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April 28, 2007
"Special places" saved for generations to come
Crossville Chronicle
By Heather Mullinix
April 26, 2007
More than 300 acres of land will be permanently protected from development thanks to the gift of land from Plateau Properties to the state of Tennessee and the Cumberland Trail State Park.
Rob Harrison, general manager of Plateau Properties, was thanked for the gift that includes the top of Brady Mountain, Brady Bluffs and Salt Peter Cave.
"I grew up with all of this," said Harrison. "I went hiking up there and would think, 'This is nice and beautiful and it'll always be here.' As I get older, I realize a lot of these special places won't be here if we don't take steps to protect them."
The donation was made in honor of Harrison's father, the late Arthur Harrison, and Bob Brown, a noted conservationist and champion of the Cumberland Trail.
During the dedication celebration Saturday at the Grassy Cove Community Center, about 200 people enjoyed live music by the Lantana Drifters, food, drinks and desserts donated by area individuals and businesses, hikes to both the top of Brady Mountain and to Salt Peter Cave, and tours of Grassy Cove.
Harrison said his father became involved with the Cumberland Trail when Brown came to Crossville for business and for hiking about 40 years ago. Brown had been hiking with Mack Pritchard, a founder of the Tennessee Trails Association and state naturalist, and had complained of having to travel from Nashville to the Smoky Mountains to hike the Appalachian Trail. Pritchard reportedly told Brown to visit the Cumberland Plateau. Arthur Harrison showed Brown many of Cumberland County's natural treasures, including Peavine, Hebbertsburg, the Obed Canyon and Brady Mountain.
When the idea of the Cumberland Trail was born, Harrison said he believed they envisioned a trail similar to the Appalachian Trail, and Arthur Harrison told the Tennessee Trails group he knew where the trail could go. Since 1968, hikers have been able to hike along Brady Mountain as part of the Cumberland Trail.
"When I was growing up, my dad would take me out on Sunday trips," Harrison said. "Several times we would go to the top of Brady Mountain and hike. I remember hiking up the to top one day and my dad said, 'Well, there's a trail here.' That was about it. I never had any idea of how grand the idea was they were trying to accomplish."
Harrison returned to Crossville from Nashville in 1997 following the death of his father in 1996. Brown, Rob Webber, with the Cumberland Trail Association, and Brown's dog, Trouble, came to visit Harrison.
"They were still at it, working on trying to acquire the trail and put the pieces together," Harrison said. "Not much happened at that point. The next year they would come by and we would work on it some more. Last year, I ran into Mack and he said Bob was real sick, and we decided we needed to make something happen.
"I hope Bob is able to enjoy seeing his life's work come to fruition. And I'm sure my dad is up there in heaven with Bob's dog, Trouble, enjoying this celebration, too. Neither one of them would have wanted such a big fuss, but I'm sure they're glad to see the pieces of the trail come together."
Kathleen Wiliams, executive director of the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation, thanked Plateau Properties and the Harrison family for the land gift. She shared a conversation she had with Brown, who lives in Nashville and is in failing health and was unable to attend the celebration.
"He said, 'I mainly want you to share I am grateful to Arthur Harrison and to Rob. I knew they had a conservation ethic and I want to thank them for their thoughtfulness and thank them for following through with their dad's wishes,'" Williams said.
Mike Carlton, assistant commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, noted the Cumberland Trail was a unique state park in that it connected pearls of natural treasures across the state. The Cumberland Trail begins at Cumberland Gap State Park and runs south to Chickamauga National Military Park in Chattanooga. It includes more than 11,000 acres and 150 miles of completed trails, with another 150 miles of trail planned for the future. It has been built mostly by volunteer labor. Carlton said he first met Bob Brown in the 1980s when Brown would vacation at Cove Lake and volunteer his time to build trails.
Bob Fulcher, Cumberland Trail State Park manager, said, "This is a monumental donation for the Cumberland Trail, which is a work in progress. Moments like these give us the faith and enthusiasm to dive in and get the rest of this done."
Fulcher thanked the Harrison family and Plateau Properties along with other land owners in the area who have allowed the Cumberland Trail to pass through their property during the past 30 years.
Harrison noted there were a number of creative ways to make conservation gifts, and urged everyone to work with organizations like Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation to help preserve Tennessee natural treasures, like Devil Step Hollow Cave at the mouth of the Sequatchie River.
During the celebration, Rep. Eric Swafford said, "Anyone that's ever been involved with the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation knows that when they take one step, they are ready to take the next one."
Devil Step Hollow Cave, at the edge of Cumberland and Bledsoe counties, is the drainage system for Grassy Cove and the headwaters of the Sequatchie River.
"It's an absolutely wonderful piece of property that needs to be moved into the Cumberland Trail," Swafford said.
Petitions were available to be signed and sent to the governor to urge the state to assist with the purchase of the property. Williams said the land is being offered for sale for $2.75 million and includes 400 acres and several buildings that could be used as a hostel for the Cumberland Trail, a cultural museum or other purposes.
For more information about the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation, see the Web site www.tenngreen.org. For information about the Cumberland Trail or volunteer opportunities, see the Web site www.cumberlandtrail.org.
Conservation | By Jeffrey Hunter | 4:12 PM
