National Society of the American Revolution’s National Marker Day was April 28. Chickamauga Chapter DAR members gathered to remember, celebrate and rededicate the Brainerd Mission monument they erected over 100 years ago.
Officials said, "The monument has an interesting history. If was originally dedicated on Friday, Nov. 21, 1924, but took years of work and perseverance to make it happen.
"Brainerd Mission Cemetery was founded in 1817 as a school for the Cherokee Indians by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions.
You may wonder why a Committee for Foreign Missions was putting a school in the middle of Tennessee, but remember that in 1817 this was Indian Territory, not the United States, and it was a foreign country.
"This complex grew to have as many as 40 buildings including a school house, mission house, gristmill, saw mill, orchard, barn, dormitories, farm fields and a cemetery. It had a large footprint and it was very successful, but sadly all that remains is this cemetery that is called 'Chattanooga’s Sacred Acre.'
"Saving this plot of land, which is the oldest historic spot in Hamilton County, began with a program presented by Miss Daisy Barrett at the March 13, 1912 meeting of Chickamauga Chapter. Most of the chapter had never heard about Brainerd Mission and they were intrigued, wanting to know a lot more and what could be done to restore the site.
:After two committee studies and the interruption of WWI, the work finally began. Louie Christie Cantrell became Regent in 1920. She was the first to become Regent who was not a charter member, and she was a firehouse of determination with a goal. Right away they discovered that the cemetery was on private property and they could not get access to it. So they began by putting together a plan to rebrand the whole area as Brainerd.
"Most of the local community did not know that Brainerd Mission had ever been there or what it was. It had been forgotten in time and memory. The chapter started by going to court in April of 1921 and having the name changed from Bird’s Mill Road to Brainerd Road. Some of the locals objected, which then required an extensive publicity and education program with events even held in the local schools. The chapter posted signage along the road and even planted 300 trees as a beautification effort. Unfortunately, several years later when the county widened the road, all the trees were cut down. After her term as regent, Louie Cantrell became the chairman of the Brainerd Mission Committee. The next step was to put up a historic monument on the road with the history of the site. Louie personally ordered and designed the monument, which cost $600.
"A newspaper article described the monument this way: 'The monument, which stands between two huge trees at the right of Brainerd Road near the Chickamauga Creek Bridge, is of Barre (Vermont) granite, known as the finest granite available. (It was made by H.P. Colvard.) The Tablet is of natural rock finished on back and sides and top. The face, however, is hammered with an ornamental mold around the edge. Within this surface is the lettering of the inscription, the lettering being of the latest style of sandblast workmanship. The DAR insignia is also done by sand blast, which means that the letters are blown into the granite. The monument is six feet tall, three feet wide, and sixteen inches thick. The granite shaft is mounded in a concrete foundation which is four by five feet and extends several feet into the ground.'
"The dedication was well received and well attended. It was open to the public, and guests included the other local DAR chapters, as well as the Layette and Ocoee chapters. Chickamauga member Anne Bachman Hyde (1868-1959) was the speaker at the ceremony, with the monument being given to the chapter by Louie Cantrell and accepted by the current Chickamauga Regent Roberta Cliff Preston. Note: Anne Hyde was the daughter of Dr. Jonathan Bachman (1837-1924) who had been the pastor of the 1st Presbyterian Church.
"The monument went missing in May of 1927 when a construction crew on the road threw it away. I did not see how much it weighs, but just moving it must have been difficult. The manager of a filling station under construction on the road found it in a ditch in the back and contacted us. The County was forced to place it back on the road, but they put it in the wrong place and had to move it again. It is a wonder that it was not broken or damaged. Note to remember: Never leave a construction crew unsupervised.
"In 1933 we were finally able to get possession of the property when Dr. H. H. Hampton deeded it to the four DAR chapters, the one SAR chapter and the CAR children’s chapter. Then the hard work began on the cemetery itself, with a dedication on Nov. 1 of 1933, which was the opening day of the TSDAR State Conference with State Regent Kate Hinds Steele (also a Chickamauga member) presiding. There was a final dedication in 1935 when more work was finished with two bronze tablets, a new gate and an improved road. But, the monument remained on Brainerd Road until 2001 when it was moved to it’s current site.
"In 2003 Brainerd Cemetery joined the 'Trail of Tears.' Our very own Marilyn Dammann was regent at that time and participated in the ceremony and signed the papers.
"This monument was the spark that started the effort to keep the memory of Brainerd Mission alive. So, by being here today, Chickamauga Chapter is rededicating this monument to the 'Scared Acre' and repledging its continued support for Brainerd Mission. The Preservation must continue and the story needs to be told to our younger generations as we celebrate our country’s 250th Anniversary."