Moccasin Bend, a Tennessee River peninsula in Chattanooga opposite Lookout Mountain, preserves an exceptional record of human history across roughly 956 acres. Archaeological evidence shows about 12,000 years of continuous habitation, including Late Mississippian towns at Hampton Place, possible traces of Spanish contact, and the Vulcan Site's Late Archaic house dated to 1335 B.C., among the earliest known family houses in the southeastern United States. The bend also lay along the Trail of Tears and later served Civil War supply and military purposes in 1863. After years of damage and neglect, local advocacy helped secure federal protection in 2003, and preservation and public interpretation continue.

Photo: Wikipedia

Photo: Wikipedia

Photo: Wikipedia