The 17th Annual Moccasin Bend Lecture Series, sponsored by The Honorable Greg A. Vital, will debut with a compelling presentation on Monday, September 12 at 7:00 p.m. featuring “When the World Came Crashing Down: 16th Century Spanish Expeditions in the Southeastern US."
Guest speaker Jim Langford, President of the Etowah Museum, will introduce audiences at the IMAX and via the virtual broadcast, to his lifelong work uncovering the stories of the 16th Century Spanish expeditions in the South.
Mr. Langford’s talk is presented in partnership with the UTC Department of Social, Cultural and Justice Studies and will describe a personal research journey that began in 1969 when, as a high school student, he found and recorded 16th Century villages along the Coosawattee River in his home county in Northwest Georgia.
His work evolved to include collaborations with several universities and published research providing key evidence that confirmed the location of the capitol core villages of Coosa – the largest and most powerful province north of Mexico encountered by Spanish expeditions of the 16th Century. Mr. Langford’s presentation will detail how pieces of the cultural puzzle and information about the expeditions continue to unfold as archeological investigations and archival research yield new details and clues.
On Monday, October 17, the series will continue with “The Ethnogenesis of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians,” a presentation by Anita Finger-Smith, President of the Cherokee Genealogical Services. Licensed by the Eastern Band of Cherokees, Anita Finger-Smith’s presentation will cover five circumstances during the early 19th century that contributed to the nucleus of Cherokee Indians who remained in the Southeast after the forced removal of most Cherokee to Indian Territory.
These remaining Cherokee later formed the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and many people still believe the only reason the Cherokee are in the East today is because they “hid out in the mountains.” Although this was true for some, the majority are there for other reasons that guests will learn during this presentation. Finger-Smith’s lecture is presented in partnership with the Tennessee Trail of Tears Association.
The Moccasin Bend Lecture Series will culminate on Monday, November 7th at 7:00 p.m. with “A Salient Point: Moccasin Bend and the Civil War Struggle for Chattanooga,” a presentation by Jim Ogden, Historian at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park.
During this event, Jim will discuss the pivotal events and activities that took place on and around Moccasin Bend during the Campaign for Chattanooga. From the US Army supply line (the famous “Cracker Line”) across Moccasin Bend at Brown’s Ferry to the well-preserved earthworks at the southern end of Stringer’s Ridge, this peninsula along the Tennessee River became a focal point between the Battle of Chickamauga in September 1863 and the Battles for Chattanooga later that fall in November. Ogden’s lecture is presented in partnership with the UTC Department of History.
The 2022 series will take place live, in-person, at the IMAX Theater with an accompanying live broadcast via Zoom, offering all guests the opportunity to participate in the Q&A sessions. We will follow all appropriate CDC policy and local health guidelines at the time of the events to provide a safe experience for all guests.
Registration is required for each event separately, for either in-person or virtual participation. For more information and to register, please visit nppcha.org.
The Moccasin Bend Lecture Series was founded by The Honorable Greg A. Vital in 2006 and all events are free and open to the public through his generous sponsorship.