Exclusive: Civil War Trails Hires Terry Heder as Full-Time Historian

Our friends at Civil War Trails have hired a new full-time historian, Terry Heder.

“Our program is experiencing a growth spurt and our Board of Directors saw the need to bring on a new full time employee to keep pace,” said Drew Gruber, Executive Director of Civil War Trails, Inc. “This is a homecoming of sorts for Terry, who previously sat on the Civil War Trails Board of Directors. His position will also enable the program to better handle the immense growth it is experiencing.” The Civil War Trails system includes more than 1,500 sites across six states.

“I’m excited to have the chance to bring history to life for visitors by telling meaningful and engaging stories,” Heder says. According to the Trails, Heder will assist communities, descendants, and amenities who are looking to add their Civil War stories to the program as well as work with municipal tourism offices to maintain and update the current system of signs for visitors. Heder hopes to use his new position to tell “compelling narratives in the words and through the eyes of the people who lived through such interesting times.”

Heder previously worked as the Director of Interpretation, Education, and History for the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District, and served as regional coordinator of the Civil War Sesquicentennial in the Valley. He developed an interest in history at a young age, an interest that was fostered and encouraged by his parents and teachers. Having grown up as a Navy ‘brat’ he had a chance to dive into all aspects of American history as they moved and he now resides in Broadway, Virginia with his beloved wife Kirsten and their cat D.C.

ECW is pleased to share an exclusive interview with Terry Heder here:

Each Civil War Trails site around the nation puts visitors in the footsteps of soldiers, citizens, and the formerly enslaved who fighting for freedom. When visitors arrive at a Civil War Trails site they will find one of their interpretive signs which helps fuel the visitor’s imagination as they picture the historic events which swirled around them or about the trailblazing individuals who made history right there. Each site is supported by a network of directional signs authorized by the state transportation departments and each Civil War Trails site is marketed by a unique coalition of municipal and state travel offices. The program currently has more projects on deck than during the Sesquicentennial and has also experienced a whirlwind of interest from visitors shipping more map-guides last year than the year prior.

To find out more about the Civil War Trails program visit www.civilwartrails.org.