Veterans Memorial of Macon County, Franklin, NC

Commissioners, veterans discuss vision for Veterans Memorial Print
Thursday, 26 April 2007
Macon County News
By Jessica Richardson
Staff Writer

During a short meeting held at the Macon County Community Building Thursday, April 19, commissioners and members of a veterans committee reviewed the proposed location for a veterans park and memorial.

The park will tentatively be located at the community building, at the far end of the parking lot, where swings and a small shelter are currently located. Those structures could easily be relocated, said Seth Adams, Macon County recreational facilities director.

Bob Litten goes over two examples with commissioner Brian McClellan. Below left, the commissioners view the area where the veterans memorial park is planned.

Commission chair Charles Leatherman, a veteran himself, brought the idea of a

steering committee for the project to the board of commissioners in March. The idea of honoring veterans with some form of memorial has been a long time in the making and the committee has moved ahead quickly with the project.
Bob Litten goes over two examples with commissioner Brian McClellan. Below left, the commissioners view the area where the veterans memorial park is planned.

Commissioner Jim Davis proposed that the group take a field trip to an established veterans park. He recommended a park located in Collegedale, just outside of Chattanooga. The park includes a life-size tank, jets, and a helicopter and is located along the town’s greenway.

Commissioner Bob Simpson asked how many veterans there are in the Macon County area, which was estimated to be around 3,800.

Bob Litten, committee chair, said that the park would draw a lot of veterans and their families to the area. He foresees veterans bringing their families to the park and maybe for the first time, talking to them about their

“We’re trying to get as much of an idea from families that have had someone who left here (to serve) and never came back,” said Litten.

The above view of a design for the veterans park was created by the Franklin Chamber of Commerce.

Two ideas have been proposed for how the park would look. Both renditions have a similar layout. The committee proposed that a platform structure would be in the center, with a statue of a kneeling soldier on top of it and the names of the fallen on the sides of the structure. Surrounding benches would represent each service branch, along with surrounding flags.

The second design, submitted by the Franklin Chamber of Commerce, has a large platform structure in the center of the park with the names of all the fallen on the side, and statue of a large eagle sitting on the top of it. Service branch flags would surround the structure. Both ideas have a gazebo at the entrance of the park.

Committee members at the meeting said that they preferred their own design, but would be happy to see either one.
The above view of a design for the veterans park was created by the Franklin Chamber of Commerce.

Commission chair Charles Leatherman made it clear that he wanted to support what the veterans of Macon County wanted the park to look like and that the county was serving as support in the process.

A veterans committee working toward creating a Macon County Veterans Park designed the above look for the park, to be located at the recreational facility. The design includes a kneeling soldier on a platform with the names of the fallen.
Commissioners and veterans alike said that they wanted the project to move forward as quickly as possible. The next step would be to determine exactly what they want the park to look like, and then a surveyor and architect could get involved.

“I want to move on with this as fast as we can,” said Litten.