Months after Mableton residents and historic preservationists clashed over how to name a new park that contains Civil War earthworks, the two sides appear to have reached a compromise.
The Cobb Commission is slated to vote on naming the land “Mableton's Chattahoochee River Line Park.”
Residents had wanted to name it Mableton Discovery Park.
But Civil War enthusiasts said the name should reflect the site’s history as a battlefield. It contained the remnants of Johnston’s River Line, a stretch of trenches and unique defensive earthworks named for Confederate General Joseph Johnston.
Residents objected to a public amenity in their community being named for a Confederate general.
The compromise appears to reference the “river line” trenches while dropping the general’s name.
“Although somewhat lengthy, the compromise name clearly identifies the location of the park, diffuses tension surrounding battlefield reference, and recognizes the historical effect of the River Line,” Robin Meyer, chair of the Mableton Improvement Coalition, wrote in a letter of support.
The River Line Historic Area board also wrote in support of the proposed name.
Commissioners are expected to vote at Tuesday’s regular 9 a.m. meeting.
Cobb is also planning to build the Chattahoochee River Trail, a 12-foot-wide paved path that would run through the park along the riverbank.
