Agenda. Walton Hotel - Carthage Ozone Falls near Cookeville Stone Museum View from Fort Roosevelt WMA near Rockwood Fort Southwest near Kingston

Transcription

1 Agenda Walton Hotel - Carthage Ozone Falls near Cookeville Stone Museum View from Fort Roosevelt WMA near Rockwood Fort Southwest near Kingston 1

2 The purpose of our corridor management plan 2

3 AC #1 Vision and goals, theme development, corridor definition Public #1 Public meetings for those unable to participate in the day to day activities of the advisory committee These would be scheduled in different locations in the late afternoon/early evening period to make it easy to stop by after work. AC #2 Intrinsic qualities and planning for their preservation Efforts will be made to involve planning professionals, conservation and preservation interests as guests to the advisory committee meeting AC #3 Visitor experience This will be an opportunity for each county and municipal mayor or his/her representative to provide the team with his/her desired enhancement projects along the byway for inclusion in the plan. AC #4 Heritage tourism and economic development Efforts would be made to target heritage and eco-tourism providers along with state and regional tourism professionals to get together and determine how best to coordinate marketing efforts along the byway. AC #5 Draft Plan and Implementation Community-based meetings: A package will be put together for use by advisory committee members to take with them back to their community to make presentations to county and local officials to gain endorsement for the plan and the byway s future 3

4 Why seek recognition - there are lots of ways to gain awareness of your route and manage the visitor experience so it maintains a high level of quality. Recognition in any form is like the good housekeeping seal of approval - it provides some reassurance to the visitors that a trip will be worth the time and effort. With the elimination of funding for the National Scenic Byway program it is unclear when or whether or not there will be another round of nominations. You will need to rely more upon marketing and promotion you still need to act like a nationally significant heritage travel route. Other options need to be considered now and we will discuss this at the next meeting 4

5 One of the biggest challenges you face is that the significance of this route is not readily obvious. - there is not a lot of published literature out there and previous efforts to develop heritage touring routes such as Avery Trace might have added to the confusion of the significance. As one of the earliest wagon roads over the rugged Cumberland Plateau, the Walton Road tells an important story of frontier settlement, the challenges of migration across the wilderness, and the forging of a national identity. The Walton Road, opened in 1801 and named after its builder, Revolutionary War veteran Captain William Walton, is one of the most historic pioneer roads in the Cumberland Plateau region of Tennessee and Kentucky. From the first two meetings, we have a pretty good idea of the stories that need to be told where to tell the story, we just need to figure out HOW to tell that story and what kind of physical improvements might be necessary to get the byway ready for visitors 5

6 Clockwise from top left: Crossing the Clinch River at the Ferry Crossing sites This section of the Walton Road east of Mammy s Creek is one of the longest and best preserved along the scenic byway. Spencer s Rock viewed from US 70N. A well-defined section of the Walton Road is located within the boundary of the I-40 rest area at Crab Orchard where the Kemmer Stand tavern is interpreted 6

7 Clockwise from top left: Johnson s Stand at Mayland Flat Rock near Monterey This brick and stone chimney marks the site of Sehon s Stand west of Monterey. The original Walton Road is readily visible along several sections adjacent to Buck Mountain Road, Brotherton Mountain Road and Woodcliff Road. This well preserved section is off Woodcliff Road east of the Brotherton community 7

8 Clockwise from top left: Raulston Stand with view to the landscape beyond big trees recently came down and it appears they are doing road work on this curve Original Walton Road roadbed behind the abandoned gas station near Helms Road Three landings along the Cumberland River in Carthage Walton Ferry was upstream from here 8

9 The second theme interprets the frontier landscape of the Cumberland Plateau the character defining features of which can still be seen from places along the route as well as some of the intersecting trails and landscapes Clockwise from top left: From the panoramic Roosevelt Mountain or Bee Rock or the many nearby caves and waterfalls such as found at ozone falls or the knife edge ridges near Raulston Stand what can t be seen today are already being interpreted at places like Fort Southwest Point with opportunities at other locations to interpret both the historic travel routes and the pioneer landscape and culture 9

10 Perhaps some of the less appreciated historic features are also significant in telling the story of how the original pioneer route evolved over time into the Automobile era - Landings and Ferry Crossings turned into engineering marvels - the Cordell Hull Bridge: The Cordell Hull Bridge is a steel vehicular bridge over the Cumberland River. Erected in 1936, it was listed on the National Register for its engineering significance. Elmwood contains the W.H. McKinney Grocery Store The Rowell Motel is one of the best-preserved motels along Highway 70E and is distinguished by its Crab Orchard stone exterior. Four duplex cabins remain standing at 9794 Highway 70E and reflect the type of early tourist court cabins built along the highway in the early 20th century. The Mid-Town Drive-In was built in 1949 and is still a seasonally operated theater. 10

11 That culture is found in the communities along the Walton Road whether it is in Carthage Clockwise from top left Walton Gravesite The Walton Hotel Battery Hill Smith County Courthouse 11

12 That culture is found in the communities along the Walton Road or Cookville Clockwise from top left The depot The adjoining Cream City Creamery and adjoining buildings have historic value John s Place is listed on the National Register for its role in African American history The Southern Motel although no longer used that way still retains its character defining features 12

13 That culture is found in the communities along the Walton Road in Monterey the opportunity exists to peel back more layers to uncover Native American history associated with the Standing Stone monument as well as the Monterey s Main Street and the more recent railroad era hotel - likely eligible for listing on the National Register as a district 13

14 That culture is found in the communities along the Walton Road or Crossville and Crab Orchard Stone found in downtown buildings such as the Courthouse, the TN Highway Patrol building, the Palace Theater. Nearby at Cumberland Mountain state Park a different layer of building and stone work is found in the CCC era pump house structure behind the dam 14

15 That culture is found in the communities along the Walton Road in Rockwood it is found in the notable collections of f late 19th and early 20th century commercial buildings in downtown or along the Kingston Avenue Historic District 15

16 That culture is found in the communities along the Walton Road whether it is in Kingston Clockwise from top left: The Bethel Cemetery in Kingston laid out as part of the town in 1799 with the first burial in 1811 Federal style Colonel Gideon Morgan House from about 1810 a revolutionary war hero who settled in and became a prominent Kingston merchant Or the Greek revival courthouse from about 1855 And the influence of the TVA in reshaping Kingston and the Watts Bar Reservoir 16

17 Getting information about the byway as we discussed at the last meeting is much easier now and we see that Smith County has been added to the Edgetrekker site. The Promised Land Trail is another way to get information but it is a much larger regional trail type of experience. It does mention the Walton Road and many of the sites are listed in the trail guide. This should be seen as an opportunity to capture more visitors. 17

18 One of the challenges you face is that there are many points of entry on to the Walton Road you can jump in at any time so you need some orientation points at the major ones especially in each of the communities. Visitors may jump on and off at any time. Exit 258 to Carthage via SR 53 Exit 268 to Route 70N via Route 96 Exit 280 to Baxter via Route 56 Exit 286, 287, 288 and 290 to Cookeville suggest directing visitors to the Depot and put an outside kiosk map with how to navigate through Cookeville Exit 300 and 301 to Montery suggest directing victors to the Monterey Depot and put an outside kiosk with info Exit 311 south via Plateau Road to Route 70N Exit 317, 320 and 322 south to Crossville Exit 329 to Crab Orchard Exit 338 south along Westel Road Exit 340 and 347 to Rockwood Exit 347 to Harriman Exist 350 to Kingston 18

19 Once they are on the route since it generally follows US 70 and US 70N it is relatively easy to mark by replacing the bird with a Walton Road scenic byway sign. 19

20 But it will get more complicated if and when the state puts up the Discover Tennessee Trails and Byways sign for the Promised Land Trail. The overlap - highlighted in orange occurs between Carthage and Route 53 turnoff to Granville and picking up again at Route 96 turnout to Granville and Cordell Hull then again eastward along 70N to Baxter through Cookville to Monterey up to Crab Orchard. There is also an overlap with the Civil War Trails - these signs generally point to a specific site 20

21 There is also overlap in signage between Kingston and Rockwood with the Top Secret Trail 21

22 Given all the overlaps there are two options One is to go ahead and just add the Walton Road Scenic Byway to the route marking signs and let the overlap be what it is The second option would be to accept the Promised Land as the primary route marking signage Mark only the sites and attractions that are related to the Walton Road and use Edgetrekker and a mobile application to help visitors Find the Walton Road - it might make a good geocaching site. Here is an example of how they marked Avery s Trace Sign marking a section of Avery's Trace at Bledsoe's Fort Historical Park in Sumner County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. Avery's Trace was an 18th-century wagon road connecting East and Middle Tennessee. Photograph courtesy of Brian Stansberry File:Avery-trace-sign-tn1.jpg#filelinks 22

23 Here is a simplified design using a brown backing on the existing route marker sign with the TN scenic parkway marker (the bird) Perhaps you could get approval for a Walton Road specific logo in this application 23

24 1) Here are two recent examples the top is New Jersey s use of a LOGO for each Byway. - they just got approval from FHWA for the use of the logo and FHWA requested that the brown be turned to green. I am not sure why. 2) Here are the National Historic Trail signs for the Star-Spangled Banner NHT have to be designated an NHT to use these but they are using as much as possible existing route marker signs 3) You will need to work through TDOT and FHWA to determine the route marking choices if you want to mark the route. 24

25 Here is the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices guidance on community wayfinding guide signs TDOT will allow you to pursue approvals for other designs by their policy but this is a long and onerous process. 25

26 The Iowa Scenic Byway Sign Program is a good example of a clear, attractive wayfinding system. Signs with arrows are placed at intersections to indicate a change in direction and those without are placed along the route to acting as confirmation that the traveler is on the right path. The graphic on the left is from the America s Byways Resource Center (ABRC) Wayshowing Manual and shows where the different signs would be placed. 26

27 The sites along the byway use a wide range of signing in the eastern portions you see a lot more natural stone used (top left at Obed River Arboretum and lower left at TN highway patrol in Rockwood) The standard historical markers are always a brand that is well appreciated, but you need to have a place to stop and read the sign safely. The Walton Road shows up in a lot of interesting places (top right). Standard state signs for recreational sites lower right. 27

28 Granville is perhaps the king of attraction signing - - a veritable museum 28

29 You have several locations with an outdoor kiosk allowing 24-7 access. Incorporating byway exhibits into these kiosks or others is an important way to give the Walton Road more exposure 29

30 One of the challenges you face is that there are many points of entry on to the Walton Road you can jump in at any time so you need some orientation points at the major ones especially in each of the communities. Visitors may jump on and off at any time. Exit 258 to Carthage via SR 53 Exit 268 to Route 70N via Route 96 Exit 280 to Baxter via Route 56 Exit 286, 287, 288 and 290 to Cookeville suggest directing visitors to the Depot and put an outside kiosk map with how to navigate through Cookeville Exit 300 and 301 to Montery suggest directing visitors to the Monterey Depot and put an outside kiosk with info Exit 311 south via Plateau Road to Route 70N Exit 317, 320 and 322 south to Crossville Exit 329 to Crab Orchard Exit 338 south along Westel Road Exit 340 and 347 to Rockwood Exit 347 to Harriman Exist 350 to Kingston 30

31 Existing visitor center top left and planned improvements to the Courthouse 31

32 Existing signage to Heritage Museum on Main Street in Carthage 32

33 Cookeville s Highlands Visitor Center, History Museum and Depot 33

34 Crossville s visitor center, Military Heritage Museum and Depot 34

35 Kingston s Roane County Visitor Center, Southwest Point Visitor Center, Roane County Courthouse and kiosk 24 hour visitor kiosk at the Visitor Center 35

36 One approach to finding attractions, might be to establish a wayfinding program for the Walton Road. The balancing act will be to find out how to fit the Walton Road into its context and not make some many signs that they overwhelm the landscape. Here might be one way to use the MUTCD Attraction Signing program in one of the smaller communities 36

37 This is not the Walton Road Scenic Byway, but the land use is similar to some of the areas near Cookeville, Crossville or Rockwood. This is the National Road in western Maryland a photo taken in

38 And here is what it looks like 11 years later. There seems to be fewer signs and more vegetation a work in progress, but progress nonetheless. 38

39 Example of a rural (late winter) entry in Centreville, DE and an urban entry in Charlottesville, Virginia The Centreville entry is combined with some traffic calming measures - splitter islands like the one on the left designed to force drivers to slow down 39

40 Delaware enhances their roadways through subtraction by editing out some of the weedier invasives to favor certain kind of plants. Along the Journey Through Hallowed Ground, 620,000 trees - one for every soldier killed in the Civil War are being planted as a living memorial, means of sprucing up the roadside, and establishing that physical presence we talked about under Strategy #1. 40

41 This slide shows a before and after scenario in Lexington, VA for a community entrance corridor study. The after slide shows a much more appealing roadside appearance after new city design guidelines were implemented. Signs have been lowered, multiple signs have been consolidated, and materials such as bricks add a bit of class to a Wendy s sign. 41

42 Upper Ferry Road in Carthage presents a great opportunity to link together some of the sites like site of the original Walton Road ferry landing and crossing, the nearby access ramp to the Cumberland River the Cordell Hull Bridge, and downtown Carthage 42

43 More tree planting and a bicycle lane could shade the walkway and create a more welcoming appearance to this critical corridor between Walton s gravesite and landing and downtown Carthage 43

44 This Cumberland River Heritage Trail could be expanded could help tell the story of Walton s beginning and endings at the Ferry landing 44

45 In looking at another part of the corridor, Rockwood which it could also help call attention to the community which is a bit off the byway and main travel roads - 45

46 Here is the view approaching Rockwood Avenue the turn into Rockwood s downtown district 46

47 In looking at another part of the corridor, Rockwood which it could also help call attention to the community which is a bit off the byway and main travel roads - 47

48 Ian Lockwood a transportation planner we have worked with frequently, used this diagram for the Journey Through Hallowed Ground CMP to explain how land use and transportation design can be used to help drivers as they come in to settlement places feel the need to slow down. As you get closer into town, the road appears more like a place where there are people and sidewalks and street trees and lights and on-street parking, and storefronts close to the street. All of the corridor elements should reflect a clear and distinct transition from rural to urban. 48

49 A visitor to the Walton Road today travels along the route from one community to the next through a sequence of evocative landscapes and views. In between the evocative landscapes and views, at the edges of most of the communities are commercial corridors that no longer retain the qualities of historic and cultural qualities of the route Lets look at where we are with a trip across the Walton Road from Walton s Ferry back across the Plateau to Kingston. 49

50 Starting at Walton s Grave behind Wal-Mart. This road from Wal-Mart to a parking area at the grave site could serve as a trailhead for a walk that leads down to the ferry landing = and if all went well under the bridge along the river to the boat ramp park area 50

51 And then on to another wayside at the Cordell Hull Bridge looking and then on to Main Street and the Courthouse. 51

52 Smith County courthouse 52

53 Elmwood McKenny Store 53

54 Chestnut Mound 54

55 Walton Circle east of Chestnut Mound 55

56 Raulston Stand 56

57 Campbell Family Cemetery 57

58 Double Springs bootleg story 58

59 Cookeville Western Entry 59

60 Cookeville the route can be found but it is difficult to see and is within primarily residential neighborhoods. There is a good exhibit in the History Museum on the Walton Road and the historical photographs in Cookeville (and in other places are strong interpretive tools). The Depot museum is also an outstanding facility and interpreting the railroad era. When all else fails get ice cream. 60