All programs are free and open to the public. Be sure to check our web site

or call 931-232-5706 for an updated listing of all events or changes to this schedule.

Fort Donelson National Battlefield is pleased to announce the Dover Hotel (also known as the Surrender House) will soon open for the summer season. The structure was built on Petty Street between 1851 and 1853. As a working hotel, it accommodated many travelers on the Cumberland River. When Confederate General Simon Buckner arrived at Fort Donelson, he chose the Dover Hotel for his headquarters. After Buckner accepted General Ulysses Grant’s terms of "unconditional and immediate surrender" on February 16, 1862, the two generals met at the hotel to work out the details. The hotel survived Union occupation and remained in business until the 1930’s. It has been restored through the efforts of the Fort Donelson Historical Association and the National Park Service. Park volunteers staff the interpretive facility and play a major role in interpreting its historical significance in the Civil War. Through their efforts, a little piece of history is shared with park visitors. We urge you to visit and experience this unique nineteenth-century structure, open daily until the end of October, from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m. For more information, write the Superintendent, Fort Donelson National Battlefield, P.O. Box 434, Dover, TN 37058-0434; call 931-232-5706; or check out Fort Donelson’s website at www.nps.gov/fodo on the Internet.

Teachers:  New lesson plans are available for the Underground Railroad trunk.  Five lesson plans developed by Tennessee teacher Brigget Mathis will help teachers quickly focus n specific topics in the trunk.  Pre-visit and post-visit lesson plans are also available on our website..  Park ranger visits to your classroom are also available  for special programs if your school is within a 100-mile radius of the battlefield.  For more information or to schedule a visit, please contact Susan Hawkins, (931) 232-5706, ext. 104, or Deborah Austin, (931) 232-5706, ext. 103.