Ringgold, Catoosa County, Georgia

Submitted by June Cooper
Penny0608@aol.com

    Nestled between Taylor's Ridge and White Oak Mountain the city of Ringgold is the county seat and a hub for small businesses.  Rich in Civil War history the streets of Ringgold were where Sherman began his march to Atlanta.  This historical legacy includes the Ringgold Depot.  Built in 1850, it is one of the few antebellum Railroad depots in Georgia.  A monument marks the spot where the General was recaptured when the infamous Andrew's Raiders abandoned it just north of the city ending the Great Locomotive Chase of 1862.  Just south of Ringgold at the junction of Hwy 41 and Georgia Highway 2 is Old Stone Church.  This church served as a hospital to both the confederates and union troops during the battle of Ringgold.  Marks are still on the pews where the officers would bring their horses into warm and feed them during the cold.

Points of Interest:

Whitman Anderson House

    This private residence was built in 1858 and served as headquarters for General Grant following the Battle of Ringgold.

Ringgold Depot

    Ringgold Depot is one of the few remaining antebellum railroad depots in the state of Georgia. Built in 1850, the depot was significant during the Civil War as a supply depot for Confederate troops.

Old Stone Church

    The Old Stone Church, built in 1849, was used as a hospital for both Confederate and Union Troops wounded in the Battle of Ringgold. The hymn, "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms," was sung here for the first time.

Catoosa County Courthouse

    The Catoosa County courthouse is the local point of the county government.  The original courthouse was built in 1856 and was nearly burned during General Sherman's destructive "March to the Sea."  Sherman put out the fire when he discovered that a Masonic lodge was housed on the third floor.  In 1939, the courthouse was torn down and a more modern one constructed as part of a Federal Works Project during the Depression.  It is located in the city of Ringgold, the county seat. 

Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park

    The Georgia Monument is only one of the more than 1000 memorials which stands on the hallowed soil of the largest site in the multi-unit Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. The nation's oldest and largest national military park with more than 5,000 acres is a reminder of the bloody three day conflict that claimed 34,000 Union and Confederate casualties

Benton Place Campus

    Catoosa County's 70 acre municipal complex.  It is centrally located between Ringgold and Fort Oglethorpe off of Battle field Parkway on Old Mill Road.  Facilities located on, or planned for the campus include the Annie Evitt Health Center, public library, senior citizen's center, adult learning center, and civic center with a performing arts theater. 

Sixth Cavalry Museum

    Fort Oglethorpe served as home to the Sixth Cavalry from 1919 until 1942 and as a training facility for the Third Women's Army Corps from 1943 to 1946.  Inside the Museum there is a picture of President Roosevelt on Barnhardt Circle during the Military days of the Sixth Calvary.