Port Royal State Historic Park Announces 2013 History Lecture Series

“Remembering Indian Removal” Lectures Held May-October

NASHVILLE – Port Royal State Historic Park will host “Remembering Indian Removal,” a series of six history lectures beginning May 14, providing information on Indian Removal Act and coinciding with the 175th anniversary of the Trail of Tears.

Presented by area historians and authors, the goal of the lectures, which will be held through October at the park, is to foster a new sense of what Indian Removal actually was, including the racial ideologies and policies that led up to it, the effects of the removal on the Cherokee for generations to come, and how the stories and memories have shaped our long-term understanding of removal.

“We are honored to host this lecture series at Port Royal,” said Park Manager Allen Fenoseff. “This will be a great symposium, with speakers providing insight into the history of Indian Removal and the Trail of Tears.”

Each lecture is free and will be held at 7 p.m.in the historic 1859 Masonic Lodge at Port Royal. Parking is provided and light refreshments will be available. All lectures, except for the May 14 presentation, are part of the Trail of Tears 175th anniversary series.

Upcoming lecture dates and topics include:

• May 14: Tennessee State Museum’s Myers Brown will present “Tennessee’s Role in the War of 1812”
• July 9: Austin Peay State University’s Kristofer Ray will present “Cherokee-European Relations in the 18th Century”
• July 30: Cumberland University’s Mark Cheathem will present “Andrew Jackson and Indian Removal”
• August 13: Tennessee State Parks’ David Britton will present “The Town of Port Royal During Indian Removal”
• September 3: Austin Peay State University’s Evan Nooe will present “The Trail of Tears in Myth and Memory”
• October 1: MTSU Center for Historic Preservation’s Carroll Van West will present “Preservation Efforts on the Trail of Tears”

Due to limited seating capacity, registration is required. To register for the lectures, contact the park office at 931-358-9696 or david.britton@tn.gov.  

Located in Adams, Tenn., Port Royal was the site of one of the earliest colonial communities and trading posts in Middle Tennessee. It was first settled in the early 1780s, and also served as a Longhunter camp as early as 1775. The town of Port Royal was founded in 1797 and rose to great prominence in the early part of the 19th century because of its strategic location at the head of navigation on the Red River, serving all of northern Middle Tennessee and South Central Kentucky. Port Royal became the only stop in Tennessee on the “Great Western Road” stagecoach line between Nashville, Tennessee, and Golconda, Illinois, and served as such until the 20th century. In 1977, the state of Tennessee received the deed to 26 acres of land at Port Royal and designated it a state historic park in 1978. For more information about the park, please visit www.tnstateparks.com/PortRoyal.  

###