Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park
Why it's listed
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park occupies a crescent-shaped ridge on the western edge of Marietta, Georgia, where Union and Confederate armies clashed in June 1864 during the Atlanta Campaign. Confederate forces held a ten-mile line here from June 18, and Sherman's major assault on June 27 failed, though his flanking moves forced the Confederates to abandon the line on July 2. Casualties numbered about 5,500. With the loss of Kennesaw, the last major geographic barrier shielding Atlanta was gone, and the city fell on September 1. The park preserves roughly 11 miles of earthworks, including rifle pits, trenches and gun emplacements, with the best examples near Strahl's Fort. It also protects the Kolb House, a hewn-log dwelling built in 1836 that served as General Hooker's headquarters, and monuments such as the Illinois Monument of 1914 at Cheatham Hill. Congress established the park in 1935.
Significance in brief: The park preserves the site of the June 1864 Kennesaw Line fighting during the Atlanta Campaign, after which the Confederates lost the last major obstacle protecting Atlanta. It holds about 11 miles of Union and Confederate earthworks described as outstanding 19th-century military engineering. It also keeps the Kolb House, typical of early 19th-century pioneer architecture, and early 20th-century monuments.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 66000063, listed October 15, 1966. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 2 mi. W of Marietta, Marietta |
|---|---|
| County | Cobb County |
| Listed | October 15, 1966 |
| Reference number | 66000063 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Kolb House built by Peter Valentine Kolb and a Cherokee Indian in 1836 |
| Architectural style | Civil War earthworks; Early Republic: Federal; Modern Movement: Modernistic |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Military, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Public park in good condition, with preserved earthworks and monuments; the Kolb House was restored externally in 1963 and is used as employee quarters; the Gilbert House was in poor repair in the 1970s. |
| Acreage | 2882 |
| Coordinates | 33.94986, -84.59361 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 66000063.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6389745
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.