Hoy Park in Franklin officially opens, sharing history with the community

FRANKLIN, Ky. – South-central Kentucky is filled with history, and one county has found a way to turn history into something new.

Franklin has a new trail with a monumental meaning that is being used to give people a space to enjoy the environment while learning some history.

Franklin officially opened Hoy Park on Thursday, July 11. This mile-long trail gives the people of Simpson County and surrounding areas a scenic view while learning more about the community.

The process for the park began back in 2018, but the inspiration came from a founding family in Franklin.

“It’s been years in the making,” said Franklin city commissioner Jamie Powell. “This was nothing but a wilderness. It was a it was a cave. I don’t know if people realize it or not, but all the water in Simpson County eventually winds up in the cave.”

This park didn’t just come together overnight – it took help from Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, county leaders and city officials.

Franklin director of human resources Tammie Carey said, “We had to jump through several hoops to to be able to get to where we are today. but we’re excited that today has finally arrived. And really just being able to have a park that shares a lot of the history.”

Hoy Park brings history and an element of nature into one place in Franklin, including the long lineage that comes with it.

Hoy descendant Patrick Meguiare said, “My ancestors settled here, it probably looked pretty much like it does now. There may have been, you know, taller trees and it may have been more of a virgin type forest at that time, but it’s still, it’s still a very wonderful feeling to see that we’re actually seeing what they probably saw when they first came here.”

Continuing to tell the story of the Hoy family and others like it will not only affect people now, it will also impact the future.

Meguiare said, “If we don’t preserve our history, where we come from, then our generations ahead of us, they’re not. They’re not going to. Now we need to preserve where we come from, what we done. ”

Hoy Park is open from dusk to dawn.

For more information on the park, you can visit cavecountrytrails.com.