National Park Partners Position Statement Concerning the Rebuilding of the State of Tennessee Mental Health Hospital on Moccasin Bend

Chattanoogans and all Tennesseans face a once-in-a-generation chance to see Moccasin Bend grow into the national park and archaeological preserve as intended by the people of the region and by Congress (signed into law 20 years ago). As the State of Tennessee looks to invest CARES Act funds into improving mental health care services, National Park Partners believe its possible to achieve two major initiatives in the near future: a new, modern mental hospital that meets the growing needs of our residents; and a fully expanded Moccasin Bend National Archeological District within minutes of downtown Chattanooga.

We believe both are possible, and we do not accept the State of Tennessee’s proposal to build the new mental health hospital on its current campus, which lies within a National Historic Landmark boundary and is completely surrounded by a National Park site meant for public benefit. While a state legislative committee approved the concept of new construction on Moccasin Bend to rebuild the now 61-year-old hospital, that decision can and must be reversed. The City of Chattanooga and Hamilton County, as well as voters, express support for a new state-run hospital but not on the same iconic Moccasin Bend landscape that generations of Chattanoogans fought to preserve for its incredibly rich history and culturally sensitive Indigenous resources.

Though opportunities have been missed in the past, we now have a chance to make a fully realized and interpreted National Park - and the tremendous annual economic benefits associated with such places - a reality. National Park Partners calls for a way forward that fulfills the commitments made by Tennessee officials twenty years ago to remove the nonconforming uses and for the state to build the new mental hospital elsewhere. Tennesseans deserve a transparent public process resulting in a better-informed and thoughtful land use decision, one that respects the past, meets the needs of the present, and is defensible to future generations.