A 100-pound tortoise from Edgehill United Methodist Church is becoming a Nashville mascot

Andy Humbles, Nashville Tennessean
·3 min read

A 3-foot-long, 100-pound and still-growing tortoise doesn't just warrant a second look when it makes a public appearance in Nashville.

The tortoise named Barnes can stop people cold in their tracks.

"I had a moment I wondered if I was hallucinating," said Laura Carter-Stone, who spotted Barnes walking on Edgehill Avenue as she was going back to work at Vanderbilt University while listening to a podcast. "It was surreal."

The massive African desert sulcata tortoise belongs to the Rev. John Feldhacker of Edgehill United Methodist Church. Feldhacker recently brought Barnes to the church on Edgehill and it quickly drew attention from passers-by, even from the other side of the street.

"Big, ain't he?" said Greg Gray, who started a growing crowd of onlookers who stopped to take pictures and get details about Barnes from Feldhacker.

Feldhacker has been giving Barnes recent public-appearance time, this day bringing him for students ages 6 months to 3 years who attend an early learning program at the church.

"Wow" and "that's one of the Ninja turtles" were among the reactions from the youngsters, early learning program teacher Kenya Duncan said.

Greg Gray takes a photograph of Edgehill United Methodist Church’s mascot, a 100-pound African desert tortoise named Barnes as he moves around on the church’s property Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. Feldhacker owns the tortoise and takes him to some community events.
Greg Gray takes a photograph of Edgehill United Methodist Church’s mascot, a 100-pound African desert tortoise named Barnes as he moves around on the church’s property Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. Feldhacker owns the tortoise and takes him to some community events.

Just days earlier, the tortoise, which could eventually approach 200 pounds, made an appearance at the William Edmondson Homesite Park for a ceremony that honored Jillian Ludwig, the Belmont University student who police say died after being shot by a stray bullet last year.

Barnes roamed free after the event, his size enabling him to cover huge chunks of ground with frequent stops to take huge bites of grass, seemingly unaffected by the attention and photos.

"We took him ... because it was such a solemn event and he's a little splash of joy in the midst of people grieving such a loss," Feldhacker, 62, said.

The tortoise was also a hit at the Nashville Pride Festival last year, and Feldhacker anticipates bringing Barnes back to the 2024 event in June.

"He's remarkably entertaining just to sit back and watch," said Feldhacker, who plans to retire from Edgehill United Methodist around the end of June with hopes to stay "loosely" connected to the church.

Barnes is one of two tortoises Feldhacker brought back from a tortoise rescue compound in Arizona about 10 years ago. The other turtle is named Bill. They are named after Bill Barnes, founder of Edgehill United Methodist.

Edgehill United Methodist Church’s mascot is a 100-pound African desert tortoise named Barnes. Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn.
Edgehill United Methodist Church’s mascot is a 100-pound African desert tortoise named Barnes. Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn.

Barnes the tortoise was still about 5 inches long when Feldhacker took ownership. Bill is roughly half the size of Barnes, Feldhacker said. When Feldhacker brings Barnes out alone he introduces him as Bill Barnes. Both turtles are estimated to be roughly age 10.

"Now that they are bigger, I kept pressing (Feldhacker) to bring them in," Duncan said of her desire for her class to meet Barnes. "They were just excited to see them. They had never seen animals like that."

Feldhacker keeps the turtles at his 4-acre home in Nashville with about an acre to graze and a heated den for cold weather.

Edgehill United Methodist Church Rev. John Feldhacker and pre-school teacher Kenya Duncan watch the church’s mascot, a 100-pound African desert tortoise named Barnes, move to a grass area for exercise Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn.
Edgehill United Methodist Church Rev. John Feldhacker and pre-school teacher Kenya Duncan watch the church’s mascot, a 100-pound African desert tortoise named Barnes, move to a grass area for exercise Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn.

The tortoise has pet-like qualities; the pastor said Barnes will sometimes eagerly run to Feldhacker when he goes outside. The only noise the tortoise makes is an occasional grunt, though Barnes will hiss when the situation warrants.

Barnes also likes to be petted and scratched with feeling in the shell, the pastor said. Barnes is often playful and never bites according to Feldhacker.

The species can regularly live to 100 years and considerably longer. Feldhacker's son will eventually inherit Barnes.

The Rev. Bill Barnes, who died in 2017 at age 86, was a longtime Nashville affordable-housing and civil rights advocate, and crusader for the poor. He had turtle figures and used the animal in stories for anecdotal wisdom. Feldhacker said.

"He liked them so much because they are wise and patient creatures, and (to) get anywhere in life they can't be afraid to stick their necks out," Feldhacker said.

The Rev. John Feldhacker of Edgehill United Methodist Church holds a tortoise named Bill Barnes at ceremony to honor Belmont University gun violence victim Jillian Ludwig on April 13.
The Rev. John Feldhacker of Edgehill United Methodist Church holds a tortoise named Bill Barnes at ceremony to honor Belmont University gun violence victim Jillian Ludwig on April 13.

Reach Andy Humbles at ahumbles@tennessean.com or 615-726-5939 and on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ AndyHumbles.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville tortoise Barnes belongs to Edgehill UMC reverend