[030] MTSU’s partnership with Radnor Lake shines in contributions to state park

MURFREESBORO — If a trip to Radnor Lake State Park is on your list of things to do before summer comes to an end, take note of the work some industrious MTSU students have performed to make your visit more interesting.

The “valve house” at the most visited state park in Tennessee was completely reconstructed last year by students under the guidance of Doug Heffington, director of MTSU’s Global Studies and Cultural Geography Program.

“Radnor was an industrial complex,” said Heffington. “It was there for the sole purpose of providing water to the L&N Railroad in Nashville.”

The valve house had collapsed after years of water and ice damage. It had protected the huge valve that furnished the railroad with up to a million gallons of water a day as trains propelled both geographical and industrial expansion nationwide.

Students also cleaned and prepared the valve and stabilized the valve box, in addition to gathering geographical, historical and archaeological data pertaining to the L&N industrial complex.

Geography students participating in the fieldwork included Heather Allen; Dan Phannamvong; Victoria Sullivan; Jennifer Grissom; Ashley Smith; Devin Rossell; and Aaron Carson.

“They’ve developed their sense of place, their connection, their rootedness to Radnor because they worked there,” said Heffington. “They’ve woven themselves into the fabric of what has become the natural area.”

Radnor Lake State Park, which encompasses 1,332 acres on Otter Creek Road in Nashville, is a haven for bird-watchers, hikers and wildlife observers. In addition to more than six miles of trails, the park boasts various educational resources and programs about the native flora and fauna.

MTSU has been involved with various research efforts at Radnor Lake for more than a decade. These efforts include recording and preserving oral histories and geographies of the lake area; performing historical field work, including the documentation of historic farmsteads and settlement patterns; and developing historic trails.

To learn more about the Global Studies and Cultural Geography Program, contact Heffington at doug.heffington@mtsu.edu or call 615-898-5978.