TRAIL OF TEARS

Plenty supporting member and inspired artist, Bernice Davidson, unveiled her painted metal relief, "Surviving the Trail of Tears," in the town square of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee Sept. 5. The permanent work commemorates the 700 Cherokee who were force-marched through Lawrenceburg Nov. 5, 1838. They were victims of the "Indian Removal Act" which called for the eviction of all Native Americans living in the southeastern United States and their resettlement into the Oklahoma Territory. The act was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Andrew Jackson after the discovery of gold on Cherokee lands in Georgia. Of the sixteen thousand Native Americans driven from their homes, over four thousand died on the Trail of Tears. Native Americans, Lawrenceburg's Mayor, a Tennessee State Senator, Town Council members, local historians, writers, business leaders and members of the media attended the dedication ceremony (pictured left).

photo by Anita Whipple