(Wade Leonard) The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway
Association plans to convert the building it owns on Seventh Street
North into a museum and research library.
"It is not focusing on Columbus, but it is focusing on
everything from Mobile to Paducah, Ky., and the importance the
rivers have played in the development of the commerce and culture
of our area," said Rufus Ward, who is spearheading the museum
effort.
Currently, the space which will become the museum is occupied by
the Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau. The CVB intends to
vacate their offices at the TTWA-owned building once a new building
is constructed behind the Tennessee Williams Welcome Center in
downtown Columbus. The new headquarters of the CVB is expected to
be complete by spring 2010.
The museum will be a small one, said Ward, but with high-quality
displays which will highlight some of the unique aspects of the
waterway.
"It was the first major federal project which came under the
Environmental Protection Act," said Ward. "So the environmental
studies done here were groundbreaking for the entire country."
The National Environmental Protection Act of 1969 was passed to
encourage harmony between people and the environment and to promote
efforts to prevent damage to the environment. The act also sought
to establish a Council on Environmental Quality.
The Tenn-Tom was the first water project created in accordance
with the Environmental Policy Act. Provisions of its creation
included the construction of a 50-mile levee designed to protect
the habitats surrounding the waterway.
Of course, funding is the major obstacle the museum planners
must overcome.
"Any assistance you can give us we would appreciate," said Ward.
"In these economic times, it's a lot of fun trying to raise money
and develop a museum.
"There is a tremendous amount of history associated with the
Tombigbee River, the Tennessee River and this whole area."
Wade Leonard is a staff reporter for The Commercial
Dispatch.