The Alabama Chapter of the Trail of Tears Association held its spring meeting on May 25th 2019 at the historic Davis Mill in Fort Payne, Alabama. Now an antique mall, the group was treated to lunch at the Mill, followed by a history of Manitou Cave by Annette Reynolds, owner of the cave.

Following lunch, the group was led on tour of the cave by Ms. Reynolds. The cave, located near the base of Lookout Mountain in Fort Payne, has received international publicity for its Cherokee graffiti written in Sequoyah’s syllabary. One of the inscriptions tells of a stickball game (anetsa) being held nearby.

In addition to ALTOTA members, guests included TOTA members from other chapters, two people from the Eastern Band in Cherokee, North Carolina, area residents, and Melissa Twaroski of the USDA Forrest Service in Atlanta.

ALTOTA is indebted to Dr. Stephen Brewer and his wife Lynn for hosting the
meeting and for providing lunch. The Brewers own Davis Mill and Cherokee, the home of Andrew Ross, in Fort Payne. For more information
about Manitou Cave visit: https://www.manitoucaveofal.org/