Caldwell County’s tourism draw got a boost Tuesday, when Princeton’s Big Spring officially gained certification as a historic site on the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail.
Mayor Gale Cherry signed paperwork Tuesday agreeing to a partnership with the National Park Service regarding the site.
According to the terms of the agreement, the park service and the city will “work jointly on planning, interpretation, resource management and other matters that relate to the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail at Big Spring, and to strive to meet the goals and objectives of the Comprehensive Management and Use Plan for the trail.”
The city will retain all legal rights to the property, and the agreement can be canceled at any time by either party.
Beverly Baker, president of the Kentucky chapter of the National Trail of Tears Association, said work to obtain certification for the site began in December.
Baker and chapter board member Alice Murphree traveled to the Sequoyah Research Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in January to seek evidence of Big Spring’s role in the Trail of Tears.
They came up with local receipts from the party of B.B. Cannon, who conducted a group of Cherokees westward through the area.
One receipt was for a coffin for a Cherokee child; another was for 12 yards of cloth to make a tent for a Cherokee family.
The researchers believe Big Spring was utilized as a water source for those traveling the trail.
The Princeton City Council endorsed the plan to seek certification for the site in May.
The local site becomes the sixth in the state to obtain certification as a Trail of Tears historic site.
Todd and Livingston counties feature two sites each, and another site is located in Christian County, Baker said.
By being certified, the Big Spring site will be included on the National Park Service’s Trail of Tears Web site, available at www.nps.gov/trte/planyourvisit/placestogo.htm, and in publications about the trail.
Certified sites can display the official Trail of Tears National Historic Trail logo and become eligible for park service assistance in resource management, visitor use development and interpretation.
