CLARKSVILLE, IN (September 11, 2024) – It has had local social media buzzing for weeks, and even made appearances on local news outlets. Now Clarksville’s famous chicken now has a permanent home.
For weeks, residents posted photos of the mysterious chicken wandering the streets of south Clarksville. Many wondered where the chicken came from and who it belonged to. Today those questions remain unanswered. One question we can now answer is what will become of Clarksville’s beloved chicken.
About a week ago, a resident was driving his pickup truck through south Clarksville. At one point when he came to a stop, the chicken fluttered and jumped its way into the man’s truck bed. Not knowing what to do with the feathered visitor, the resident drove over to Clarksville’s Public Works facility.
“He didn’t really know what to do with the chicken, so he brought it to us,” said Public Works Director Brad Cummings. “He came here because this is also the office for Clarksville’s Animal Control Officer.”
Cummings says once the chicken arrived at the 5-acre facility on Leuthart Drive, it jumped out of the truck bed and began to make itself at home, but not before leaving a surprise in the truck.
“It was just a short ride from where the chicken was picked up, but she apparently had enough time to lay an egg right there in the truck bed,” said Cummings.
Since arriving at the gated facility, Cummings says his crews have adopted the chicken which they named ‘Towney’ for the ‘Town of Clarksville’. Workers have been providing Towney with food and water, and even converted an old trash bin into a temporary shelter filled with straw.
“We were kind of waiting to see if the town administration would allow us to create a permanent coop for Towney before we spent the time and effort to build something.”
During a meeting Wednesday of town department heads and Town Manager Kevin Baity, it was decided that Towney would be welcome to live out her days at the Public Works facility. The room filled with laughter when Building Commissioner Rick Barr reminded Cummings that he would need to get the proper permit to have a chicken coop on the property. Cummings laughed while acknowledging that fact, then discussed how his staff have already made plans for the new permanent coop. It will be funded by the workers themselves.
“Most of our guys are animal lovers anyways, so they enjoy taking care of the chicken. So much so that they are willing to use their own money.”
This isn’t the first time the Public Works crew has provided a place for a homeless animal. They’ve also taken in several cats who have wandered into the Public Works facility. The current cat is named ‘Meow’, but Cummings says residents shouldn’t worry about ‘Meow’ making ‘Towney’ a snack.
“The cat stays inside our office building so the chicken will be safe to roam outside.”
Public Works staff says ‘Towney’ tends to spend most of her time near the front of the building or in a big grassy field in the back. Either way, she is protected from predators by the facility’s tall fences and caring staff. A free-range paradise for Clarksville’s famous chicken.
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Anyone interested making a donation towards the building of a new coop for ‘Towney’ can drop donations off at the Clarksville Public Works office, 3 Leuthart Drive, Clarksville, IN 47129.
