SPANISH FORT, Ala. — The last battle of the Civil War was fought April 9, 1861 on the fields and breastworks still standing at Blakeley State Park. Now, the reenactment of that historic event Saturday may be the last such battle event held at the state nature and historic park.

Hammered by severe cuts in state appropriations for the past several years, Blakeley State Park now operates under the threat of the elimination of all state funds that would mean death to the 2,000-acre park, Blakeley officials said. Gov. Robert Bentley has recommended to the state legislature that it “zero out” the park funding for the upcoming fiscal year 2011-12.

“We work hard and are always optimistic,” Park Director Jo Ann Flirt said of the small state agency staff, “but I do not see how we could survive such a blow.” She said that although Blakeley Park had been appropriated $178,000 in state funds for the year that ended Sept. 30, 2010, it brought in $170,000 in user fees, grants and other non-state operational funds.

“This is not to sound alarmist but just to look at things realistically.

“We would not want anyone to wake up later and find out they had missed the last reenactment of the last battle of the Civil War right here in their own back yard”, she said.

Volunteer Civil War reenactors from Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana this weekend will pitch their tents and prepare their rifles and heavy artillery to partially reenact the battle of Fort Blakely, which brought to a close the four-year conflict between Southern and Northern states.

Although the fighting in the East had ended earlier that April Palm Sunday with the surrender of Gen. Robert E. Lee to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, the conflict continued with a full-scale, all-forces battle at Blakeley in late afternoon of April 9, 1865. The surrender of the western army of the CSA followed a few weeks later at Citronelle.

The park will open its gates for the Civil War reenactment at regular admission prices of $3 for adults, and $2 for children.

The 2011 Blakeley Battle Festival will take place at the site of the old town of Blakeley near the Tensaw River waterfront where the April 9 battle concluded after some 30,000 Union troops over ran the badly outnumbered and poorly equipped 3,500 Confederate troops defending Mobile. 

“The reenactment is planned to allow visitors to walk into the military camps and later to see fighting up close”, said Flirt. The 2011 Blakeley reenactment was organized and will be coordinated by Stephen L. Thomas, an experienced reenactor and military historian from Fairhope.

Hamburgers and soft drinks will be available from the Blakeley Park concession wagon. All proceeds go to the operation of the park.

Blakeley gates open at 9 a.m. and close at dusk to day visitors. Camping is available both in a tent campground and in a modern RV campground with full hookups. The park is located on State Highway 225 some 4.5 miles north of its intersection with U.S. 31 at Spanish Fort.

For more information see blakeleypark.com or call 251-626-0798.

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