About Tunnel Hill Heritage Center & Museum
Tunnel Hill Heritage Center & Museum preserves and interprets an important transportation and Civil War landscape in northwest Georgia. Its centerpiece is the Western & Atlantic Railroad Tunnel through Chetoogeta Mountain, completed in 1850 as a key link on the rail route between Chattanooga and Atlanta. The tunnel later became part of the route followed during the Great Locomotive Chase in April 1862 and changed hands between Union and Confederate forces during the Civil War.
The site also includes the Clisby Austin House, built in 1848. During the war the house and grounds served as a military hospital, and the property later became associated with senior officers including William T. Sherman, who used the house as a headquarters while planning operations during the Atlanta Campaign in 1864. Visitors can begin in the museum, see railroad and Civil War artifacts, tour the tunnel, and explore the house and reconstructed general-store exhibit. Guided tours are offered Monday through Saturday, with reservations recommended for parties of five or more.
