Martha Taylor’s Legacy Immortalized At Musical Garden Ribbon Cutting

HUNTINGDON (September 19) — The ribbon cutting at Martha’s Musical Garden Friday morning was a memorial to Martha Taylor, a lifelong public servant to the town of Huntingdon. Taylor’s family and friends joined Huntingdon town officials at the Carroll County Inclusion Park for the special commemoration.
Martha’s Musical Garden is a small area attached to the left of the Carroll County Inclusion Park playground. It has several large percussion instruments, many shaped like plants, on which children can hit to make different musical noises.
The ceremony celebrated Taylor’s legacy of vision and attention to detail, and the contributions of her children — Chad Taylor, Vicki Williams and Jennie Smith — who each received their mother’s dedication to service. Taylor’s daughter, Jennie, serves as treasurer on the Carroll County Inclusion Park Playground Board.
Since the Inclusion Park opened in April 2024, several of the park’s board members’ mothers have passed away. The board voted to dedicate places within the playground to the moms they lost — starting with Taylor.
Taylor, who passed away in November 2024, had a decades-long career working for the Town of Huntingdon. She began working in the water department and held several different positions before retiring as a city recorder.
“This ribbon cutting is more than just a ceremony,” said Lori Dillahunty, chairman of the Carroll County Inclusion Park Board. “It’s a reminder that Martha’s legacy lives on in her children and grandchildren, and in the ways this community continues to grow stronger through their commitment.”
The ribbon cutting drew in Taylor’s family members, friends and past coworkers, many who praised Taylor’s commitment to Huntingdon.
Jerry Nolen and Toni Sawyers each vouched for Taylor’s dedication and friendship as the town recorder. Nolen recognized Taylor’s efforts to bring street lights to Huntingdon’s main streets. Sawyers shared that while Taylor was her boss for many years, she also became a close friend.
“It was such a pleasure to get to work with her but also be her friend,” said Sawyers, payroll personnel clerk for the Town of Huntingdon. She worked with Taylor for more than 46 years.
“I’m so proud of this in memory of her. She was a great lady,” Sawyers said.
Kelly Eubanks vouched for Taylor’s welcoming spirit. “Ms. Martha was a mama to everybody who walked in her house,” Eubanks said.
Rhnea Hall, one of Taylor’s five siblings, thanked the Carroll County Inclusion Park Playground Board on behalf of her late sister. “This would have made Martha so happy,” Hall said.
To close the ceremony, Dillahunty extended her thanks to Town of Huntingdon employees Ronnie Breeden and Starr Rawls for their work overseeing the park’s facilities and the new playground. She also thanked Jason Martin and Tri-County Publishing for providing a sign to mark the space in Taylor’s honor.
The Carroll County Inclusion Park opened in April 2024 as a place for children of all abilities to play. It sits at 450 Mustang Drive (formerly Fairgrounds Road) in Huntingdon, Tennessee.