This Middle Tennessee town hopes to help other towns with a new vision guidebook

During a recent event that closed with a sing-a-long to You Are My Sunshine , the Leiper’s Fork Foundation along with Middle Tennessee State University’s Center for Historic Preservation gathered to celebrate a community milestone.

Hosted at Fox & Locke, the event unveiled Leiper's Fork's new guidebook, “Charting Your Own Vision: Lessons From Leiper’s Fork ." Officials are hopeful the free, 20-page guidebook will help other small towns and rural communities interested in following the Leiper’s Fork model of success.

The guidebook features ways to build strong reciprocal partnerships with governmental agencies and private businesses to capitalize on a community so it becomes a tourist destination without creating a huge advertising budget, local officials said.

“Leiper’s Fork is the heart of a living cultural landscape—the place where the beat of commerce, community life, music, faith and education keeps the community alive and vibrant,” said Tennessee State Historian Carroll Van West.

Though it is constantly referred to as one of the gems of Middle Tennessee, Leiper’s Fork grew from an unknown village to become a best practice tourism/economic development study for small town representatives across the U.S., according Mark Ezell, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development.

From its initial founding in 1818, about 30 miles south of Nashville, the town has grown and flourished. Recent preservation efforts were led by local philanthropist Aubrey Preston, who has purchased about 200 acres on both ends of town over the past 20 years and placed them into a land trust, which officials say has preserved the small town's history and charm.

According to the guidebook's committee, which includes Preston, West and Laura S. Holder, a part-time federal liaison for the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area, the community of about 650 people remains committed to preserving the culture of the people who currently live and have lived there for generations. The guidebook, they said, recognizes that communities are living landscapes first and tourist destinations second.

“This booklet is about a movement,” West said of the guidebook. “It began when residents and newcomers were determined that their village would not become just another rural “anywhere USA” place. Instead, they chose to take their past, their traditions, their different opinions and their strong sense of community to chisel out a pathway to lasting progress, in step with the changing times but paying due respect to those who came before.”

The guidebook lays out a set of instructions for other small towns to ensure they can boost their tourism in a way that still protects the charm of living in a small town. One of the sections speaks to the importance of partnerships with not only the community, but with those trying to aid in its success.

"Since everyone has a stake in the outcome, all partners need to support and participate," the guidebook says. "The best partners are those who are willing to share the workload, share a similar vision, and have an incentive to make the community a better place."

Members of the community and state and local government officials, along with local merchants, attended the recent event to learn how they’ve helped to not only grow their community in size, but make it profitable. After he purchased the land on both sides of town, Preston has been continuously involved in the community through his planning efforts and businesses that help the growing town, officials noted.

His efforts attracted others to not only aid in the preservation efforts, but open business to help make it the tourist destination it is today. For Preston, this meant purchasing the original Puckett's Grocery Store in the 1990s to ensure it wouldn't be sold and turned into a chain, he said, noting that he made sure it would keep its original charm.

Ezell, Williamson County Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Matt Largen, Williamson County Mayor Rogers Anderson and Preston all gave remarks during the event and explained how the guidebook would help to revolutionize small towns in Tennessee and beyond.

“This book happened because of the vision and commitment of Dr. Carroll Van West and MTSU’s Center for Historic Preservation.” Preston said. “It’s been great to be part of a team that’s helped our community accomplish so much." In the past two decades, the work of this dedicated team has ensured that Leiper's Fork has not only preserved its history, but also flourished enough to become a successful tourist destination.

"I just want to say thank you to everyone who’s made it possible.”

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: This Middle Tennessee town hopes to help other towns with a new vision guidebook