Please join us for a presentation on Saturday, February 8, at 1pm at the Florence Indian Mound Museum. This talk explores Cherokee Removal in Alabama by looking at Wills Valley and the family of George Lowrey, Assistant Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. Lowrey rose to leadership after serving in the Creek War of 1813-1814. He and his extended family claimed land in Tennessee before being driven south of the Tennessee River, some of them settling in Wills Valley. Lowrey's leadership strategy reflects a focus on unity and community, sustained through multiple "removals" in the 1820s and 1830s.

Stuart Marshall is a Visiting Assistant Professor of History at Sewanee—The University of the South and Secretary of the Tennessee Trail of Tears Association (TNTOTA). He completed his Ph.D. in 2023 with his dissertation, "The Age of Junaluska: Eastern Cherokee Sovereignty in the Long Civil War Era." Since arriving at Sewanee, he has worked on a database about the Bell Route of the Trail of Tears—"Retracing the Bell Route: An Archive of Cherokee Removal" (cherokee-bell-route.org).

This program is free and is sponsored by the City of Florence Department of Arts and Museums and the Alabama Chapter of the Trail of Tears Association. The Florence Indian Mound Museum is located at 1028 S. Court St. Florence, AL, and is open Tuesday - Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sundays from 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Call 256-760-6427 for more information.