Freedom Square
Standing on the southwest corner of Discovery Park, Freedom Square takes its inspiration from an early twentieth century, small-town Main Street. In this area, guests experience Liberty Hall, the Barbershop, the Firehouse and Hobb’s Drug Store. Along the brick-paved walkway are the Walk of Heroes featuring historic and mythological figures founder Robert Kirkland regarded as inspiring. Included are Prometheus, Ayn Rand, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan.
Liberty Hall, sponsored by Magnolia Place Assisted Living, pays tribute to the courthouses or municipal buildings of that time period. The Great Seal of the United States hangs on the front of the building, and guests can still ring the tower bell originally used in Union City’s first public school.
Two fire engines can be found in the Firehouse: a 1915 American LaFrance Fire Engine, donated by Martha Sharpe of Jackson, Tennessee, and a 1926 American LaFrance Type 75 Fire Engine. This Fire Engine was purchased new and shipped to Union City in September 1925. It remained in service for many years. In the early 1990s, it was restored by the Union City Fire Department to its current condition.
A full-scale replica of the Liberty Bell stands in the center of the rotunda of Liberty Hall. Cast by Petit & Fritsen Bellfoundry of the Netherlands, it took over a year to cast. Petit & Fritsen first opened in 1660, making it one of the oldest family-owned businesses in The Netherlands.
The stories of three local congressmen are told in exhibits in Liberty Hall: David Crockett, Robert A. “Fats” Everett and John Tanner.
For many years, the memorial to those from Obion County who died in Vietnam serving in the military included Lt. Richard C. “Tito” Lannom. An Obion County native, the 27-year-old Lannom was assigned to the aircraft carrier Enterprise when his A-6A Intruder aircraft went missing during a March 1968 mission over North Vietnam. Lannom and the pilot were declared missing after a search and rescue mission failed to locate the plane. A Vietnamese Office for Seeking Missing Persons team excavated a crash site in late 2017. Lannom was identified in September 2018 through DNA testing and evidence found at the site. His memorial service and a ceremony unveiling of corrected Vietnam Memorial Monument was held at Discovery Park on March 2, 2019.
