05/22/2026
Aligning with the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s “All People Were Created Equal” May initiative, the theme of Huntsville’s 2026 Historic Preservation Month centers on Indigenous history and the experiences of the people who first inhabited this land.
These records from the Willstown Cherokee Mission Site were compiled in the early 1970s as part of a TARCOG (Top of Alabama Regional Council of Governments) and TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) survey of historical sites in North Alabama, more than a decade before the site was formally recognized as part of the National Park Service’s Trail of Tears National Historic Trail. They’re an example of the local and regional documentation work that often precedes and enables broader historic designation and protection.
The Willstown mission and school was established near Fort Payne in 1823 and closed before the Cherokee removal in 1838. These records offer insight into a once-thriving Cherokee settlement and mission community, while also reminding us of the larger histories of displacement that forever altered Indigenous places and people across the region. Preservation is not only about protecting historic material, but also about ensuring the full histories they represent and the communities connected to them remain visible.
Follow the link in our bio to explore the full collection. 🔗
Images: 1974 historical survey documents and photograph records of the Willstown site near Fort Payne, AL.
