Two Rivers Mounds: Two Cultures - One Goal

What lies below

American Indians hope to preserve artifacts that may be unearthed during business district construction
Byline BY CYNTHIA YELDELL, yeldellc@knews.com

Sevierville Mayor Bryan Atchley said he will work with American Indians to preserve any artifacts that may be found in the city's newly designated Central Business Improvement District.

As the city prepares to begin the first phase of a public-private development valued at some $300 million that will include a planetarium, a Bass Pro Shop and a 200,000-square-foot events center, Carl "Twofeathers" Whitaker, a descendent of the Mohegan and Cherokee tribes, said he believes a lot of important artifacts are buried in the area.

The district stretches from Interstate 40 along state Highway 66 to beyond downtown Sevierville.

Whitaker said the district includes three mounds where American Indians are buried along with their personal belongings. There's also what used to be a plaza area where American Indians would gather for meetings and a plaza house where the chief would reside. "Anywhere you put a shovel down you will probably bring up something," said Whitaker, principal chief of the Native American Indian Movement, an intertribal educational and advocacy group. "That's what an archeologist told me."

Whitaker said he approached city officials with the idea of building a cultural center to display any items that may be found. "We are not out to stop roads or businesses or development, but they can take what they find and put it in a cultural center or a museum," he said.

"People will come to see these things. We can work hand-and-hand with this, and we can educate people."

Atchley said a museum has been discussed, but it's too early to tell if it will be needed. "It's all really in the early stages," Atchley said. "We don't know if anything will be found."

Atchley said preservation is of the utmost concern. But, he said, the city is not building anything that is close to the river, which is where artifacts are usually found.

Bass Pro also intends to build a roughly 135,000-square-foot retail location in the CBID.

Spokesman Larry Whiteley said each Bass Pro is unique and has displays that are specific to that area of the country. He described the stores as "living museums."

Whiteley said he has spoken with Whitaker about placing an American Indian display in the store. "We will meet with them and look at the possibilities of what we can do," Whiteley said.

Atchley said he knows of some American Indian graves located in the CBID but not in the portion of land that was purchased by the city.

Sevierville spent $20 million to acquire 140 acres of land for the first phase of the project. It plans to build a $33.5 million events center, a $14 million parking facility with 1,200 spaces, and add nine holes and a clubhouse to Eagles Landing Golf Course.

The total public cost of the development is estimated at $182.2 million, and at least $100 million in additional private investment is expected, city officials said.

Sevierville expects to be reimbursed for its cost because the state-approved CBID designation allows the city to make improvements to the area and use new sales tax generated in the district to repay the cost of new public facilities, roads and other infrastructure.

Business writer Cynthia Yeldell may be reached at 865-342-6320.

From the Knoxville News Sentinel
4/23/2004
Edition Five-star
Section Business
Page C1