Nolensville breaks ground on new park

Nolensville officials and residents held a ceremonial groundbreaking on the town’s new Chrismon-Brown Park at 1686 Sunset Road. Originally known as Sunset Park, the area was one of few recreation areas available to black residents prior to integration, serving as a facility and meeting spot for black residents across Tennessee. It was originally founded in 1909 and managed until 1929 by Ben and Mary Chrismon before Thomas and Jessie Brown purchased the park in 1965 and managed it until 1975. It was the first park to have a baseball diamond in Middle Tennessee accessible to black players under segregation and held a nine-house golf course used to train by Ted Rhodes, one of the first professional black golfers. Nolensville purchased the 20-acre parcel in July 2023 and will name the new park after the two families who provided the recreation space. It will include a multi-purpose sports field, basketball and tennis courts, public restrooms, a walking trail, and the future headquarters of the Nolensville Police Department. (Photo by Kelly Mayor/Williamson Herald)