An activity barn on the site of Henry County’s controversial Nash Farm civil war battlefield will become the south metro community’s first cultural arts center and flex space theater.
The county plans to spend more than $94,000 on curtains, lighting and sound systems to transform the barn into a venue for plays, music and events on the 204-acre historical site.
“The county does not own any theater space or any art space at all and we don’t have to go buy one,” said Commissioner Dee Clemmons, whose district is where Nash Farm is located. “This is the most inexpensive way to create space. We can now attract smaller productions into Henry County and have indoor concerts.”
The change is part of Henry's master plan to redevelop Nash Farm into a regional outdoor destination, two years after the site became embroiled in the national furor over removing Confederate symbols from public spaces.
Residents packed a Henry Commission meeting in June 2017 after the site's museum closed because Clemmons had requested Confederate flags not be visible from outside the building. The debate — which featured supporters and opponents of the flags — spotlighted the changing politics and demographics of the once mostly white, conservative county that is now majority-minority.
The redeveloped Nash Farm, which Henry County purchased in 2008, is to feature walking and bike trails, theater space, playgrounds, gardens, a covered pavilion and preservation of the battlefield grounds.
The repurposed activity barn, which can seat more than 100, will be available for rental and county officials hope will become an economic driver for Henry.
“This will enhance the things that we can do there for entertainment,” Assistant Henry County Manager Brad Johnson said.
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