Campbell St. Inn uses explored by Hobbs group
Potential uses for Farragut’s historic Campbell Station Inn currently are being reviewed by a new working group put together by Trevor Hobbs, assistant to the Town administrator.
The group met for the first time Wednesday, Nov. 30, on the main floor of the building, which has been owned by the Town since 2012. The Inn has been structurally stabilized in the years since and had some non-original portions removed, while the surrounding grounds have been turned into the Mayor Ralph McGill Plaza, named for Farragut’s late mayor and leader of the effort to preserve the home and site.
Previous committees and various community input surveys have suggested many uses for the Inn — including a café, brewery, museum, bed and breakfast, art gallery/exhibit space, special event venue or welcome center.
“The biggest thing for older historic buildings is sustainability,” Hobbs said.
The group also heard about the property’s history from Julia Barham, Town Historic Resources coordinator, saying the site itself was established in 1787 by David Campbell, while the exact date of the Inn’s construction is unknown, but is believed to be prior to 1820. The building witnessed the Battle of Campbell Station during the Civil War and was owned by the Russell family until the Town’s purchase.
The next meeting is tentatively set during the week of Dec. 12, but a specific day and time had not been determined as of press deadline.
The group likely will meet again in early January, and open houses seeking input are tentatively set for February.
“It is my hope to have as many perspectives as possible to comment, so we could have a formal recommendation we could make to BOMA while they are working on next year’s budget,” Hobbs said.
