Brainerd Mission, United States national historic place
Brainerd Mission is now a small cemetery in Chattanooga, Tennessee, covering about one acre. The site once housed a large Christian mission spanning roughly 50 acres with around 40 buildings including schools, workshops, and homes, of which only the burial ground remains today.
The mission was established by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions to educate Cherokee children in Christian tradition. The final church service took place in August 1838, just as many Cherokee were forced westward on the Trail of Tears.
The site was a place where Cherokee children learned and the community gathered for education and worship. The cemetery preserves the memory of those families and their presence in this land.
The cemetery remains accessible despite being surrounded by the Eastgate Shopping Center and modern urban development. An exhibit on site explains the mission's history and the Cherokee community that studied and lived there.
Archaeological surveys conducted in 2008 found no significant buried remains beneath the surface of the cemetery. This reveals that what visitors see today represents essentially all that survives of the original burial grounds.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
