked off a period of temporary closure on Thursday that will limit visitor access to the area near the National POW Museum parking area for as long as 18 months.
The closure will allow park staff to make necessary repairs to the affected area and includes a minimal portion of the parking area for buses. Ample parking remains available, and there should be no disruption to the visiting public.
This closure is being done in the interest of visitor safety. The area in question is eroding rapidly due to the failure of the stormwater drainage system and loosening soil. Large portions of earth are caving in at random. Rapid soil erosion has caused the undercutting of a volunteer trail in the closure area and poses a serious risk to anyone walking in the area. Vehicle and pedestrian traffic may cause additional impacts to this failing draining system, and so the decision has been made to close the area.
The area is not a designated visitor use area, and the closure will have little impact to the visiting public. The closure is anticipated to last 18 months for safety and repair purposes. The park's website will provide updates on the re-opening of this area at www.nps.gov/ande. For further information, contact park Superintendent Gia Wagner at (229) 931-7200 or via email at gia_wagner@nps.gov.
Andersonville National Historic Site is located 10 miles south of Oglethorpe and 10 miles northeast of Americus on Georgia Highway 49. The national park features the National Prisoner of War Museum, Andersonville National Cemetery, and the site of the historic Camp Sumter Civil War prison. For more information about the park, call (229) 924-0343, visit the Andersonville website, or check the park out on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube.
