- Shelby Farms
Infobox park
park=Shelby Farms
image size=300px
caption=Scenic view in Shelby Farms park (2005)
type=Municipal
location=Memphis, Tennessee
coordinates=coor dms|35|08|40|N|89|50|15|W
size=4,500acre s (18 km²)
opened=1970s
operator=Shelby Farms Park Conservancy
annual visitors=
status=Open all year from dawn to duskShelby Farms is the largest urban
park in theUnited States , located in Memphis, Shelby County,Tennessee . At a size of 4,500acre s (18 km²), it covers more than five times the area ofCentral Park inNew York City with 843 acres (3.4 km²).Lakes , naturalforests , andwetlands provide naturalhabitat s for many smallerspecies close to an urbanmetropolitan area .Wildlife can be observed in their natural environment from the manytrails in the park. Shelby Farms park is home to abison herd.The land that forms Shelby Farms park was derived from property that had been privately owned in the 19th century. In 1825,
humanist reformerFrances Wright founded theNashoba Commune on parts of what is modern day Shelby Farms. The purpose of the cummune was to emancipateslaves by providing education in practical and cultural skills. Remains of a settlement from the late 19th century are still present in the modern day park.From 1929 until 1964 Shelby Farms was used as a penal farm associated with the Shelby County jail.
Shelby Farms was opened for
recreational purposes in the 1970s. In 2007, a public and private non-profit partnership was established to provide for the daily operation of the park and to plan for its future use.In 2008, a masterplan was put in place for the redesign of the park. The re-design would provide additional hiking and biking trails as well as more opportunities for boating and surfing.
Geography
Encompassing about 4,500
acre s (18 km²) of land, Shelby Farms is the largest urbanpark in theUnited States ,http://www.shelbycountytn.gov Shelby County Internet Portal] it covers more than five times the area ofCentral Park inNew York City with 843 acres (3.4 km²).Several
lakes , naturalforests , and thewetlands of the Wolf River are situated in hilly surroundings.Wildlife
Wildlife includingbeavers ,deer ,turtles ,tortoises and different species ofbirds can be observed in theirnatural environment . Although the park is surrounded by routes used bycommuter traffic, smallerspecies can still findhabitats large enough to survive.Shelby Farms park is home to a
bison herd and to a few Texas longhorn (cattle).History
19th century
In 1825,
Frances Wright 's Nashoba Experiment was formed on parts of what is modern day Shelby Farms park. On 2,000acres (8 km2) of woodland,humanist reformer Frances Wright, an opponent of slavery, founded a multi-racialcommune of slaves, free blacks and whites to prepare slaves and former slaves for their future freedom. Wright believed in theemancipation of slaves by providing education for them in practical and cultural skills.http://www.shelbyfarmspark.org/sfpc/view-master-plan SFPC Master Plan]Remains of an early settlement from the late 19th century can be found at the eastern tip of Shelby Farms park, consisting of ruins of a residential building, a disintegrated barn, car wrecks dating from the 1950s and 1960s, old fences and a family
burial site.In 2005, the family burial site of the Mann family exists with just one
grave marker remaining. The last two documenteddeaths , as indicated on that remaininggravestone , date back toNovember 25 1891 for Robert W Mann andDecember 5 1891 for Mary S Mann. Five or more graves are marked only by their base stones. [http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/tn/shelby/cemeteries/mann.txt - RootsWeb]Shelby County accquired 1,600
acres (6.5 km2) of land in 1928 for use as a penal farm. How and when the remaining formerlyprivate property of 2,900 acres (12 km2) was incorporated into what is now Shelby Farms park is unknown.Penal farm
From 1929 until 1964 Shelby Farms was used as a penal farm, in which the prisoners of the Shelby County Jail were involved in
agricultural labor to provide food for inmates and staff, or to sell overproduction for profit on behalf of the state ofTennessee . [http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2007/Nov/22/calvin-anderson-an-opportunity-to-be-heard-on/ Commercial Appeal, Memphis]Parts of Shelby Farms are still used as a semi penal farm. Some inmates of the Shelby County Jail as well as individuals sentenced to
community service are required to do yard work to keep Shelby Farms fields in shape or to pick up litter on nearby streets.ince the 1970s
In the 1970s the Shelby County Commission opened the area for
recreational purposes.The Shelby Farms Park Alliance (SFPA) was granted a conservation
easement by the Shelby County Commission in December 2006. The easement restricts commercial andresidential development in the park area for 50 years. [http://www.sfparkalliance.org/the-history-of-shelby-farms-park/ Shelby Farms Park Alliance (SFPA) conservation effort] [http://www.memphisbioworks.org/newsroom_article_2007_0110_CA.php MemphisBioworks.org Article]In 2007, an agreement was signed between the Shelby County
Mayor A.C. Wharton and the SFPA, forming the Shelby Farms Park Conservancy (SFPC), a public and private non-profit partnership established by Shelby County government to help provide day-to-day operations of the park and to develop a planning process for the future of Shelby Farms park. [http://www.sfparkalliance.org/2007/07/ Management agreement between SFPA and Shelby County] [http://www.shelbyfarmspark.org/ Shelby Farms Park Conservancy (SFPC)]Future
A masterplan was put in place in 2008 to direct a major re-design of the park. An extension of Patriot Lake is planned to accommodate for more boating and surfing activities and to extend the paved trail around the lake. Additional hiking and biking trails are proposed and 1,000,000 new trees are planned to be planted to make Shelby Farms a park of the 21st century.
Recreation
Hiking andbiking trails meandering through the park allow visitors to observewildlife andnature . Catch'em Lake is a designated artificialfishing lake, and on two other lakes rowing boats are allowed. On one of latter two lakes, Patriot Lake, pedal boats can be rented. There is a 1.67 mile (2.7km ) paved trail around Patriot Lake.Horseback riding is allowed in parts of the park and on a few trails,horses can be rented as well. A designatedrunway to start and land miniatureradio control aircraft is present in the park for public use.An 18 hole
disk golf course is located near the welcome center of the park. [http://www.memphisdiscgolf.com/cms/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=2&Itemid=28 Disk golf in Shelby Farms Park]Shelby Farms also has the
Agricenter Showplace Arena hostingindoor soccer events and is home to aFarmers' Market .ee also
*
Nashoba Commune
*Frances Wright References
External links
* [http://www.sfparkalliance.org Shelby Farms Park Allliance] (SFPA), citizen organization working to help Shelby Farms Park realize its full potential for the residents of Memphis and Shelby County.
* [http://midsouthtrails.com/midsouthtrails/shelby_farms.html Maps of trails in Shelby Farms park]
* [http://www.wolfriver.org Wolf River Conservancy]
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