This month, Franklin’s board of mayor and alderman approved the design for a 12-million dollar park on part of the Franklin Battlefield.
The Civil War battle was fought on November 30th, 1864, and resulted in more than 9-thousand casualties. The battlefield, however, was long forgotten. Most of it has been developed.
Franklin Mayor Tom Miller has played a key role in piecing back together what’s left but not without opposition. The city has spent more than 10-million dollars on historic open space in the last few years even as reserve funds decline.
But Miller says developing a battlefield park should entice preservationists and developers.
“We feel that this is an important part of our heritage, that a battlefield park is need there. Not only that it’s needed because it preserves our heritage, but it’s a great economic development tool in that tourism, particularly heritage tourism, is on the rise.”
Miller says the 12-million dollars for the park is an inflated figure. Initially, the city is committed to putting in a road for roughly one-million.
Coming up at (6:34/8:34), WPLN’s Blake Farmer reports on a swell in battlefield preservation efforts leading up to the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.
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