As a sellout crowd enjoyed food and drink from 17 different purveyors on August 19 at the annual Raise the Roofs event, Friends of Franklin Parks played a video highlighting the fruits of its partnership with the City of Franklin and unveiling big plans for future of the Harlinsdale Park campus.
“Our job is to bridge the gap between public and private, and to work with the Parks Department to preserve and enhance our park system. You see that manifested in the main barn at Harlinsdale, the old mare barn, in the Tractor Supply Co. Arena and now a new warm-up ring, but we want to do more,” explained Friends of Franklin Parks President Dr. Monty McInturff.
“Our plans now are focused on two areas: connecting all 16 of our Parks for the community, starting with a bridge from Harlinsdale across the Harpeth River; and bringing back the old power station there as a Harlinsdale Horse Museum and Visitor’s Center while continuing our work on the Main Barn and the Hayes House.”
Working with numerous stakeholders, including the City and the Chestnut Bend Homeowner’s Association, Friends of Franklin Parks is developing a plan to connect the park to existing trails on the other side of the Harpeth River, which would allow safe and easy access to Bicentennial Park and downtown Franklin on foot or bicycle.
The power station – built near the turn of the 20th century to supply coal-fired power to Franklin – was ultimately replaced by cooperative utility systems after the Great Depression. The historic building was heavily damaged during a storm in 2014.
“This is an opportunity to restore that building and create an educational experience that tells the story of the horse’s impact on middle Tennessee and the region, and serve as a destination for people exploring our parks,” McInturff said. “This Visitor’s Center, located right in the middle of Franklin’s ‘Central Park,’ will be the resource for anyone who wants to understand how to take advantage of everything the 16-park system offers, whether it’s history or hiking, floating, fishing, events or riding.”
Friends of Franklin Parks from Jason Wain on Vimeo.
The sixth-annual Raise the Roofs event was presented by Kemp Orthodontics and Randy Jones & Associates.
