Trading cards have been popular with kids for generations, from images of sports figures to movie stars. Now, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park (NMP) is offering free trading cards featuring Mark Thrash, Hubbard Pryor, the New York Peace Monument, Albion Tourgee, and the Acorn.
The cards available at Chickamauga and Chattanooga NMP are part of a series of 550 cards available at participating national parks throughout the United States.
To “earn” a trading card, kids and adults alike may participate in a ranger-led tour or answer a question about their visit to the park.
“The trading cards are conduits for telling some ‘lesser-known’ stories – including the stories of civilians, women, African-Americans, and American Indians during this Nation’s struggle in defining freedom and equality,” said Superintendent Cathy Cook. The trading cards are a great way to engage kids with our history as a nation, both here at Chickamauga and Chattanooga NMP and throughout the United States. According to Superintendent Cook, the cards also provide an incentive to families with children to visit all parks which offer the cards. The cards can only be received through an actual park visit.
Each trading card tells a little-known story but collectively the cards describe the struggles we have endured as a nation to strive for freedom and equality. The Civil War Sesquicentennial and the 50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Movement provide opportunities for us to reflect upon our past, celebrate the strides we have made and look forward with commitment to achieve a more perfect union.
For more information about programs at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, contact the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center at 706 866-9241, the Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor Center at 423 821-7786, or visit the park website at www.nps.gov/chch.