Seventy-five-year-old asphalt pavement found in the overgrowth adjacent to the bridge on Historic Emery Road. (Submitted photo)
Volunteers are seeking help for a March 30 cleanup of the Historic Emery Road in Oak Ridge.
“The Emery Road is both the best kept secret of Oak Ridge and a national treasure,” a press release said. “Even though the century-and-a-half old Emery Road Rock Pillar Bridge is in the heart of the downtown area, few are aware of this monument to the past, nor that the oldest road in the state passed through the center of our town. This colonial settlement trail should have been formally recognized long ago, just as the Natchez Trace has been. A grassroots group of citizens seek to change this oversight, first by cleaning up the parkland surrounding it, where the invasive underbrush catches all the blowing litter from the surrounding businesses, and then by getting it recognized as a proper heritage park.
“If you think our deeper heritage as a community is important, come join us in the cleanup on March 30, 2019, at the Midtown Community Center (Robertsville Road and Oak Ridge Turnpike) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.”
April 6 has been designated as the rain date.
“Come lend a hand for an hour or for the whole day,” the press release said. “There will also be folks here to discuss the history of our area, as workers share a bite. Many of our ancestors settled the region by traveling here down the Old Emery and Walton roads.”
The cleanup event is organized and sponsored by the Highland View Neighborhood Association and the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association, with assistance from Craig Bjelland Tree Service, Keep Anderson County Beautiful, the Oak Ridge fire and police departments, and Oak Ridge High School.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
Most news stories on Oak Ridge Today are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our advertisers, contributors, and subscribers. This is a free story. Thank you to our advertisers, contributors, and subscribers. You can see what we cover here.
Do you appreciate this story or our work in general? If so, please consider a monthly subscription to Oak Ridge Today. See our Subscribe page here. Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today.
Copyright 2019 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Leave a Reply