Learning the history at tour stops in the Vicksburg National Military Park is now just a cell call away.

A partnership between the park and OnCell Systems Inc. has added another dimension to tours of the Civil War battlefield’s 15 designated stops.

Visitors can use their cells to dial 601-262-2100 and follow recorded instructions to hear narratives explaining each stop and its significance. Specific instruction sheets are available at the park’s visitor center.

Only a cell phone customer’s monthly airtime and plan usage charges apply, the National Park Service said.

Tours enhanced by OnCell have been used at various other parks and historic sites, including Gulf Islands National Seashore in Florida and the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington D.C., according to the Pittsford, N.Y.-based company’s Web site.

Through the years, the park has offered recorded guides in a variety of formats, from cassette tapes to audio CDs and even devices triggered by satellite tracking of visitors’ locations in the park. Licensed tour guides are also available.

A new visitor center movie depicting events in Vicksburg leading up to the 1863 battles and siege is slated for its initial showing in October, park officials have said.

The park is Vicksburg’s most-visited tourist attraction, with 555,109 visitors reported in 2008.

*

Contact Danny Barrett Jr. at dbarrett@vicksburgpost.com