The Labyrinth - a Sacred Walk

The Heard County Art Association has created a labyrinth called “Franklin’s Kite” along the banks of the Chattahoochee River on the Franklin River Walk, a 1.1 mile walk paved walkway along the river’s banks.

The labyrinth, designed by local artists R.L. Hughey and Debbie McNeil, is created in the shape of a kite to honor Franklin’s namesake, Benjamin Franklin, and his electrical experiments.  In addition to the large meditative walk, the labyrinth features accent pieces and benches of mosaic art work.  The labyrinth was developed in conjunction with the community’s long-term plans to make the River Walk an attraction to visitors,  complete with an art walk and garden of native plants.  The goal of the project has been to unify our community through art, increase art appreciation, teach a new art medium, provide passive recreation and showcase the natural resources of Franklin’s River Walk

What is a labyrinth?  A labyrinth is simply a design with a path leading to and from the center.  Labyrinths have been used throughout history for decoration, play and prayer.  In building the labyrinth, the Franklin community joined locations around the world as the home to one of these ancient patterns that are found in virtually every country and culture and date back thousands of years.  
        In this era when all of us are busy and hurrying to get things done, the labyrinth offers itself as a gift of ‘time-out’ to experience peace.  Many people have said that walking the labyrinth is a metaphor for living our lives.  The way that the path winds around and takes unexpected turns is similar to what most of us experiences in our lives.  In the labyrinth, the certain knowledge that if we simply keep putting one foot in front of the other and moving forward we will reach our goal – the center – lends itself beautifully to the idea of faith most of us must use to walk through life’s twists and turns.

The Franklin Labyrinth is located along the River Walk behind the Three Rivers Regional Commission at 13273 Highway 34 West just off Highway 27 in Franklin.

The property for the labyrinth was provided by the Heard County Development Authority and funding for preparation and materials was provided through a grant from the Community Foundation of West Georgia.