The Trail was a Circle: The Brainerd Mission Story

The Brainerd Mission Project and Ripple Productions will host “The Trail was a Circle: The Brainerd Mission Story,” at Brainerd High School on November 10, 11 and 12. This original historic production celebrates the 200th anniversary of the establishment of the Brainerd Mission and incorporates music, film and drama to transport the audience to this pivotal time in Chattanooga’s history.

Sponsored by Dr. Brian and Erika Johnson and Greg A. Vital, this stirring historical drama depicts the people and events that helped shape the city that would become Chattanooga. The play was written by Daisy Pratt, is hosted at Brainerd High School and is produced in partnership with the Cherokee Area Council of Boy Scouts of America, WTCI-PBS, Native American Services of Tennessee, Ridgeview Baptist Church, DAR Regent’s Council of Chattanooga & the Nancy Ward Chapter, SAR John Sevier Society, Audubon Acres, JDBURNS Co, Baron Studios, Live to Inspire Productions and the Chattanooga Theatre Centre.

Students from Barger Academy and Brainerd High School, children living centuries later in the neighborhood of the former Mission, are a part of the musical accompaniment of the play with original scores by Dr. Jim Burns, retired music professor and former director of the Lee Singers, Lee University in Cleveland, providing an eclectic mix of music representing the three cultures reflected in the mission’s life.

During the early 1800’s, the Brainerd Mission was a hub of national controversy, promoting human dignity and civil rights against the Georgia law forbidding missionaries to live among the Cherokee and the gathering storms of the Indian Removal Act. Based on historical research, the journals of the missionaries and support from local historians Bruce Sloan, David Clapp and Cherokee leaders, including Tammera Hicks and Elkspirit Dancer, this moving play will introduce Chattanoogans to the characters who shaped the community. From Chief John Ross, Sequoyah and Nancy Ward to Andrew Jackson, Davy Crockett and Samuel Worchester, this play will engage and educate, inspiring the audience to join in the bicentennial celebration of the Brainerd Mission and its role in our Chattanooga community.

Performances are Friday, November 10 and Saturday, November 11 at 7:30 PM and on Sunday, November 12 at 2:30 PM. Tickets can be purchased and additional information is available online at www.brainerdmissionproject.com. Seating is limited for this unique historic event.