Trail of Tears: Tennessee Itinerary

At Audubon Acres, visitors can learn about the typical agricultural life and level of acculturation experienced by the Cherokee at the time of removal. The visitor center has exhibits on the Brainerd Mission site and on Cherokee culture.

The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions developed the area surrounding the site originally as a mission within the Cherokee Nation. The property, buildings, and improvements were purchased from John McDonald, the grandfather of Cherokee Chief John Ross. The mission was the principal mission among other, smaller ones within the Cherokee Nation, and served as a training ground for American Board staff.

Cherokee leader John Brown, who owned 640 acres in this area, ordered the construction of Browns Ferry Tavern in 1803. By the 1830s, Brown's land formed the boundary of the Cherokee Nation. In 1838, the road running past this structure was the route by which several Cherokee detachments were removed to present-day Oklahoma.

Cherokee Nation leader John Ross lived in this cabin between 1808 and 1827. Its location is not original; in the 1960s it was moved a short distance to the southwest. His house, now owned by a local nonprofit organization, was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1973.

Ross’s Landing was the departure point for the first groups of Cherokees forced from their homeland on the Trail of Tears in 1838. Today, visitors can explore this scenic public park, view an art installation celebrating Cherokee culture, connect to walking and biking routes, and attend community events on the waterfront.

This visitor center and art gallery, opened in May 2013, is owned by the Charleston-Calhoun Hiwassee Historical Society and is managed in conjunction with the Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce. The facility features a large number of interpretive panels that tell the story of the Trail of Tears in Charleston (a key removal site) and elsewhere in eastern Tennessee.

This property, and several of its improvements, is linked to Cherokee leader John Martin. Martin built the main house (on the opposite side of Dalton Pike) approximately 1835 after being driven out of Murray County, Georgia. Martin, who has been described as "a distinguished judge in the courts of the Cherokee Nation, and also the national treasurer," was forced to sell his property in 1837, just prior to the Cherokee Removal.

Blue Hole Spring, a natural landmark in the park, was used by the Cherokee for their water supply during council meetings. The 260-acre park contains a visitor center (James F. Corn Interpretive Center), theater, library, amphitheater, picnic shelter, and hiking trails. Replicas of 19th-century Cherokee buildings include a council house, farmhouse, barn, corn crib, and three sleeping huts.

Cherokee Removal Memorial Park is a multipurpose facility dedicated to those that died and those that cried in what has become known as the "Trail of Tears". The park is intended to interpret and educate the public about the forced removal of the Cherokees from their ancestral land as well as inform them about the unique wildlife in the area and provide recreational opportunities. The Park is located at the mouth of the Hiwassee River.

Hair Conrad was a Cherokee leader during the 1820s and 1830s. In 1838, he was selected to lead the first Cherokee detachment, which traveled the main (northern) route from Rattlesnake Springs (near Charleston, TN) to Indian Territory. This 20-foot by 22-foot two-story cabin was built about 1804, and except for the later addition of a kitchen, this log building still looks much as it did during the 30-plus years that Conrad lived here.