The nation will begin celebrating the sesquicentennial of the Civil War in 2011, and John Culpepper, chairman of the Georgia Civil War Commission, says the multi-year celebration could provide a big economic boost to Northwest Georgia.

“One of the best economic engines we have in this area is the Chickamauga-Chattanooga battlefield,” said Culpepper, who is also city manager of Chickamauga. “It adds $36 million a year to the economy of the Chattanooga area.”

Culpepper spoke Thursday night at Dalton City Hall to about 60 local political, economic and civic leaders.

He said communities across Northwest Georgia, including Whitfield County, have plenty of their own Civil War history, and state and regional officials are working to draw attention to those sites.

Culpepper said two projects that could have spillover effects for Whitfield County are the Resaca battlefield center in Gordon County and the Patrick Cleburne statue in Ringgold.

The state broke ground on a visitors center at the Resaca battlefield recently. Officials plan for it to be the entrance point for visitors looking for Georgia’s Civil War heritage. Meanwhile, Ringgold and Catoosa County officials plan to erect a statue of Confederate Gen. Cleburne at Ringgold Gap, where he successfully held off Union troops and saved the retreating Confederate Army.

“We’ve got a real untapped potential as far as economic development through tourism,” said Dalton Mayor David Pennington.

Pennington pointed to Civil War attractions such as the Confederate Cemetery in West Hill Cemetery and the statue of Confederate Gen. Joseph Johnston in downtown Dalton. He also pointed to historical attractions such as the Hamilton House and the Blunt House, which are the city’s oldest homes.

But Pennington warned that many of these sites will have to be improved upon or repaired if they are going to be tourist attractions. He also said the area would have to develop a marketing campaign for its historic sites.

He also warned local officials don’t have much time, with the Civil War observance beginning in less than three years.

But Pennington said those efforts could not only attract tourists but also attract young people and young families to settle in this area.

Margaret Thigpen, executive director of the Dalton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, said that organization has already begun working with state and regional groups to make sure Civil War tourists know about the attractions in the Dalton area.

“We are really going to focus on that and market that as a complete package,” she said.