May 22—MOULTON — A 150-acre tract along the Tennessee River, long since abandoned as a park, will be in line for improvements that officials hope will make it a tourist attraction after an agreement was reached between the Lawrence County Commission and the Tennessee Valley Authority.

The licensing agreement for Lawrence County Park, between the Tennessee River and Lawrence County 400, has groups buzzing about the park's potential as a destination spot for hikers, cyclists, boaters and kayakers.

Commissioners this month signed a partnership agreement with TVA. It gives Lawrence County limited property rights for developing the acreage.

Some local groups envision primitive camping, horseback riding, mountain-bike riding, boating, bird-watching, fishing, picnicking and even a pavilion for special events with ample parking.

In the 1950s, the park was targeted for greater glory. According to a Dec. 5, 1957, Moulton Advertiser article, the county had big plans for Lawrence County Park. The then-chairman of the county revenue board, C.C. McWhorter, was quoted saying, "Roads are being laid out in the park and 40 acres are being sowed with grass seed. Plans are being worked out for lighting the park and it is hoped a caretaker's house can be constructed in the next year."

The article said further park development included plans for a commissary, motel, boat wharf, and swimming and fishing areas.

Today, all parties agree that kind of grandeur is not on anybody's radar.

Financial constraints 54 years ago forced the county to flush those plans and return ownership of the park back to TVA in 1968, according to a TVA spokesman.

"In 1968, 10 years after the agreement was formed, the county notified TVA they had insufficient funds for the park and abandoned the license. As a result, to promote wildlife habitat TVA let the park return to its natural state," said TVA's Scott Fiedler.

TVA Recreation Agreements Specialist Derek South said he met with County Commission Chairman Jesse Byrd, whose District 1 includes the property. Public interest, led by the Lawrence County History and Preservation Society, has surged recently.

"Recreation improves the quality of life of an area," South said. "We don't have any specific plans at this point. We're just taking the first step with the county on this. It could be great for kayakers along the Tennessee RiverLine. Primitive camping will give them a spot to spend the night. Lawrence County has huge potential with its outdoor recreation as a mecca for people living in Huntsville. It is a short drive away."

The Tennessee RiverLine is a vision for a continuous system of trail experiences along the river from Knoxville to Paducah, Kentucky. The project is in its early stages and was formed through a partnership of the University of Tennessee and TVA.

Fiedler said outdoor recreation can spur economic development.

"Large companies like Mazda-Toyota want to know about the quality of life in regions they locate. Outdoor activities have seen a huge expansion of demand, especially since COVID," he said. "Businesses are not just looking for a place to land. They want good recreation and opportunities for their employees."

South said that within the next six months, signage and better park accessibility should be in place, along with other improvements like trash cans and more picnic tables.

He also expects a meeting to seek public input on the park to be scheduled within the next year.

"It's a great opportunity for us to take it on," said Byrd. "TVA has given us the right to develop it. It can be part of a recreational fortress we have the ability of having up here with the Singing River Trail and Bankhead National Forest to the south. It creates tourism and opportunities, and that all adds to enhancing the quality of life in Lawrence County and the region. Bringing more people here means bringing more money to the county."

In 2018, the History and Preservation Society began pumping life back into the forgotten, overgrown park by conducting a series of cleanup days. Former society president Ann Britnell said members continue to host cleanup activities there about every two months.

"We'll help build the park up," she said. "I'd like to see activity out there, maybe a bike trail, places to camp, a place to take the family."

Undeveloped riverfront

Mayor Linda Peebles of Courtland, a town 7 miles from the park, said getting TVA and the County Commission on the same page and involved was a big step in the right direction.

"We've needed that for quite a while," she said. "We have a lot of potential for all of the riverfront in this county. So much of it is not developed or even used. I want Courtland to be a part of all of this."

She said the Singing River Trail has expanded to go through Courtland and could include the park in the future. The Singing River Trail is a vision for a 150-mile trail that extends across north Alabama, connecting communities and linking to other trail systems.

"Courtland will be the hub of the trail in Lawrence County and the Lawrence County Park will be an arm of the trail," Peebles said.

TVA officials warn, however, the improvements won't happen overnight, and when projects for the park are suggested, the federal agency will look at each on an individual basis, in part to ensure the location of a proposed park attraction does not damage the natural environment.

Lawrence County Engineer Winston Sitton said he expects his department will be asked to help improve access roads to the park and perhaps make other improvements there.

"We've had no discussion to this point," he said. "The commission could improve the road. Private groups could come in. I've personally taken my family out there. There's a lot of potential. I could see the commission asking my department to help with the entrance, maybe widening it and putting down some gravel."

The centerpiece of the park presently is a memorial Gen. Joe Wheeler's daughter, Annie, had placed there in 1936 to commemorate the spot where Gen. Wheeler crossed into Lawrence County for the first time in 1863, local historians say. They say Annie planted a number of ivy plants near the memorial stone. The ivy still flourishes in the park. The monument had been vandalized and painted with graffiti during years of neglect, but History and Preservation Society members had it restored.

Lock A was built in the area and was submerged when the TVA dammed the river in the 1930s. Some locals still call the site Lock A Park.

Two pillars at the entrance of the park have a bronze plaque on the outside that reads: "Lawrence County Public Park: Established 1955; Board of Revenue, Charles C. McWhorter, chairman, and W.M. Bendall, O.B. Lang, Pride Saint and B.S. Sprinkle, commissioners; Playground for the people of Lawrence County."

In 1957, county officials placed a time capsule in each of the pillars.

So far the park hasn't been much of a playground, but some folks, like Lawrence County archivist Wendy Hazle, who is also vice president of the History and Preservation Society, are encouraged by the plans.

"It'll be a great place to take the family," she said.

— mike.wetzel@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2442. Twitter @DD_Wetzel.