National Council on Public History

Launched on Indigenous Peoples' Day (10/14/2024), this project was unveiled at the 27th Annual National Trail of Tears Conference & Symposium. Sewanee hosted a premiere and demonstration of the site on October 25th, 2024, to commemorate the anniversary date of when the Trail of Tears passed through the University Domain. The project was developed in Sewanee classrooms in support of the university's Indigenous Engagement Initiative. "Retracing the Bell Route" was developed as a class research/transcription project in semesters in the 2023-2024 academic year. In fall 2024, the project continued as a class project with digitization of earlier content and continued research/transcriptions for upload. Student research also included touring and interpretation of the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail, both in Sewanee and at related sites including Ross's Landing (Chattanooga), Battle Creek (Marion County, TN), Winchester, TN, Red Clay State Historic Park, and New Echota State Historic Site. Future development with the project will include more mapping and data visualization, more scans of documents and transcriptions, local signage and trail interpretation, and descendant outreach and dialogue for expanding the narrative. This project builds on the research of our community partners in the Trail of Tears Association, especially Floyd Ayers, whom the site is dedicated to. Floyd was essential in mapping the Bell Route through Tennessee's Franklin and Marion counties, and offered key guidance and inspiration for developing this project.