by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

“If it’s divisive to you, if it’s igniting to you, there is a lot of power there that can be used for good,” said Jessie Jaynes-Diming, founding member of the Emmett Till Memorial Commission, when asked how she responded to people who claimed her work caused rancor, anger and divisiveness by shining a spotlight on the 1955 torture and murder of the 14-year-old black youth Emmett Till. “I meet [the divisiveness] head on. It gives me an opportunity to talk to you,” Jaynes-Diming insisted. Sept. 18 at Convocation Hall, Jaynes-Diming and Patrick Weems, co-founder and director of the Emmett Till Interpretive Center, joined in a conversation about the resistance the Center has encountered and how a courthouse slated to be condemned led to the Center’s founding. “If you would have told me 20 years ago I’d be sitting in Sewanee, I would have said, ‘you’re crazy,’” acknowledged Jaynes-Diming, a member of the founding commission of nine Blacks and nine whites. Suspicion and hostility governed early meetings. “Emmett has become a symbol, but it’s important to remember him as a child,” Weems said. Emmett liked to ride his bike and would pay people to tell him jokes. Jaynes-Diming and Weems’ observations circumscribe the extremity of the events occurring in Money, Mississippi, on the days leading up to and following Emmett Till’s murder on Aug.28, 1955.

Jaynes-Diming recounted the story of Emmett Till’s last days. Raised in Chicago, Emmett persuaded his mother to let him visit her family in Money that summer. One evening in late August, Emmett and his cousins stopped off at a local store. Emmett was slow to come out and his older cousin Wheeler started to go in after him. Emmett left the store followed by a white woman, Carolyn Bryant whose family owned the business. Emmett wolf whistled. “It was a compliment,” Jaynes-Diming said. “That compliment cost him his life.” Wheeler was older, and knew, “this was not good.” The cousins sped away in their car. Three days later, Bryant’s husband Roy and his half-brother J. W. Milam abducted Emmett from his uncle’s home. The family never saw him alive again. His body was recovered from the Tallahatchie River and slated for burial in an unmarked grave. His mother Mamie Till-Mobley intervened. Emmett’s body was sent home. “The casket left Mississippi with a seal on it that it was not to be opened, that it was against Mississippi law,” Jaynes-Diming said. Mamie’s reaction according to Jaynes-Diming: “‘Give me a hammer and crowbar and I’ll open it.’” Mamie insisted on seeing her son. “She wanted to make sure it was her child,” Jaynes-Diming explained. “He was so disfigured, she almost could not identify him.” An open casket funeral followed, with Mamie determined to tell her son’s story.

Fast forward 50 years. Jerome Little, among the first black officials in Tallahatchie County, found himself in the role of supervisor for the Tallahatchie County Courthouse in Sumner, Miss., a building slated to be condemned. Little turned to the legislature for help and met a senator who as a young journalist had covered the Emmett Till murder trial where Bryant and Milam were acquitted by an all-white male jury at the Sumner courthouse. Not long after the trial, the two men confessed, protected from retrial by the Fifth Amendment’s double-jeopardy clause. “Jerome had no idea about the significance of the courthouse or the Emmett Till story at all,” Jaynes-Diming said. “Emmett’s death was used to weaponize and to scare black families into submission and into not talking about it.” Jerome Little made it his personal mission to change that. “Folks didn’t trust each other,” Wheems said of the commission with nine black and nine white members assembled by Little. The challenge was “How do you break the silence?” The restored courthouse and neighboring Emmett Till Interpretive Center embrace that challenge along with the Emmett Till Historic Intrepid Center Museum in Glendora located in the building that once held the gin from which Till’s killers took the fan and wire used to weigh down his body in the Tallahatchie River. The Tallahatchie Civil Rights Driving Tour tells Emmett Till’s story by visiting landmark sites such as the Bryant grocery and location where Emmett Till’s body was pulled from the river. But the Emmett Till Memory Project’s journey has not been an easy one.

“By 2015 we had restored the courthouse. Our work began to merge out of this reconciliation piece into being able to steward sacred sites and to try to shift culture,” Wheems said. The historical marker where Emmett Till’s body was pulled from the river was shot at, replaced; after the Obama election, thrown in the river, replaced; shot at again, 315 times, replaced. “We didn’t have the money to keep replacing the sign,” Wheems said. The fourth sign was shot at and a photo circulated of students from the University of Mississippi posing in front of the sign with guns. A bulletproof sign now marks the site.

The Memorial Project is negotiating to buy the barn where Emmett Till was tortured and murdered from a dentist who bought the property in the 1990s and initially refused to even discuss selling it; he had no idea of the place’s significance. The Bryant grocery is “totally in ruins with trees growing in the middle of the store,” Wheems said. “Our plan is to acquire land across the street to move the conversation forward.” The family offered to sell the grocery for an outrageous $4 million. The nearly a dozen historically significant sites are about 20 miles from each other and spread out over several counties. “How do you change the physical and cultural landscape of Mississippi and thereby the nation?” Wheems asked. “How do we have a shared collective history so we can have a shared future moving forward?”

The Roberson Project on Slavery, Race, and Reconciliation sponsored the Emmett Till program in conjunction with a series titled “Until It Is Faced.” “The [series title] is drawn from a quotation from [black author] James Baldwin in 1962,” said Roberson Project Director Woody Register. “Baldwin, in his typical style said, ‘Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.’”

In July 2014, a fire damaged Rebel’s Rest, one of the oldest buildings on Sewanee’s campus. Though the fire’s destruction made restoration impossible, Sewanee professors and students launched a remarkable interdisciplinary project that recovered about 70 percent of the square-cut logs in the building’s outer walls. The surplus materials from this historic curation project are now being sold at auction.

The online auction will be managed by McLemore Auction Company <https://www.mclemoreauction.com/auction/3054/item/historic-reclaimed-lumber-and-architectural-features-from-rebel39s-rest-at-the-university-of-the-south-in-sewanee-tn-556278/;. Bidding will run through Oct. 30. This auction will offer a rare opportunity to preserve Mountain-grown materials that have held Sewanee’s story from the University’s earliest days and give the new owner an opportunity to reimagine one of Sewanee’s oldest stories.

An historic cabin that was originally built in 1866, Rebel’s Rest hosted the first meeting of the Board of Regents to organize the University after the Civil War. It also served as the University’s original post office and supply store, as well as an early fraternity house. Most recently before the fire, it hosted visitors as the University’s guest house.

Following the fire, the building’s site was transformed into a living laboratory to support student and faculty research into the region’s history, forests and climates. Notable projects included:

Sewanee professors and students deconstructed, mapped, and analyzed the structure’s materials, confirming that the more than 600 oak, American chestnut, and tulip poplar framing timbers began growing on or near the Domain as early as 1645.

Teams from Sewanee and other institutions conducted hands-on archeological research on the site, recovering more than 10,000 items—objects ranging from toys to medicine bottles, to extensive fragments of porcelain, pottery, and colored glass—that revealed evidence of daily life on the Mountain over the structure’s 152-year lifespan.

All timber samples with research value are being retained for future study. This ensures the wood continues to yield important insights about the impacts of human development and climate change on some of North America’s most significant hardwood forestlands.

Long-term uses for the site are still being explored. The building’s stone foundation and deteriorating pergola will be dismantled, and the remaining outbuilding on the site will be moved and considered for an alternative and meaningful future use. Other interim plans include developing a native pollinator garden and planting trees of the same species used in the home, including an experimental disease-resistant variety of American chestnut, in hopes of restoring a species that has been virtually extinct on the Mountain and across the U.S. since the 1920s.

This auction is designed to allow these materials to take on new usefulness in the historic wood restoration market, as mantels, flooring, or part of a new cabin. The sale of beams with such unique histories and documented provenance ensures that these elements of Sewanee’s past can find new life in the future.

Go to <https://new.sewanee.edu/news/rebels-rest-salvaged-materials/; for more information.

The Town of Monteagle in collaboration with the Mountain Goat Trail Alliance (MGTA) and the Town of Tracy City is excited to announce the first annual Mountain Goat Trail Fall Bicycle Poker Run. This free, family-friendly event celebrates the new Monteagle-to-Tracy City stretch of the Mountain Goat Trail and will take place on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. CDT.

Registration is from 9 –11 a.m. in Monteagle behind the Depot Café located at 403 West Main St., Monteagle. The event will conclude with an awards party at Monteagle’s Harton Park at 4 p.m., when the winning hand will be announced. The awards party will feature singing duo, Gypsy Rose, Sarah Douglas and Anna Sias, known for their covers of top popular music from the 60s, 70s and 80s.

To participate, visit Eventbrite for tickets

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/m...;utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

Tickets are limited. Advance registration required. Off-site free parking is available, and the event is scheduled to continue rain or shine. Helmets are required and e-bikes are welcome.

For more information, email <monteagletourism@gmail.com>, or call (931) 871-6040.

Lace up your dancing shoes because Cumberland Community Dance is hosting a lively traditional folk dance event from 6–8 p.m., Friday, Sept. 26, at the Monteagle Pavilion located behind the Monteagle Library. Following the success of the previous dance in June, we anticipate a good crowd and lots of fun. Light refreshments and snacks with be provided as well as sweets donated by Mountain Goat Market. Comfortable shoes and enthusiasm are recommended!

Open to all ages and experience levels, the evening will include traditional dancing such as square and contra dance styles along with live old-time music from The Stones River Reelers. Whether you’re a seasoned dancer or a complete beginner, everyone is encouraged to join in the fun. No partner is required. A live caller will guide dancers through every step.

Cumberland Community Dance is supported with funding from the Grundy Area Arts Council. Sponsors for the Sept. 26 event include The Monteagle Assembly and Mountain Goat Market. Attendees are encouraged make a donation to help cover the cost of the event — $10 for adults, $8 for students, $5 for children under 10yrs, and no cost for children under 5 years.

Please come out and help Cumberland Community Dance in their mission to keep the ever-evolving, living tradition of Southern Appalachian music and dance alive.

For more information, visit the Grundy Area Arts Council webpage: <https://www.grundyarea.art/community-dance;.

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

At the Sept. 22 meeting, the Sewanee Community Council took up two issues raising questions about who was responsible for troubling circumstances impacting community wellbeing: lack of information about whether fire hydrant flow rates were sufficient to offer fire protection and whether law enforcement had the authority to issue citations for aggressive dogs without witnessing the dog attack. The council also discussed funding the cost of more speed humps in Sewanee and the need for notification about when road paving would occur.

Sewanee Fire Chief Terry Smith presented the council with a fact sheet explaining his concerns. The Sewanee Fire Department’s ISO score decreased because of lack of current information on hydrant flow rates, Smith maintained. “When we respond to a call, we know where the hydrants are, but sometimes we don’t know the gallons [of flow].” Regulations require a flow rate of 500 gallons per minute for the department to hook a pumper truck to the hydrant. “I’m here to ask this community board to help us approach the Sewanee Utility District to allow us to help them.” A department’s ISO rating impacts insurance premiums. Also concerning to Smith, the paint color on a hydrant’s cap intended to designate the flow-rate range did not always correspond to the hydrant’s actual flow rate.

“I don’t think this is the right venue for this,” said SUD manager Ben Beavers, a council representative. “The board of the utility district should have been approached first. There are also some factual issues I have with this [with Smith’s report]. This postulates the ISO rating didn’t increase just because of the water system. There are other [score] points that were missed [the water utility] had no control over.”

At the February meeting, the SUD Board of Commissioners addressed a board member’s question about the Fire Department’s ISO rating and SUD’s responsibility for hydrant maintenance. “Once every five years we have to flush the hydrants,” Beavers said at the February meeting. “We’re not required to put a gauge on them and do a flow test.” Beavers added SUD flushed hydrants on a rotating schedule. “Annual flow testing would take one-third to one-half of one worker’s time over a year plus the water loss.” Beavers also observed the Fire Department’s ISO score on hydrants decreased, but the ISO rating did not change. The board member, Donnie McBee, who raised questions about hydrant maintenance did not express concern that lack of flow testing impeded fire protection. [See Messenger, Feb. 21, 2025]

Smith acknowledged SUD was not required to flow test and that Beavers had agreed to provide a list of out-of-service hydrants. Asked at the council meeting if the Fire Department would help with hydrant testing and painting, Smith said “If I have to I would be willing to assume the cost of the $1,500-$2,000 to paint the hydrants plus the amount of labor it’s going to take to flow the hydrants … we’ll do whatever it takes to help.” The information sheet distributed by Smith stated, “We are not authorized or equipped to test them.”

Council representative Phil White pointed out, “This committee has no power. If we have concerns we express them to the University.”

Vice-Chancellor Rob Pearigen voiced appreciation for the Sewanee Fire Department and Sewanee Utility District. “We have two essential services here, and we need those services to be talking to one another.”

The council passed a resolution encouraging conversation between the Fire Department and SUD.

Provost Scott Wilson offered an update on revision of the dog control policy discussed at the past two meetings in March and May. The committee tasked with revisions recommended, although not unanimously, the policy stipulate law enforcement “will,” not “may,” issue citations; the policy increases the fines for violations; and the policy advises the victim to contact the police or animal control, not the dog owner. Upon reviewing the policy revisions, the University attorney concluded, to impose fines in addition to those authorized by state law, the University would need to revise the leasehold policy.

Commenting on the policy revisions recommended, resident Brooks Egerton who served on the revision committee said, “The broader issue is the police are not enforcing the law.” Residents reported several dog attacks to the police during the last academic year, and other attacks have already occurred this year. “The police are not doing their job. They at least need to investigate,” Council representative Marilyn Phelps insisted. Phelps said, according to the police, law enforcement could not issue a citation if they did not witness the dog roaming at large or engaged in an attack.

Egerton said he could not find any record of Sewanee Police issuing citations except in a recent instance involving a dog attacking his son. Egerton insisted the dog owner be cited. The police observed the dog at large, but not the attack, and wrote a citation for the at-large violation, only.

“We have a detailed dog-at-large criminal statute in Tennessee, and it is fully enforceable here,” said former Assistant District Attorney Steve Blount weighing in on the discussion. “You don’t have to worry about changing the lease policy.” Blount added, law enforcement could not arrest the dog owner if they did not witness the violation, but they could issue a citation. “It was never the law that a misdemeanor had to occur in the presence of an officer before an officer could do anything.” Police did not like to prosecute dog cases, Blount acknowledged. In the case of Sewanee Police prosecuting a case in court, “that’s an expense for the University.” Questioned after the meeting, Blount explained if law enforcement declined to take action, the victim could go directly to the magistrate and request a citation be issued. Blount recommended the victim present a police report as documentation of the incident.

In other business, Wilson announced the University had one more set of speed humps to install, earmarked for Kennerly Avenue. In 2024, the council Traffic Committee received a $6,000 Project Funding grant from the council for the purchase of speed humps. The University matched the amount. The committee will submit a grant request for the purchase of additional speed humps. Residents have complained about speeding on Breakfield Road, Roarks Cove Road and in the Woodlands area.

Phelps raised a complaint from a resident who missed a Home Health Care appointment because there was no notification paving would be underway. Phelps said in the past the police issued notifications about road work. Superintendent of Leases Sallie Green said perhaps the police were not informed. Green recommended Phelps contact Franklin County Road Commissioner Johnny Hughes.

Phelps also expressed concerns about hazards posed by motorized scooters travelling at a high rate of speed. Wilson said the University did not require students to register scooters. Pearigen will consult with Dean of Students Nicky Campbell.

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

The new mission statement of the Friends of the South Cumberland State Parks speaks to why the nonprofit exists: “To protect, improve, and expand the parks of the South Cumberland Plateau and to educate and inspire others to join in that work.” How to make the goals enshrined in that mission statement a reality? Friends’ Executive Director Ned Murray has a simple solution. “I know you think I’m going to say, ‘write a check.’ I’m not. Get into the parks. I know you take friends into the parks when they come visit you from out of town. But go into the park when you don’t have guests from out of town. Take a half hour stroll. Take a morning. Take a neighbor. They’re going to be healthier and happier and spend a day not watching television. That’s how we’ll generate awareness and support and volunteers and enthusiasm. I can’t believe how often I meet people who have lived up here a long time and never set foot in a park. Help us spread the word, help us share the love, help us share the trail.”

Murray addressed Friends members and guests at the Sept. 21 annual meeting at St. Mary’s Conference Center. In 2022, the park service designated the Savage Gulf Natural Area as a park separate and distinct from South Cumberland State Park. A third park came into existence in 2024 with the formation of Head of the Crow State Park from four South Cumberland Park regions: Carter State Natural Area and Buggytop Cave, Natural Bridge State Natural Area, Hawkins Cove State Natural Area, and Sherwood Forest State Natural Area. South Cumberland now consists of Fiery Gizzard, Grundy Lakes, and Denny Cove. The Friends have embraced the commitment of being steward to all three parks. “Three parks with three park managers means more attention given to the disparate parcels of land because they have dedicated park managers and park staff. It also presents challenges to support them, because that’s three trail systems attracting more visitors and a lot more activity,” Murray said.

Park rangers from the three parks highlighted what park visitors could look forward to. “Work has been going on at all the trail heads,” said South Cumberland Park Ranger Hannah Sheley. “We have more sidewalks, paved the parking lots, redone bathrooms to make them more ADA accessible. And Foster Falls has had a revamp of the campground adding more ADA sites and a new bathhouse.” Upcoming is trail work on the north end of the Fiery Gizzard and boulder areas, and revamping the exhibits at the visitor’s center to make them more engaging and immersive. “I want people to be able to hear the sounds of birds, feel the touch of different types of rocks, and see the different types of leaves. For the kids to get excited to see them in real life on the trail.” Sheley’s personal passion is interpretation. She praised the “Every Child in the Park” program and the new Friends’ brochure for the schools. Sheley has been working with the Tennessee South Cumberland tourism group making interpretive videos on animals and the visitors center to share with the public.

At the new Head of the Crow Park, Ranger Mathew Thomas cited working on trails, getting an internet presence, the upcoming dedication and official opening of the park, and outreach to the community and the schools. “We’re planning on reworking a lot of our trails and making Buggytop Cave a lot more approachable. It’s one of the most beautiful cave entrances in Tennessee. We want to get as many people out there to see it as possible and get people down to the cave to explore the unique cave ecology. We’re also looking at expanding programs at Crow Creek, possibly on the water, whether that’s canoe floats or creek ecology.” Thomas praised the Friends and community for their ongoing support.

Savage Gulf Ranger Spencer Baxter announced the nomination of two more tree species for “state champion” status, the shagbark hickory and red oak. New at Savage Gulf is the backcountry Meadow Creek Campground on the north plateau on the eastern side of the park. The campground offers single and group campsites, metal fire rings, and pit toilets. “We’re using that model for everything we do going forward with our campgrounds,” Baxter said. He thanked the Friends for help with funding for Meadow Creek and for the purchase of gas lanterns for the popular Stone Door night hikes. Restoration of the 1700s-era Stagecoach Road Trail is underway along with removal of invasive species at Three Forks Lake. Plans also call for new pit toilets at two locations. The visitor center coordinates communication and aid during emergencies, with phone availability nearly 24-7, and the gift shop offers 140 unique items not available anywhere else. “All the money from selling things in the gift shop comes back to the park,” Baxter stressed, “Nearly $40,000 in the past year or so.”

In closing, Murray recalled the observation of Ranger Sheley which ties a neat bow around the shared goal of the Friends and the parks: “Education leads to appreciation. Appreciation leads to conservation. And conservation leads to preservation.”

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

“I’m intrigued. I’d like to see what they come up with,” said Sewanee Utility District manager Ben Beavers commenting on the proposed Consolidation Study the SUD Board of Commissioners agreed to participate in at the Sept. 16 meeting. “It doesn’t commit us to anything except contributing data,” observed SUD Board President Charlie Smith. Tracy City received a grant for a study to investigate a merger between Tracy City and Monteagle water utilities. “The state wants all four water utilities on the Plateau to participate,” Beavers said, Tracy City, Monteagle, Sewanee, and Big Creek.

Beavers explained if “consolidation” happened “the model is to form a water authority and whoever wants to participate gives all their assets to the water authority. In the five-year transition period, the utilities are operated separately to begin with. What they’re moving toward is one rate structure and operation. [Debt] stays in the old system. I’m not sure how that works exactly. The only thing [the utilities] combine at the start is the workers, repairs, that sort of thing.”

“Monteagle and Tracy City are already so entwined, it would make sense for them,” Beavers said. “Us to a lesser extent. We’re on the uphill side of Monteagle, so the chance of us getting water without extensive modification from everybody else would be slim.”

“It would be interesting to see how all that could come together to benefit all four utilities if there was a severe drought,” Smith said. As participants in the study, SUD will be informed of the study’s conclusions. According to Beavers, the Big Creek utility does not provide sewer services, but a grant opportunity could lead to Big Creek providing sewer treatment to the Caverns music venue. Also significant, Big Creek water utility is investigating purchasing Ramsey Lake. “If they get that, the north end of the county will have all the water they need,” Beavers said. “We [SUD] would bring the least to the table. The only thing we really have is a fairly new water treatment plant.” [Note: Monteagle treats Tracy City’s sewage and buys water from Tracy City. See Messenger, March 3, 2023, and October 4, 2024.]

Reporting on operations, Beavers said a recent leak on Clara’s Point Road resulted in water pressure dropping throughout Sewanee. “An 8-inch PVC line on a rock split. We lost 411,000 gallons, not quite half a million.” The water drained into Wiggins Creek. “It was mostly rock there, so there was no erosion,” Beavers said. SUD also repaired a leak at the Woodlands and is engaged in remedying an issue at the Midway booster station. The casing for one of the two pumps is leaking and will require excavation to repair. “The other pump is still fine,” Beavers said.

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

Anyone who travels north and south on I-24, which is probably nearly everyone in the Monteagle area, can expect some big changes. Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) plans call for replacing the two bridges crossing the interstate at Exit 134 (the exit closest to Sewanee) with a single bridge; reducing the number of traffic lanes; and routing traffic through a roundabout and peanut roundabout. At a Sept. 11 TDOT community meeting at Monteagle City Hall, project managers Mike O’Donnell (TDOT) and Heather Dean (Alfred Benesch, transportation infrastructure consultants) explained the reason for the changes, the benefits to the community, and what residents can expect during the three-year construction expected to begin just over a year from now.

TDOT planned on replacing the two bridges for several years, O’Donnell said. Governor Lee’s 2023 Rural Interchange Improvement Program made additional funds available to expand the project to facilitate an interstate crossing for the Mountain Goat Trail and address frequent vehicle collisions at the Wren’s Nest intersection. Dean described the hazardous intersection as “a sea of pavement.” Design plans were based on a 20-year forecast of traffic increasing from 9,990 vehicles per day to 14,000 vehicles per day. According to these projections, two lanes of traffic on the bridge and one lane of traffic on the roundabouts are adequate. The 12-foot-wide lanes will have a six-foot shoulder to allow for passing stalled vehicles and to accommodate truck traffic and cyclists who choose not to use the Mountain Goat Trail. Entering and exiting the roundabouts on State Route 15, motorists will travel two lanes with a center turn lane. The bridge span will allow I-24 traffic to increase to three lanes in the future, if necessary.

The Mountain Goat Trail will cross the interstate on the north side of the bridge, Dean said, tying into the existing trail at Village Wines and Spirits and a planned trail extension connecting the Dubose Street section of trail on the east. Pedestrian activated flashers at interchange crosswalks will notify motorists someone is crossing without stopping traffic.

Another new feature will be high-mast lighting throughout. The lights will be designed “to point down and broadcast a large area,” O’Donnell noted. Reflective striping and signage will aid motorists during fog, Dean added. The interchange flashers will be removed.

Tackling the question of why roundabouts, O’Donnell stressed roundabouts reduced vehicle crash injuries by 76 percent and reduced fatalities by 90 percent by decreasing speed to 20-25 mph and by making it necessary for motorists to only look left when entering the interchange. The Wren’s Nest intersection has more traffic than the interstate ramps, O’Donnell pointed out. “We cannot backup traffic on I-24. The [peanut roundabout] handles all the traffic.”

Asked about landscaping, Dean said at present plans called for grass. Motorists “need to be able to see,” O’Donnell insisted. Plans for landscaping initiated by the town of Monteagle need to be submitted to TDOT six months before construction begins in early 2027.

Throughout construction, motorists will continue to travel through Monteagle on SR 15. Dean gave a chronology of the process: routing traffic onto the north bridge and removal of the south bridge; construction of the new bridge and roundabouts; removal of the north bridge and railroad bridge which has under-clearance and width issues.

During construction, interstate traffic will continue to flow, O’Donnell said, with temporary closure of Exit 134 during bridge demolition when interstate traffic will be routed to Exit 135, increasing travel time by six minutes. Interstate traffic will not be detoured to Highway 41. A resident observed motorist would use that route regardless. “We can’t control where people choose to go,” O’Donnell acknowledged.

Commenting on the project’s current status, O’Donnell said, “We’ve received FHWA, federal highway, approval and completed our environmental documents. Our preliminary engineering is 75 percent complete. The right-of-way process started in July. We have 19 tracts of right-of-way total and no relocations.” TDOT welcomes questions and suggestions. Direct them to O’Donnell at <Michael.Odonnell@tn.gov>.

For more information go to <https://www.tn.gov/tdot/projects/region-2/i-24-interchange-sr15-monteagle.html;.

The Sewanee Arts and Crafts Association will host its Fall crafts fair from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 13, in Shoup park on University Avenue.

Exhibitor’s include: Alessandro’s bakery, baked goods; Jim and Jody Gadra, wood. Danny Phifer, etchings; Full Circle Candles, candles; Dennis Jones, jewelry; Sisterhood of St. Mary’s, candles, rosaries; Susan Parry, jewelry; Susan Cordell, pottery;

Sherry Brock, baskets; Bow Ties by Emily, sewing; Laurel York, felt, block prints; Mike & Mary McElwain, jewelry; Pate Sisters, jewelry, cards, vests; Connie Hornsby, fiber; Loraine Bennett, baskets; Bill Mauzy, wood;

Polly Wells, sculpture; Jeanie Stephenson, bronze sculptures; Pearl Campbell, wax, statues; Marcus Hilden, iron and copper; Ryan Ghertner, pottery; Terrie Ponder Watch, clay; J.Denise Miller, prints; Ben Paty, wood;

Sam Prickett, collage; Amber Clarkson, jewelry; Melissa Holloway, soap; Faith Vaughn, jewelry; Claire Nolan, pottery, sewing; Alkris Delgado, paintings; Emily Armentrout, textiles; Bob McGuire, wood.

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

“The policy slants toward discrimination of female employees,” said board member Sara Liechty commenting on the amended Personnel Dress Code Policy proposed at the Sept. 8 meeting of the Franklin County School Board. “A lot of the content is directed toward female employees.” The board approved the proposed policy with further revisions. The board also approved changing the dates for parent teacher conferences to allow for longer visiting hours.

In response to Liechty’s concerns about the dress code policy, Board Chair CleiJo Walker said, “That’s why I proposed striking [forbidding] high heels and sandals. We have people that are wearing heels and wearing sandals in every building in this county.”

The other change to the policy allowed wearing leggings with a top “ideally knee-length or longer.” Human Resources Supervisor Roger Alsup said school principals “wanted leggings addressed.” “I’m okay with the leggings [provision],” Liechty said, “but specifics are asking for trouble.” She recommended decisions about personnel dress fall to the school principal. She pointed to the difference in circumstances between a high school teacher and a teacher crawling on the floor with kindergarten-age children.

“I want butts covered,” said Cowan Elementary Principal Cynthia Young. Huntland School Principal Lisa Crabtree concurred. Crabtree said she had “a few conversations” with teachers about dress. “I don’t like jeans with holes.” The policy allows jeans “only on days designated by the Principal” as “special occasions” and “never more than one day a week.” “It’s important we remember we are in a professional career,” insisted Director of Schools Cary Holman.

The board deleted the clause forbidding high heels and sandals from the policy before approving it. Liechty suggested further review of the policy and voted against approval.

Holman recommended the change to the parent-teacher conference days, proposing “students would not attend school on the scheduled [fall and spring] parent teacher conference days. Two stockpile days [for inclement weather] would be used for these two days.” With the change approved, for the 2025-2026 school year conference days are October 21 and March 10; for the 2026-2027 school year conference days are Oct. 20 and March 9. Conference hours will be from 9:30–11:30 a.m., and 1–6:15 p.m., instead of just 3:15–6:15 p.m., as it was in the past. Since the conferences will be on stockpile days, teachers will receive full pay. Teachers receive full pay for stockpile days whether they are used or not, Holman said. “This past year we had one stockpile day [for inclement weather] left over.” Virtual days could be used for instructional days if the district ran short of stockpile days due to weather. Teachers and principals were surveyed and the majority agreed with the change. Provisions will be made so teachers with children can attend parent-teacher conferences with their children’s teachers.

The board also approved Huntland School’s request to construct an Ag Barn on property across the street from the football field purchased in 2015 for a soccer field but determined to be too wet. An ISM grant will pay for the construction. The barn will feature six stalls, a chicken coop, a feed and tack room, a multi-use area, and a restroom. Annual expenses for insurance, water, and electricity are estimated to be $2,600.

“There is nothing better than hands-on learning in education,” said Jason Walker, CTE Agriculture instructor at Huntland. “Live animals have been the missing piece.” Walker stressed the Ag Barn would foster integrating academic instruction in math and science from elementary school through high school. “This is an agricultural community,” he observed, citing strong community support and offers to donate animals and feed. Walker proposed starting with chickens, goats, and perhaps a few cows. Asked who would care for the animals on the weekends, Walker said, “It can be done by the students.” “A lot of those kids live on farms, so that’s not new to them,” agreed Board Chair Walker.

In other business, the board approved accepting the donation of a 2022 Nissan Frontier truck for use in the Franklin County High School Collision and Repair Program. The truck will be used as a stationary instruction tool and not operated on public highways, so no insurance is required. “We’re very grateful for Nissan’s continued support,” said Board Chair Walker.

Holman brought to the board’s attention a class action lawsuit against textbook companies for overcharging schools. School attorney Chuck Cagel will investigate whether there would be financial gain for the district to join the lawsuit. The district has purchased textbooks from all the companies named in the litigation.

The University’s 2025 Advent Convocation will take place at 4:30 p.m. CDT on Friday, Sept. 12, in All Saints’ Chapel. During the service, new members of the Order of the Gown will be inducted, and student recipients of awards and prizes will be announced. In addition, Gerald Smith, professor emeritus of religion, will be awarded the Sewanee Medal in recognition of his service to the University over four decades. Smith will also deliver the Convocation address.

Established in 2022 by the Board of Regents, the Sewanee Medal is awarded in recognition of rare and extraordinary service to the University of the South. The first Sewanee Medal recipient was Reid Funston, Jr., C’86, who served as chair of the Board of Regents during a critical period for the University that included both leadership transitions and unprecedented adaptations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Smith will be the second recipient of the award.

Smith has dedicated his life to scholarship, service, and leadership within the Sewanee community. A graduate of the University of Richmond (B.A., English) and Duke University (B.D., Ph.D.), he served on the University of the South’s Religion Department faculty from 1969 to 2016. In addition to his academic work, Smith was University marshal (1989–2016) and secretary of the Board of Trustees (1980–2021), roles that reflect his deep institutional commitment. He also served as chief of emergency services for the Sewanee Volunteer Fire Department beginning in 1977, and continues to contribute as co-editor with Sam Williamson through the Sewanee Sesquicentennial History Project. A respected writer, his work has appeared in the Sewanee Review and other publications.

The Advent Convocation ceremony, including Smith’s remarks and the presentation of the Sewanee Medal, will be livestreamed <https://new.sewanee.edu/parent...;.

Two big events, one weekend! Three parks, one big group of Friends. Help us celebrate our accomplishments and prepare for an amazing year ahead!

The Boots, Baubles and Bubbly Fundraiser will be 5–7 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 20, at the Clifftops home of Susan Thomas. As we launch our updated mission statement, new website, and exciting new goals for the next year, we invite you to join us in raising a glass to our beloved parks.

Purchase tickets now to indulge in delicious hors d’oeuvres, sip on handcrafted cocktails and mocktails, and enjoy live music as we celebrate our accomplishments and look ahead to an exciting future. Don’t forget to dress to impress for our “Outdoor Couture” theme! The most creative combination of outdoor attire and elegance will win a special prize (think Patagonia and pearls, Boots and blazers, Chacos and Chanel)!

Your support is essential to our continued success in protecting and improving the plateau for generations to come. Thanks to generous sponsors, all proceeds from this event will directly benefit Friends of South Cumberland State Parks.

Tickets are limited and $125 per person (100 percent tax-deductible). Go to <https://friendsofscsra.app.neo...;.

We’re excited to invite you to our Friends of the Parks annual meeting and picnic from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 21, at the Ayres Center at St. Mary’s Sewanee. Join us and learn about the future of our parks.

Help us kick off our 32nd year of protecting the plateau by joining us for our annual meeting where you’ll hear exciting updates about each of our three parks and the exciting goals of Friends of the Parks.

The free meeting will begin at 12:30 p.m. Optional box lunches will be available starting at 11:30 a.m., but you must pre-order below if you want lunch.

Please RSVP and pre-order your box lunch. Lunch orders must be in by Sept. 8. Go to <https://friendsofscsra.app.neo...;.

The South Cumberland Regional Land Trust (SCRLT) will host their annual membership meeting and potluck starting at 5:30 p.m., on Saturday, Sept. 6, at the end of Tate Trail Road (1420 Tate Trail for GPS addresses, look for the orange tent). All community members are welcome to attend, children are encouraged, and anyone is invited to bring a side dish or dessert if they would like, although contributions are not required. Local smoked pork, cutlery, plates, and beverages will be provided. Bring your instruments too for music late into the evening.

Founded in 1993, SCRLT is a 501(c)(3) organization with a mission of conservation, environmental education, and stewardship of land in the South Cumberland Bioregion. You can learn more about SCRLT at our Facebook page or Instagram @southcumberlandlandtrust, <www.scrlt.org>, or contact us at <hello@scrlt.org>.

For more than 75 years, the Sewanee Children’s Center (SCC) has been a trusted space where young children grow, play, and thrive, and where families find community, connection, and care. This fall, SCC begins a new chapter: expanding its programs, welcoming new leadership, and deepening its commitment to early childhood education on the Mountain.

This transition follows the recent merger of SCC with the University Child Care Center (UCCC), combining two long-standing programs into one unified early learning center. All programming will now take place on the SCC campus, located behind the St. Mark and St. Paul Church. The newly expanded center will serve children from 6 weeks through 9 years old, with enrollment capped at 60 to ensure a personalized, high-quality experience for each child and family.

“We’re not just growing,” said Joe Barker, SCC Board President. “We’re building a stronger foundation for families in this community — one that’s responsive, sustainable, and rooted in trust.”

The merger responds to a growing need across our region. Franklin, Grundy, and Marion counties remain designated early childhood education deserts — areas where licensed care options fall far short of demand. For local families, especially those working at the University, hospital, and nearby schools and businesses, access to reliable childcare is a critical factor in being able to work and stay rooted in the community.

“Since 1949, St. Mark & St. Paul has been very pleased to support SCC’s excellence in education and care by providing space and thus lowering the cost to parents,” said the Rev. Rob Lamborn, Rector of the parish previously known as Otey Memorial. “SCC’s dedicated and skilled staff and volunteers render invaluable service to the wider community.”

As part of this new chapter, SCC is excited to introduce its leadership team. Elizabeth Sowell, who served as UCCC’s Director, has been named Director of the combined center. She brings a background in early childhood education, a deep understanding of both programs, and a passion for collaboration and reflective practice. She’s joined by Blake Drinen, a Sewanee native with experience in camp leadership, including serving as the Interim Summer Director at SCC, early childhood education, and art, who now serves as Assistant Director and will oversee the after-school program.

“This merger was about more than solving immediate challenges — it was about building something stronger and more sustainable for families, teachers, and the Sewanee and greater Plateau community,” said Sandy Baird, SCC Board Treasurer and Merger Chair. “By combining our resources, we’ve created a model that can grow with the needs of Sewanee while preserving the child-focused values that have always defined SCC.”

“The consolidation of UCCC into the Sewanee Children’s Center will result in a stronger and more sustainable model of quality early childhood education for the Sewanee community and beyond. We are pleased that former UCCC Director, Elizabeth Sowell, will be serving as the Director of SCC, and we look forward to the University’s continued partnership to support the success of this new collaboration,” stated Vice-Chancellor Rob Pearigen.

This fall, families will see a number of visible changes:

A new outdoor classroom designed for the “Explorers” after-school program

The completion and opening of SCC’s first licensed infant nursery, welcoming an inaugural class of infants and toddlers

A new partnership with Sewanee Dining to offer hot lunch options

A collaborative art installation, led by local artist and SCC parent Jessica Wohl, to celebrate the combined identity of the newly merged program

But the most important changes may be less visible. At a recent board retreat, Sowell shared her goals for SCC’s first 90 days — centered on deepening teacher relationships, strengthening shared philosophy, and helping every educator feel part of a unified, inclusive village.

“We’re asking ourselves big questions,” said Sowell. “Who are we together? What do we want to stand for as a school? And how do we create a space that reflects and celebrates all of the children and families in our care?”

SCC’s program is inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach and other research-based philosophies, emphasizing child-led learning, curiosity, and play. Its classrooms are designed to spark imagination and reflect the community’s values — a place where children feel known, safe, and inspired.

While much has changed, SCC’s mission remains the same: to serve families across the Plateau and the Mountain through cooperative, community-rooted early childhood education.

“Our success has always come from people showing up,” said Barker. “Parents, teachers, board members, neighbors — each playing a small part in something much bigger.”

Access to high-quality early childhood care isn’t just a family issue — it’s a foundation for community well-being. When working parents have safe, nurturing places for their children to learn and grow, it strengthens our schools, our workforce, and our local economy. And for children, those early years are critical: research shows that brain development, language acquisition, and emotional connection all flourish when kids are in environments that support curiosity, security, and joy.

As this new school year begins, SCC welcomes your involvement. Whether it’s supporting a classroom project, helping sponsor enrichment activities, or simply sharing the story with a new family, there are many ways to be part of what comes next.

This is more than a school. It’s a shared investment in our community’s future — and we’re grateful to build it together.

The community is invited to attend an Open House and Ribbon Cutting for the Sewanee Welcome Center. The event will be from 2–4 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 1, at 17 Lake O’Donnell Road, Sewanee. Remarks will begin at 3 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. RSVP by Monday, Sept. 22 via the link at <https://sewaneecivic.org;. This event is co-hosted by the Sewanee Civic Association, the University of the South, the Mountain Goat Trail Alliance, and the Sewanee Business Alliance.

Currently, the site serves as the trailhead for the Mountain Goat Trail in Sewanee, a new Welcome Center, and headquarters for the state park rangers of Tennessee’s newest state park. The building is the old freight depot for the NC&StL railroad, then the L&N railroad, known as the historic Mountain Goat railroad. The building was remodeled in 2023-2024 as a project with the Sewanee Civic Association, the University of the South Economic Development office, and the Mountain Goat Trail Alliance (MGTA). Funding for the project came through grants from the South Cumberland Community Fund, Sewanee Community Council, Mountain Goat Trail Alliance, University of the South, and a reunion gift from the Class of 1973.

The Center’s purpose is to inform both community members and visitors of the historical and current assets to be enjoyed in our area. The most important result will be fuller participation in community and regional life by both full-time residents and visitors across an array of interests: more MGT users, Perimeter Trail hikers, students of local history — including the 19th-century coal economy which created the Mountain Goat Railroad — and the seven towns along it, as well as the University, more patrons of local restaurants and shops, and more visitors to our entire area.

In May 2023, the Sewanee Civic Association entered an MOU with the University to utilize the exterior premises of the building, as the Mountain Goat trailhead and an information center, known as Phase 1 of the project. Phase 2 of the project renovated the interior and includes an ADA compliant restroom.

The first Sewanee depot was constructed in 1860. Both the freight and passenger depots stood on the north side of the railroad tracks, which is now the middle of Highway 41A. This was part of the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railroad and transitioned to Louisville & Nashville Railroad ownership in 1957. The current building was constructed when both the passenger and freight depots were razed for the bypass around the University in the 1960s. This depot, which was placed on the south side of the railroad tracks, opened in 1964. It currently stands on the southeast corner of US Highway 41A and University Avenue.

By the 1970s, the depot was under-used. Since it was no longer being used for railroad purposes, the building reverted to the University. The railroad, which at its height ran 3-4 trains a day with both coal and passenger cars, stopped running freight trains in 1984 and this branch line was officially abandoned on May 1, 1985. In 1986 the tracks were removed, leaving the stone building as a depot without a rail line. The building was used as a bait shop, the Sewanee Drug Company, the Sewanee Pharmacy, and finally the Hair Depot.

The Mountain Goat Trail in Sewanee would be developed starting in 2000 where the tracks had been through a Transportation Enhancement and Transportation Alternatives Program Award of $40,000, spearheaded by community member Ian Prunty, former Franklin County Mayor Monty Adams and former Franklin County Commissioner Louise Irwin.

The Mountain Goat Trail Alliance (MGTA) officially formed as a nonprofit in 2006. The MGTA is a rail to trail community outdoor recreation project to convert the route of the Mountain Goat Railroad into a multi-use recreational corridor between Grundy and Franklin Counties on the South Cumberland Plateau in Middle Tennessee. Currently, 14 of the 40 miles of the trail are completed. This trail incorporates the Mountain’s history while providing progress for the future. <https://www.mountaingoattrail....;.

Since 1908, the Sewanee Civic Association’s primary purpose was to raise money the town could not raise in taxes, because it was unincorporated, in order to make municipal improvements. The purpose of the SCA is to foster a well-informed, harmonious and dynamic greater Sewanee community by providing a forum for community issues and social interaction, by managing the Sewanee Community Chest and the Sewanee Classifieds, and by sponsoring projects deemed by the membership to be beneficial to the community. <https://sewaneecivic.org/>;.

The rangers for Tennessee’s newest state park are using part of the Sewanee Welcome Center as their headquarters until their visitor center is built. Currently managed as part of South Cumberland State Park, the newest state park is 4,258 acres located in Franklin County containing the headwaters of Crow Creek. This park joins together the following four state natural areas to provide more and better outdoor recreation opportunities:

Sherwood Forest State Natural Area is a 3,075-acre parcel in Franklin County that protects the federally-endangered Morefield’s Leather Flower and the federally-threatened painted snake coiled forest snail, in addition to several other state-listed plant and animal species.

The Mr. and Mrs. Harry Lee Carter State Natural Area is a 931-acre natural area with a significant cave system extending from Lost Cove to the head of Crow Creek. The stream systems draining into Lost Cove disappear and travel underground for over a mile, emerging at the main entrance of Buggytop Cave.

Natural Bridge State Natural Area is a one-acre natural area with a 25-foot high natural sandstone arch spanning 50 feet that provides a scenic overlook of Lost Cove. There is a wet weather spring associated with a rock house located behind the natural bridge.

Hawkins Cove State Natural Area is a 249-acre natural area located in Franklin County. It was originally acquired by The Nature Conservancy of Tennessee and then sold to the State to protect a population of Cumberland rosinweed. Cumberland rosinweed is a type of sunflower found only on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee.

For questions, contact <sewaneecommunitychest@gmail.com>.