Thoughts of the Civil War flow easily at Fort Harker in Stevenson.  Stand on the east bank of the fort and look down toward the creek and sense for a moment what Union sentries felt as they watched for Confederate soldiers.  Look toward the Tennessee mountains where refugees from the war fled to the safety of Union camps in Stevenson.  Turn toward the Stevenson Railroad Depot and imagine General U. S. Grant there in his private train plotting strategy for his Stevenson invasion. Think of the 76,000 Union troops who marched through the Stevenson area on their way to Chattanooga and feel their apprehension as they moved toward an uncertain fate.  All these thoughts and more come to life at Fort Harker, one of Alabama’s best-kept historical secrets.

Fort  Harker was critical to Union plans. No major fighting occurred here,  but skirmishes and sniper attacks were common as territory traded hands between Union and Confederate forces.  One other large fort, two smaller redoubts and at least seven blockhouses were constructed along the railroad lines at Stevenson during the Civil War. Stevenson was the major junction for the Memphis and Charleston Railroad and the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad .  In addition to forts, the Union Army established a medical facility and a refugee camp at Stevenson. The remains of Gen. Rosecrans’ headquarters is on the National Register of Historic Places and Gen. Krzyanowski’s headquarters (left) is now a restored private home. Both may be seen near downtown Stevenson today.

     By the 1980’s, Fort Harker had been neglected for many years.  Parts of the fort walls had been worn down by trail bike riders and walls had also been used as target practice for policemen.  Area residents had raised gardens and even hogs within the fort.  Work to restore the Fort Harker site began in the fall of 1985 and continues today.  The efforts of Stevenson residents in preserving Fort Harker is a perfect example of how the past can be used to build a future.