Friends of Ferrum Park
About Us
Friends of Ferrum Park is a nonprofit founded in 2023 by a group of concerned residents who share a passion for preserving the natural beauty of Ferrum, as a direct response to the Franklin County Department of Planning and Community Development's plan to give the land away to developers willing to place between 140 - 400 housing units on the site.
Our mission is to ensure that the beauty of the 84.17-acre parcel of tax-payer-owned land in Ferrum is not lost to a large-scale residential development that will forever alter the landscape of our community.
Based on community feedback, we are advocating for the majority of the land to be preserved in order to serve the community of Ferrum as a nature park and event space, open and accessible to all.
Currently, there are no public spaces in Ferrum- no public park, public restrooms, not even a single public bench.
The front 1.5-acre parcel currently hosts our Ferrum Farm & Craft Market, which needs a public access space in order to continue.
Join us in our efforts to make this vision a reality.
Park features we will be focused on include:
Preservation of the natural habitat and environment
A permanent location for our Ferrum Farm & Craft Market
Over 2 miles of wooded hiking trails
Outdoor fitness stations along select trails
Restrooms with shower houses
A limited number of both primitive tent camping and full hook-up RV sites
A pavilion and adjoining picnic areas
A small amphitheater for music, events, and educational
A nature-based playground
A dog park, divided to accommodate small & large dogs separately
