National Park Partners announced the launch of the “Forever Moccasin Bend” campaign to build parking and new visitor amenities at the Hamm Road entrance of Moccasin Bend National Archeological District, also known as the Gateway Site. More than $950,000 of the $1.1 million project has been committed through a nearly 50/50 split of public and private funds.
New amenities will include an accessible walkway to a covered pavilion near the Tennessee River, to enhance the National Park Service’s interpretive programming, along with parking and restroom facilities at the site's entrance.
A newly installed orientation kiosk, funded by a grant from the Chickamauga Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, will provide an overview of Moccasin Bend's history and maps identifying the Blue Blazes Trail and the Old Federal Road/Brown's Ferry Trace hiking trails.
The public-private partnership includes federal funding from the National Park Service Centennial Challenge and economic development funds from the City of Chattanooga. Private support raised to date includes generous grants from the Benwood Foundation, Lyndhurst Foundation and Tucker Foundation, along with individual gifts and pledges issued as a matching challenge. The fundraising campaign launched by National Park Partners aims to raise the final $125,000 from the community by March 31, 2021, with all contributions effectively doubled by the challenge.
“Our community can take pride in being home to the country's only National Archeological District, a designation made possible when we rallied around saving this iconic landscape,” said Tricia Mims, executive director of National Park Partners. “Now, through their contributions, everyone can help write the next chapter in the story of Moccasin Bend and create the welcoming entrance this Chattanooga gem deserves.”
Among those who spoke at the launch were Superintendent Brad Bennett of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park in Georgia and Tennessee and former Congressman Zach Wamp, who was instrumental in achieving National Park Service status for Moccasin Bend during his tenure in Congress.
“From the early efforts to Save the Bend, through the challenges of pursuing National Park status to today’s Forever Moccasin Bend campaign, the perseverance of dedicated citizens, preservationists and economic development leaders has been truly remarkable,” said former Congressman Wamp. “We must now carry the torch forward and honor all those that have come before us while creating new opportunities for our region, which is so rich in history - forever is the perfect word to describe the impact of this work.”
Three years ago, the National Park Service presented the General Management Plan Amendment for Moccasin Bend, casting the long-term vision for the country's only National Archeological District. These important changes to move Moccasin Bend closer to fully achieving the plan’s vision were revealed at the group’s press conference on October 8.
"The National Park Service is pleased to be one step closer to the finish line on this public-private partnership project," said Supt. Bennett, superintendent of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. "We are grateful for the support of National Park Partners as we develop this 'front porch' for visitors to Moccasin Bend National Archeological District."