Starting more than four years ago the idea or concept to develop tourist attractions based on Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion began to take shape.
After much work and planning and legislative approval, a Francis Marion Trail Commission was formed.
And now the idea and concept has been recognized across the state by tourism professionals and also by economic development officials for its potential as rural tourism development according to the commission’s current chairman, Ben Zeigler.
Zeigler says he will leave his post in January to allow the commission to pick a new chairman and take the next big steps to make creation of the “trail” a reality.
Zeigler told the Morning News that he thinks despite funding cuts from the legislature, the trail idea is ready to move forward and that now is the time for buy in from others in the private and public sector to get funding.
At the commission’s next meeting in August they will get the Phase 1 archaeological report of the University of South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology.
Zeigler said the draft report contains, “a number of exciting findings, conclusions and recommendations with regard to more that a dozen Marion sites that, along with sites that have been located and/or interpreted will form a core of developable tourism products.”
And commission executive director Bob Barrett said the Jaeger Company will present its findings in August of a master plan for the trail.
After these reports are made let’s hope the commission, current and future, can find ways to make this idea go from the conceptual stage to the next stage of development.
It has plenty of potential for rural areas of the Pee Dee and several other counties in South Carolina where Marion had a presence.
This isn’t just a Florence project — it’s one that will be beneficial to all the counties involved and the state as a whole.
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