by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

“There are three great beginnings here,” said Meg Beasley, C’73, at the Oct. 1 Sewanee Welcome Center ribbon cutting and open house. Significantly, prior to the Civil War, the railroad depot across from where Shenanigans sits was the welcome and entrance to Sewanee; the Class of ‘73 which donated 80 percent of the Center’s $150,000 interior renovation cost was the first University class to welcome women; and the newly established Center will serve as the official welcome to the Mountain Goat Trail which when completed will follow the path of the former railroad line from Cowan to Palmer, spanning 40 miles.

Beasley explained in the 1860s the original passenger and freight depot, two separate buildings, occupied the north side of the track, on land now used for Highway 41A. In the 1960s, those buildings were razed to accommodate the Sewanee bypass, facilitating travel to Monteagle via Highway 41A, rather than on University Avenue. The new depot was on the south side of the tracks. With the building no longer used by the railroad in the 1970s, the property on the corner of Highway 41A and Lake O’Donnell Road reverted to the University. That property is the Sewanee Welcome Center site.

Like Beasley, Mountain Goat Trail Alliance Executive Director Patrick Dean saw significance in the symmetry inherent in the site and celebration. “This is where the Mountain Goat Trail, the idea, actually began. In the early 2000s, Sewanee teen Ian Prunty, former Franklin County Mayor Monty Adams, and the late Louise Irwin, county commissioner, first had the idea to create a paved walking and biking path. The Welcome Center is a fitting symbol of the cooperation and collaboration that has defined so many successful initiatives here on the mountain.” Dean extended special gratitude to the Sewanee Civic Association and President Kiki Beavers. The Welcome Center project began three years ago as an inspiration in the mind of Beavers who gamely took on the challenges of securing an MOU with the University, funding, addressing structural infirmity of the building, and staffing. Dean aptly described Beavers as “a force of nature.”

Among the other key players and donors singled out by Dean: William Shealey, Director of Economic Development Initiatives, for “his expertise and calm council”; University Vice-Chancellor Rob Pearigen and Vice President of Economic Development David Shipps “who supported this unique, not to say, unorthodox use of University Property;” Sewanee business owners Ken Taylor and Jimmy Wilson and the Sewanee Business Alliance; the Class of ‘73 and the 60 class members who rose to the donation challenge; the MGTA which paid for the bicycle repair stand and helped fund the ADA-compliant restroom and water fountain through the Bishop Family Foundation; the Sewanee Community Council and South Cumberland Community Fund for their financial support; and Tennessee State Parks for their enhancements to the property and their willingness to share staffing duties while the Center serves temporarily as the headquarters of the new state park until the park’s visitor center is completed.

“A bait shop was here, a pharmacy, and lastly a hair salon,” said Vice-Chancellor Pearigen. “Today we honor [the building’s] past and its bright future as a new welcome center.” Commenting on the extraordinary community enthusiasm for the project, Pearigen said business owners Jimmy Wilson and John Goodson phoned him to enlist his support while he was still president at Milsaps College and had not yet assumed the role of Sewanee Vice-Chancellor. “I’m delighted to see this project finally come forward,” Pearigen stressed. “The building will be a place to share community history, orient visitors to local attractions, and help support the seven communities along this historic Mountain Goat Trail.”

“May this center help others to see the beauty of this place and its people ... May this center increase in each of us a desire to welcome others,” said Reverend Rob Lamborn, Rector of the Parish of St. Mark & St. Paul, blessing the new Welcome Center.

Perhaps most poignant and all-encompassing was the blessing by Reverend Bude Van Dyke, descendant of the Eastern Band. “One of the big problems between my ancestors and those people who came from the European experiment was the European folks thought humans could own land which my people think is a ridiculous concept. The creator made it, the creator owns it. We’re just stewards. We thank creator for all our relations … and ask that they find blessings, peace, and welcome as they enter this space.”