There is already a park nearby that commemorates Farragut. What is the significance of an engraved rock bought by a private organization and dedicated by a man who many in Knox County, when asked, would not know or would confuse with the creator of the library cataloging system? If this one rock really matters, get together and make another marker, put it in the county park, and let the inscription give the exact location of the Admiral's birthplace relative to the rock's position. Or just lie and say that the new position is the birthplace.
The truth of the matter is that "the park that commemorates Farragut" wraps around the cove and surrounds the land where the "rock" was. That park's boundary is only about 25 feet away from where the monument was. This "rock," by the way, was actually a carved monument that stood about 4 feet tall and 3 feet wide, and was made of Tennessee pink marble mined at the Bond Quarry on nearby Keller Bend. For the past year Knox County has made various offers to preserve the monument, and even offered to move it over about 25 feet so that it would be within the boundaries of the existing park, but the owner of the private property said no. She did not want it anywhere close to her land. The Knoxville News Sentinel reports that she was tired of the hassle and didn't want trespassers. Trouble is, the section of Farragut park immediately next to where the monument stood is public land, so folks who might like to stroll down the beautiful, tree-lined path along the water's edge--which was the old Lowe's Ferry Pike--are not trespassers. True, the old road had been closed off to the public for a few years in order to prevent fishermen from putting their boats in at an old ramp that was no longer safe. There seems to be some confusion that this section will remain closed, but it CAN'T... unless Knox County wants to violate a federal deed restriction. The closure of this section of Farragut Park has been justified for the short term, because there was also concern about keeping folks from further trampling any important archaeology artifacts that were close to the monument. But now that the monument is no longer there, the county, by federal law, is going to have to open up the old road and make it available again for public recreation or else risk some legal troubles. With or without the old monument being there, the path to Farragut's birthplace will still be public once again soon. But I like your idea of creating a new monument there! It could be placed just a few feet away from where the old one was. If the original ever shows up again, it could be put on in the East Tennessee History Center or wherever its rightful owners--the Bonny Kate Chapter of the DAR--want to display it.
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utmargarita writes:
The truth of the matter is that "the park that commemorates Farragut" wraps around the cove and surrounds the land where the "rock" was. That park's boundary is only about 25 feet away from where the monument was. This "rock," by the way, was actually a carved monument that stood about 4 feet tall and 3 feet wide, and was made of Tennessee pink marble mined at the Bond Quarry on nearby Keller Bend. For the past year Knox County has made various offers to preserve the monument, and even offered to move it over about 25 feet so that it would be within the boundaries of the existing park, but the owner of the private property said no. She did not want it anywhere close to her land. The Knoxville News Sentinel reports that she was tired of the hassle and didn't want trespassers. Trouble is, the section of Farragut park immediately next to where the monument stood is public land, so folks who might like to stroll down the beautiful, tree-lined path along the water's edge--which was the old Lowe's Ferry Pike--are not trespassers. True, the old road had been closed off to the public for a few years in order to prevent fishermen from putting their boats in at an old ramp that was no longer safe. There seems to be some confusion that this section will remain closed, but it CAN'T... unless Knox County wants to violate a federal deed restriction. The closure of this section of Farragut Park has been justified for the short term, because there was also concern about keeping folks from further trampling any important archaeology artifacts that were close to the monument. But now that the monument is no longer there, the county, by federal law, is going to have to open up the old road and make it available again for public recreation or else risk some legal troubles. With or without the old monument being there, the path to Farragut's birthplace will still be public once again soon. But I like your idea of creating a new monument there! It could be placed just a few feet away from where the old one was. If the original ever shows up again, it could be put on in the East Tennessee History Center or wherever its rightful owners--the Bonny Kate Chapter of the DAR--want to display it.
Share your thoughts
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