MADISON STATION DAY
Thank you so much to the faculty and students of Hunters Lane, Maplewood, and Goodpasture schools for making this day particularly memorable!
Thank you, David Rast, of TTL, for keeping the wheels turning on the easements when everyone wanted us to slow down. Your tenacity helped make this happen.
I have worked on this project for seven years. It was exhausting. I am quite sure that I would have hit the wall at some point if it had not been for a man named Rick Kirkpatrick.
Rick, don’t throw away my phone number just yet! - Thank you for being the oxygen that this project needed to be completed. Thank you for being the oxygen I needed to see this day.
Some history:
By 1830, three stagecoach lines ran out of town along Haysboro Road (now Gallatin Pike). As the town grew, the Thomas Stratton family would have a son Madison, who, at age 21, would continue to expand his landholdings and become a leader in the community. As a large landowner, Madison Stratton sold a portion of his land so that the state could build a railway line connecting Bowling Green, Kentucky, and Clarksville, Tennessee. The station was built and was named Madison Station in honor of Madison Stratton; the station later became known as Amqui Station.
This past May 21st was the 164th Anniversary of the charter of the post office called "Madison Station" (1857)
In Dr. Guy Bockmon's book, using the 1880 census, Madison is described as: "a community of farmers, laborers, servants, people 'At Home' and 'Keeping House,' youngsters who were 'At School,' a few tradesmen, a handful of professional people, a couple of 'Hucksters,' three fishermen, one steamboat pilot, and one banjo player."
In 2020, The Madison on My Mind project from Metro Arts & Culture, funded by an NEA grant, re-established our commitment to storytelling in this place called Madison.
We have historic landmarks like The Maybelle, Rainbow Ranch, and the cornerstones like the home of Queen Kitty Wells and her beloved Johnny Wright and over 35 documented Grand Ole Opry musicians who have lived in the 37115.
Our history informs our future.
It was Mayor Bill Purcell who got the idea of the road to appear in the Capitol Improvement Budget. Nathan Massey diligently told the story to everyone that would listen.
When I was elected in 2015, the story for this road started shaping up. This road wasn't an extension of Neely's Bend. This road was our renaissance. When Mark North suggested to me that the road be called Madison Station (I added the Blvd because I wanted it to be pretty), the story started to unfold.
Mayor Barry heard the story and believed and placed in the 2016 spending plan the funds to get the community input, design, and construction underway. Mayor Briley agreed that the project should stay active and valued. He kept the valuable easements and stormwater designs going. Mayor Cooper kept the gas peddle down and provided the final budget necessary to complete this beautiful street, not just Madison Street but all the way to Old Hickory.
Imagine a Madison Middle School student riding their bike down that beautiful hill in an off-curb bike lane to the Madison Library.
In the final stages of procurement, I reminded us that there were only three reasons for a city to build a road of this nature and with this beauty;
To help people get somewhere.
To provide a sense of place for the community to gather
To encourage additional private development that would bring housing, jobs, and commerce.
Madison Station Blvd does all of these things. In fact, as you can see, Timberhawk Hall is well underway. The entire Amqui Station campus will be brought to life by this road. The fantastic landscaping that is provided for the front of Fifty Forward opens a beautiful, welcoming environment.
This is now and will continue to be a beautiful place. The Madison Rivergate Area Chamber of Commerce has started a committee called The Friends of Madison Station Blvd. that will allow private and public collaboration to maintain the beauty of this place.
The banners you see on the signs are a direct result of the Nossi College of Art’s program that creates projects for students. Artist Brilee Write used the influence of the modern font from the Madison Library and Gallatin Pike signs and the community-inspired circles for our future park and our new roundabout to design our new logo. She is here with us today - Thank you, Brilee!
Two things to do:
Please come back at 6 pm tonight and join me with Artesia Development, The Cauble Group, Smith Gee Studio, and Hawkins Partners to see the community-informed plans for the work that will begin at the former Madison Square to the South. We will be inside at FiftyForward at 6pm and Mayor Cooper will join us for that.
Next: Please be sure to let the Mayor know how important it is to you to see the Park at Madison Station fully funded in the upcoming Autumn spending plan. Let’s get a shovel in the ground for the Kitty Wells & Johnny Wright Park next Spring!
Let the Renaissance continue!
Click here to see the presentation from ARTESIA, Gee/Smith Partners, and Hawkins Partners.
Land acknowledgment: the land of Madison Station is the ancestral territory and vibrant hunting ground of the Cherokee and Shawnee tribal nations. We recognize and respect Indigenous People as the traditional stewards of this land and continue today to contribute to the life of this city. We honor their stories – told and untold - and the people of the past, present, and future who have greatly contributed to this land's sacredness. We also must take a moment to recognize the painful history of genocide and forced removal from this territory.
We also acknowledge the painful history experienced by Black people in our community and their significant contributions on and around this land. In particular, we recognize the humanity of enslaved Black people who built our city’s economy.
Additionally, as we stand in close proximity to the rail lines, we honor the Black people who built the L&N Railroad. Lastly, though we are not on the original campus for Amqui Station, we stand with the original building and must acknowledge the many Black soldiers who fought for our country in WWII yet were not able to enter the front door of the train station.
