Mickey Robbins and Shelly Andrews at the Civitan Club. Click to enlarge.
photo by John Wilson
The future of the new national park at Moccasin Bend is up to the community, Mickey Robbins of the Friends of Moccasin Bend National Park said Friday.
"It could be anything. It's really up to the imagination of the community," he told the Civitan Club.
Shelly Andrews, Friends of Moccasin Bend National Park executive director, said citizens will have that chance at an upcoming public hearing conducted by the National Park Service planning staff from Denver.
It will be Jan. 12 from 3-7 p.m. at the Chattanooga Theatre Centre.
Mr. Robbins said he envisions "a spectacular museum and a great experience on river trails and on water taxis" at the Bend park.
Ms. Andrews said some artifacts will be off limits because they are connected to burials, but she said, "There will be plenty to display."
She said the Smithsonian Institute has a large collection of artifacts taken from Moccasin Bend and Williams Island, and it is hoped arrangements can be made "to bring that back to Chattanooga instead of having it hidden away in drawers."
She said there are other collections from the Bend, including at the McClung Museum in Knoxville.
Ms. Andrews said local archaeologist Lawrence Alexander has completed an extensive study of the rich lode of artifacts found at the Bend, which traces back to some 12,000 years of human habitation. She said it is now being reviewed by the NPS.
She said Mr. Alexander was in touch with a number of private collectors who have items from Moccasin Bend.
She also said that Mayor Ron Littlefield is working on developing closer ties with the Eastern Band of the Cherokees with perhaps a "Sister City" relationship.
Ms. Andrews said steps are being taken all along the way to have Native American leaders involved in the planning process.
She said she is conferring with tribal leaders from 18-22 tribes in states that include Oklahoma, Texas, Florida and North Carolina.
Ms. Andrews said an important first step at the Bend is stabilizing the river banks. She said about a foot a year is being lost to erosion and important artifacts could wash away.
She said the Army Corps of Engineers has been open to varied methods of stabilization - not just riprap.
Mr. Robbins said there is no timetable for the Moccasin Bend Psychiatric Hospital to leave the Bend. He said he expects it will happen at some point - when there are state funds available to build a new replacement facility.