Monday, March 15, 2010
Around Town / Phillips Lock One Park: A Review
Posted by Betsy Phillips on Mon, Mar 15, 2010 at 10:46 AM
In Short:
Location: Right next to the Baptist World Center
Crowds: None
Approximate Age of Patrons: My age
Topics of Conversation: "Ouch, my knee! What am I stuck to?"
Stray Dogs Seen: None
Types of Vehicles in Parking Lots: No parking lots
Perceived Safety: Low, bring a friend
Number of Gunshots Heard: None
Dog Friendliness: My dog loved it. Lots to sniff and jump and climb on.
Number of pitbulls sighted: Just mine
Accessibility: Low
Incorporation of Local History: Good, wish it were better
Recommended Patrons: Fishermen, history buffs, people who like moss
If Lock Two Park is your eccentric neighbor, who always has a treat for the kids, Lock One Park is the haunted house where your eccentric neighbor's grandma lived.
Down at the end of a closed road just past the Baptist World Center is a stone wall, a historical marker, and a bunch of signs that tell you that you can't park there overnight. On the other side of the stone wall is ... I don't even know. Something kind of hauntingly awesome.
I'm honestly not sure I was even there legally. All of the entrances were chained off (though someone has busted one of the chains, which is how we got out). I parked on the side of the road, but it's not exactly a welcoming place to park.
But once you get in there, it's really, really cool. It would be even cooler if there were
The one sign that's there is very interesting. Apparently Lock One Park is where Heaton's Station was (one of three forts that withstood all Indian attacks and ensured there would be a Nashville). And there was a buffalo ford there, and a ferry, and then the lock.
And you can get very, very close to the river. I suspect that folks may fish in this park, but I didn't see anyone there this morning. And the view of downtown is really extraordinary.
The neighborhood seemed fine, but I just want to make clear that I felt very, very unsafe, not because I was afraid of people, but because I was there by myself and there are a lot of different levels to the park and slippery stones and things to trip over. If you are unsteady on your feet, it seemed to me that it would be very easy to twist an ankle and then very difficult to get out.
I would have to say, out of any park I've been to, you should not go to this one by
But, dang, there are cool things to look at and wonder about. And the lower down you go, the deeper you feel like you go into Nashville's history.
It's not really a typical park. It's not easy to park, not easy to get into, There's nothing for kids to do there. It's completely inaccessible and it's not clear whether it's safe to walk in some places. One wonders whether you're even supposed to be there. (One also wonders, as one contemplates her busted knee, whether there's hazard pay available from SouthComm -- and if there is, whether she could take it in Dairy Queen coupons.)
But I really loved it. It's a bit like rummaging around in Nashville's basement, looking at cool old stuff our forebears left behind. You might not know what it all is, but it's a treat to poke around in it.
And there are daffodils. A sure sign a gardener has been there at some point in the past.
(More pictures at Tiny Cat Pants, or check out Mike Byrd for images from a sunnier day.)
Comments (6)
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Hilarious piece, Betsy! Great "slice of life" tip for Nashvillians looking for a cool place to go!
Lock Two Park, at the end of Lock Two Road in the Pennington Bend area, has a really cool old cottage still standing near the lock. Great place to sit and watch barge traffic, with a few picnic tables and a nice child play area. Might bring a friend since it can be a little desolate, too, but it's a great piece of river history in Nashville.
Thanks, Betsy!
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I've wondered about this park over and over. The railroad tracks were part of an earlier rail line that used to run through the northside hills for the logging there. There's more but the dashing and accomplished Tom Wood, with his superior memory for local history is away just now.
RocketScientist, thanks for the kind words. I went to Lock 2 park last week and loved it. That's what got me curious about Lock 1 park.
Nicki, when I am queen of Nashville, I am totally appointing your husband Court Historian. We'll blow city funds setting him up with a camera crew so that no matter where he is in the world, he can beam his knowledge back to town.
But I have to say that knowing that the railroad tracks go back to when they logged that area really, really tickles me.
Betsy, sorry to be hors d´combat on Yucatecan R&R in your hour of need. But as to Heaton's Station, I could only send you on to the ultimate arbiter of all things early Nashville, Paul Clements, whom you need to meet if you haven´t.
Thank you for so kindly appointing me Hofgeschichtler. All I can do is recall the advice of J.P. Donleavy, who in his manual of manners The Unexpurgated Code advises that a gentleman, upon receiving a heartfelt compliment, ought to refer the matter to an impartial authority, viz.: "You´re very kind, madam, but according to Grey´s Anatomy, I am only modestly oversized."
Hasta luego,
T
Uh oh. When Tom lays on the "hofgeschichtler" you know you're deep in geek territory....
I am looking for a take out point near Lock One Park for kayaking. Does anyone know the name of the creek near Lock One that passes under Baptist World Center Drive? Would it be accessible? I plan on seeing the fireworks with a group of fellow paddlers on the 4th starting from Shelby Bottoms and need a take out point after the downtown area. Any suggestions?
