Moccasin Bend Lecture Series
National Park Partners presents three unique Moccasin Bend Lecture Series events each fall with fascinating speakers and topics related to National Parks and conservation; Indigenous culture and history; and Chattanooga’s place in the U.S. Civil War. The series was founded in 2006 by Tennessee Representative Greg A. Vital and has been sustained into our 17th year through his generous sponsorship.
Our series takes place on Monday evenings at 7:00 pm at the Tennessee Aquarium IMAX Theater. All lectures are free and open to the public.
2023 Lecture Series lineup
September 18: Troy Wayne Poteete, Executive Director of the National Trail of Tears Association
October 2: Dr. Frank Varney, author of General Grant and the Verdict of History: Memoir, Memory, and the Civil War.
November 13: Richard Sneed, Principal Chief of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians
Visit our MBLS Event Page for more information and to reserve your spot!
2022 Lecture Series lineup + recordings
September Speaker: James Langford, President of Etowah Museum, Inc.
Topic: “When the World Came Crashing Down: 16th Century Spanish Expeditions in the Southeastern United States”
View the September recording HERE
October Speaker: Anita Finger-Smith, CEO of Cherokee Genealogical Services
Topic: “The Ethnogenesis of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians”
View the October recording HERE
November Speaker: Jim Ogden, Staff Historian at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park
Topic: “A Salient Point: Moccasin Bend and the Civil War Struggle for Chattanooga”
View the November recording HERE
2021 Lecture Series lineup + recordings
Speaker: Amy Kostine, National Trails Program Coordinator for the Center for Historic Preservation at Middle Tennessee State University
Topic: “Rivers, Rails & Roads: Transportation During the Cherokee Removal”
View the Recording HERE
Speaker: Keith A. Hardison, Executive Director for the Charles H. Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center
Topic: “Character-Driven History: Chattanooga and The National Medal of Honor Heritage Center”
View the recording HERE
Speaker: Dr. Dorothy Canter, President of the Campaign’s board of directors
Topic: “The Legacy of Julius Rosenwald and the Julius Rosenwald Schools National Historical Park Campaign”
View the recording HERE