Moccasin Bend has been authorized to become part of the National Park
system through the Omnibus Spending Bill that passed the House of
Representatives and Senate, Rep. Zach Wamp said. He said President Bush will be signing it into law soon.

At a press conference Friday at 1 p.m. at the Tennessee Aquarium, Rep. Wamp called in "an incredible step forward for our community, for history and for Native Americans."

He had earlier filed a separate Moccasin Bend bill, but he said, with the help of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tn., he was able to get it put in the Omnibus bill.

"Sen. Frist actually called down on the Senate floor and told them it was OK for this bill to go into the appropriations bill," he said.

Rep. Wamp said he had "pled" with House and Senate leaders to include the Moccasin Bend bill in the funding bill, saying it was a bill that had already gone through the legislative process once.

It is established as the 780-acre Moccasin Bend National Archeological District as a unit of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. Rep. Wamp said it is the only such archaeological district in the country. There are provisions to add other tracts later.

Under the compromise plan, Moccasin Bend will not be a separate unit of the National Park Service, but part of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park.

Also, the Moccasin Bend Psychiatric Hospital and the Moccasin Bend Golf Course will not be part of the park - at least initially. Rep. Wamp said at some point it may be possible to add the toe of the Bend, where the state psychiatric hospital is located, to the park. "I do believe at some point the hospital property will be a part of the park," he said.

County Executive Claude Ramsey agreed that is a possibility, but he said the state would first have to agree to provide another mental health facility "in this community - not Knoxville or somewhere else."

There are plans to build an interpretive center at the entrance to Moccasin Bend, which has a rich history dating back thousands of years. It has long held a treasure trove of historical artifacts. Rep. Wamp said $1.3 million has been appropriated to buy the Pete Serodino property, and the center will go there.

The city's greenway system is expected to be extended to the new national park unit, and a water taxi may eventually take guests from downtown Chattanooga to the new park.

Rep. Wamp said there were compromises involved and "we didn't get everything we wanted," but it is "an incredible accomplishment."

He said there will be an annual appropriation to the archaeological district.

Chickamauga Park Supt. Pat Reed said the land transfers will take place, and Park Service professionals will draw up a management plan. He said there will be a transitional staff for the new district.

He said, "We are very excited that 780 acres of this historically significant property is being preserved, and we are delighted to manage it. We plan to make it one of the park's best units."

The Moccasin Bend bill passed the House and Senate last session, but it passed in the Senate so late that there was not time to get House approval for the Senate version.

Rep. Wamp had noted that he was confident of getting the bill passed early in this session - especially with Tennessee's Bill Frist as the Senate leader.

He said then, "I am optimistic that we can get this done early under the leadership of my party in the House and Senate, and I think we can move this legislation through the committee process."

There have been efforts for over half a century to get Moccasin Bend declared a national park. It almost was a reality in the 1950s, but the then-Tennessee governor, Frank Clement, did not give final approval.

There has been wide support for adding Moccasin Bend to the national park system, and a Friends of Moccasin Bend National Park has long worked to attain it.

Much of the Bend is owned by the city, county and state. An additional section was acquired recently from the Rock-Tenn firm and that will become part of the tract. It is believed one leg of the Trail of Tears went across this portion.

Rep. Zach Wamp celebrates national park status for Moccasin Bend. At the rear are Mickey Robbins of the Friends of Moccasin Bend National Park, Bobby Davenport of the Trust for Public Land and Jay Mills of the Friends of Moccasin Bend National Park. Click to enlarge.
- Photo2 by John Wilson