The Union County Historic Trail and accompanying brochure which will help guide tourists and residents alike to 23 of the county’s most historic sites will get its formal opening at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Union County Museum.

Museum Executive Director Ola Jean Kelly said Monday that historic trail “runs from one end of the county to the other” and includes a number of public buildings, private homes and other sites with strong significance to the history of the county. She said the sites have been marked with signs and brochures have been printed providing additional information and directions to each site.

“A committee has been appointed to develop a historic trail,” Kelly said. “Twenty-three sites have been selected and suitably marked. The signs are in the shape of Union County. The numbers on the signs will correspond to the numbers on the brochures which have been printed and will be available at many locations after Thursday. The brochures will feature a picture and description of each site and its location. Using the brochures a person with a GPS in their car can visit all of them.”

While the main purpose of the trail is to promote tourism, Kelly said she feels it will also help deepen the people of Union County’s understanding of the county’s history.

“It will help promote tourism, but it will also let our people know just what a truly historic county we live in and learn to appreciate it more,” Kelly said.

Kelly said the development of the trail and the brochures was a collaborative effort involving a number of organizations and individuals including Union County, Union County Tourism Commission, Union County Historical Society, and Renntech, the company that produced the signs.

For more information, contact the museum at 429-5081.

Reach Charles Warner at 864-427-1234, ext. 15, or at cwarner@heartlandpublications.com