Dignitaries and family members participate in a ribbon at W.C. Rowe Park in Jonesborough on Tuesday.
Dave Ongie
By Dave Ongie
The ribbon was cut and W.C. Rowe Park was officially opened on Tuesday morning in Jonesborough.
Rowe’s family and friends were on hand to witness the opening of the park, which includes the Chuckey Depot Museum. Nestled in a quiet corner of town between the train tracks and a babbling creek, Rowe’s widow Elaine told the crowd how much the honor would have meant to her husband.
“He would not have expected his name on anything,” Elaine Rowe said. “I think today, if he were here, it would have been the one time in his life that he was silent. Or he would have began to tell you a very long story.”
Rowe moved to Jonesborough with his family in the winter of 1938 and went on to have an enormous impact on the community. He was first elected to the Washington County Commission in 1990 and won reelection three times before his death.
The park also contains the Chuckey Depot, which was rescued from demolition when it was moved to Jonesborough and restored.
The park is named for longtime Jonesborough resident and former county commissioner W.C. Rowe. contributed
W.C. Rowe was instrumental in several projects that improved the quality of life in Jonesborough and Washington County. contributed
