Beaman Park to Bells Bend Report: A Community Conservation Project

As Nashville's urban growth has spread in all directions, the Beaman Park to Bells Bend corridor has managed to retain a rural landscape that is in many ways unchanged from the time of its settlement in the nineteenth century.  Indeed, with its working farms, rolling pastures, and forested hills, Bells Bend has been called "probably the best preserved historic agricultural landscape remaining in the county."  The people who live in this part of the county value the many natural resources that set it apart from the rest of Nashville and Davidson County.

This landscape includes the steep slopes and ridges of the Western Highland Rim, abundant wildlife habitat, clear creeks and streams, and a cultural heritage evidenced by historic homes and farms in the fertile bottomland of Bells Bend.

In an effort to promote and sustain the rural character of the area, the Scottsboro-Bells Bend community has partnered with the Land Trust for Tennessee to develop a conservation plan that will explain why the study area is so significant and how this significance will be retained as the area changes. This report is an inventory and assessment of the resources valued by the community, specifically natural resources, working farmland, historic buildings and landscapes, and archaeological sites. It also contains broad recommendations for promoting rural conservation and quality growth in the area to ensure that the natural and cultural qualities are conserved for the future

This report represents the first step toward achieving natural and cultural resource conservation in the Beaman Park to Bells Ben project corridor.  In so many ways, the Beaman Park to Bells Bend conservation corridor presents an ideal way for the residents of the community, Nashville, and all of Middle Tennessee to connect with the land.

• By protecting and learning about the historic places and archaeological sites that contain the stories of the last 10,000 years, we can create and maintain the important connection to the past. 

• By preserving the rich natural resources of the area, we protect not only the critical sources of water for future generations, but also protect habitat for the many species of wildlife that also depend on them for survival.

• By protecting the rural feel of the landscape and creating parks, greenways, and blueways, we have a place where people can learn about the natural world, spend a day enjoying nature with their families, or simply to escape to a quiet place for a few moments of peaceful reflection.

• Finally, by protecting the soils that have made this land productive for countless generations, it becomes possible for all of Nashville to enjoy the taste and benefits of locally grown fresh tomatoes and blackberries in the summertime.

By conserving these natural and cultural resources, the Beaman Park to Bells Bend corridor offers the citizens of Nashville and Davidson County the chance to experience Tennessee as it was.  Beaman Park to Bells Bend offers the true Tennessee.

To Order the Report: Form to print out for mailing or fax

To View the Report: Beaman to Bells Report   

[It is in Adobe.pdf format and requires Adobe Reader to view or print.]

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