A local issue of national significance: Protecting Moccasin Bend

(Editor’s note: Third in a series)

While most Chattanoogans think of the Moccasin Bend Archeological District as a single site, the 956-acre district embodies the legacies of an array of peoples and cultures. Known sites reflect the initial settlement of area and the development of tribal nations, along with contact with Spanish expeditions from the 1540s and beyond. Historic Cherokee leaders saw the development of a Federal Road, ferry and nearby tavern, fueling economic development in the region. Moccasin Bend was again at the nexus of change in the 1830s as tribes were removed from their ancestral lands during the Trail of Tears. Situated between the Union on Signal Mountain and Confederates atop Lookout, the bend served as the backdrop for Chattanooga’s entry into the

Civil War in November of 1863. This landscape bore witness to enslaved peoples who migrated west with Cherokee slaveowners during the Trail of Tears, those who lived on historic farmsteads, and some who escaped to freedom through the Underground Railroad. It remains a sacred space for the 23 federally recognized descended tribes who provide critical guidance on the district’s long-term management. It also retains significance for the many Chattanoogans and archaeologists whose commitment to conservation and advocacy led to the protection of the site.

From an archaeological perspective, the 29-plus known sites in the district spanning 12,000 years of history and prehistory are of unparalleled significance. A single site from any of these periods would uniquely contextualize the history of the Southeast and of Chattanooga specifically.

However, considered altogether, the sites at Moccasin Bend reveal the district as a lightning rod for the most notable events in American history.

In fact, this broad spectrum of sites is precisely why Moccasin Bend was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1986 and incorporated into local National Park Service units in 2003. Landmark designations acknowledge a site’s contribution to the overarching heritage of the United States, an honor afforded only to 31 sites across Tennessee.

The sole National Historic

“The most remarkable fact about Moccasin Bend is that we have yet to discover its full scope of history and sites still await discovery. Large tracts of unsurveyed land or inholdings outside of the Park Service lands are of particular concern on account of sites that remain preserved but undocumented.” — BROOKE PERSONS

andmark in Hamilton County, Moccasin Bend’s significance goes beyond the local or the regional to embody entire eras of American history.

And yet, the most remarkable fact about Moccasin Bend is that we have yet to discover its full scope of history, and sites still await discovery. Large tracts of unsurveyed land or inholdings outside of the Park Service lands are of particular concern on account of sites that remain preserved but undocumented. The largest inholding within the district is the nearly 100-acre, state-owned Moccasin Bend Mental Health Institute, including the current hospital and the abandoned Winston building.

State legislators recently promoted the use of the Winston locale for the construction of a new mental health facility, offering onsite redevelopment as a sensible solution and making use of existing state lands. While redevelopment would fill a critical need for an upgraded health facility in our community, onsite redevelopment at the Winston building site directly threatens 12,000 years of history and prehistory at Moccasin Bend.

Redevelopment at Moccasin Bend is anything but simple considering the resources at hand. State-funded studies will soon investigate the degree to which redevelopment would impact onsite resources; however there is little question of whether significant resources likely exist within the footprint of the proposed redevelopment.

In fact, the Winston building’s proximity to sites within the district all but ensures that proposed redevelopment will disturb sensitive archaeological areas. If other sites throughout the 956-acre district are any indication, redevelopment could threaten sites sacred to tribal nations, villages containing evidence of prehistoric lifeways, Civil War earthworks, historic deposits, historic infrastructure, and more.

This is true even of areas impacted by previous development and construction. Sites could be identified near the surface, but other components may be deeply buried under alluvial deposits created before the damming of the Tennessee River. Identifying such deeply buried strata, and mitigating any potential impact if resources are identified, will require thorough, extensive archaeological testing and fieldwork.

Considering the national significance of known resources and the potential significance of what remains to be discovered, any onsite redevelopment at Moccasin Bend raises serious concerns and poses a potential threat to the entire district.

Even beyond the discovery of new resources, there remains a question of whether it is appropriate to build in this location given the national significance of nearby sites.

Finally, the decision to rebuild onsite has not been fully vetted by key stakeholders, including the 23 tribal nations, the public, the National Park Service, and Chattanoogans more generally. Without fully considering the impact that proposed redevelopment will have on archaeological resources at Moccasin Bend, perhaps we can honor the past best by considering alternative locations for the proposed mental health facility elsewhere in Hamilton County.