Class Reflection

In class on Tuesday, we as a class discussed and uncovered the details the finding of Native American remains on Harpeth Hall's campus. We analyzed emails, articles, and pictures related to the incident. We discovered that the first remains were uncovered during the construction of the track in 1987. The bodies were found in stone graves and were in the fetal position. There are conflicting statements about where the bodies were relocated to. The head of school at the time, Dave Wood, claims they were sent to a reburial ground in the Western portion of Tennessee. However, the state archaeologist stated there is no such place in Tennessee. There was a mixed reaction to the removal of the bodies. A Native American wrote that the treatment of the graves was disgusting and disrespectful. In 1992, more bodies were discovered during the construction of the softball field. This incident remained fairly private from the public and was not reported to the archaeological department. The reason for this could be due to the backlash received previously. The graves were relocated to the back of the library. They were rediscovered in the rebuilding of the library in 2001. I found it surprising how unknown these events are to Harpeth Hall students. It also surprised me how people are allowed to walk over these remains.