Tuesday, July 29, 2014
GRCVB Contact:
Lisa Smith, Executive Director
706.295.5576
Lisa@RomeGeorgia.org
www.RomeGeorgia.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jackson Hill mapped and marked by local Boy Scout for Eagle Scout project
Rome, Ga.—The trails at Jackson Hill are now marked with names and directional arrows thanks to William Douglas who is working on his Eagle Scout Project with Troop 113 sponsored by the Rome First United Methodist Church. William is the son of Dr. Jimmy and Laurie Douglas of Rome, Georgia.
Jackson Hill is the site of Fort Norton, a civil war fort and one of Rome’s seven hills. TRED in conjunction with members of our local cycling community have established over 7 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails on Jackson Hill. There was only one thing missing on the trails and that was signage. “It was common for people to go up there and walk around and to easily get lost” according to William Douglas. William took note when riding with his brothers when home over Christmas Break in December of 2013. He contacted Trey Smith, Cycle Therapy owner and Lisa Smith from the Greater Rome Convention & Visitors Bureau (GRCVB) to develop a plan for signage. After many planning meetings the final design was drafted and then the fonts and colors agreed upon with the assistance of the City of Rome Electrical Department employee, Russ Atkins and Public Works repairing a portion of the trail at the original rock bridge.
William Douglas puts the final touches on trail signage at Jackson Hill.
Each trail up on the hill is colored coded on a master map and the trail itself with directional arrows. For details on the map, refer to the website www.RomeGeorgia.org. Hard copies are available in the Boswell Cabin which is the Jackson Hill trailhead and at the Rome-Floyd Visitor Center.
According to William, “the city wanted us to pick names that had historical significance. The names we picked are as follows. Lee’s Loop for Robert E. Lee, Norton’s Knob for Fort Norton, Osage Orange for the fruit that is on the osage orange trees on Jackson Hill. Davis Drive for General Jefferson Davis, Jackson Hill Drive for Jackson Hill. Water Works Way because of the water cistern and water treatment plant that used to be on the hill. CCC Course which is named for the Civilian Conservation Corps that built the stone bridge, amphitheater, and the civic center on Jackson Hill. Sherman’s Shortcut is named for General William Tecumseh Sherman who marched through Rome on his way to the sea.
“William is a true testament to the young men that the Boy Scouts shape. We are grateful for all the hard work that was contributed to such a needed project that not only serves the locals but all the visitors that are attracted to our trail system,” said Lisa Smith, GRCVB executive director.
Scouts from Troop 113 worked for a total of 127 hours designing and installing the signs. Two different work days were held on May 22 and on May 29 to install the metal signs on the wooden posts. Directional arrows in the colors of the trails were also installed to make navigation on the trails easy to follow.
When William was asked about his project he said, “I am very proud of my project and I know that my contribution will affect many people. People will no longer have to worry about getting lost on the trails. All 127 hours were worth every second.”
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The Greater Rome Convention & Visitors Bureau (GRCVB) is the official destination and sports marketing organization of Rome and Floyd County, Ga. The GRCVB’s mission is to strengthen the economic prosperity of the community through tourism development by attracting leisure travelers, conventions, meetings, sports and events.
About the Author
Our Georgia's Rome tourism team works hard to curate content to help you discover and explore our beautiful town! We want to ensure our content is up-to-date and accurate; so please let us know if we ever overlook an important detail! This post was originally written by Kristi Kent and is updated by staff.
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