Trail of Tears Workshop in Georgia
On May 12-13, 2016, the Center for Historic Preservation, in partnership with the Trail of Tears Association and the National Trails Intermountain Region of the National Park Service, hosted a workshop in Dalton, Georgia, dedicated to the preservation of Trail of Tears resources. Approximately thirty attendees from the Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia chapters of the Trail of Tears Association attended the workshop. Guest speakers included Julie Coco (New South Associates), Dr. David Crass (Georgia Department of Natural Resources-Historic Preservation Division), Heather Mustonen (Georgia Department of Transportation), Dr. Mark Wagner (University of Illinois-Carbondale), and Jeff Bishop (Newnan-Coweta Historical Society), as well as CHP director Dr. Carroll Van West and Trail of Tears project coordinator Amy Kostine.
As part of the workshop, participants were given a tour of New Echota Historic Site, shown here, by park manager David Gomez, and visited Rockdale Plantation, the former home of Cherokee George W. Adair. Rockdale Plantation owner and professional log building restoration specialist Kerry Hix discussed the process of restoring the buildings on site, which consist of a three-story home, a log kitchen, and a traveler’s rest.
