CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — A release from the Tennessee Governor's Office said the state would halt plans to build a new mental health facility at Moccasin Bend in Chattanooga after an archaeological review revealed most of the site had "buried layers" of historic materials, with the possibility there could be old human remains.
The release said it was the first archaeological review conducted in the area ever since the Moccasin Bend Mental Health Institute was founded in 1961. The final archaeological review report is expected in November, but in the meantime, the state said it decided not to move forward with plans to build a new mental health hospital on the site.
The current facility there, which is more than 60 years old, serves 52 counties in East Tennessee. The facility has five acute psychiatric care units, a sub-acute care unit and 165 adult psychiatric beds. It is also the closest in-patient, state-run mental health facility to Knoxville.
In the release, the state said it would look at alternative locations for the new facility after the archaeological review found around 73% of the state's land around the current facility comprises an "archaeological site containing buried layers of historic and pre-contact materials, occupation surfaces, and features (pits, hearth materials, etc.)."
The release also said the review revealed there could be Woodland-period features, such as pits and occupation surfaces. The presence of those historic features revealed there could be even more intact features in the site, including the possibility of human remains and isolated burials.
No human remains were found during the survey, the release said.
According to NBC-affiliate Local 3 News, the Moccasin Bend National Archaeological District is around 956 acres large and is spread through the banks of the Tennessee River. More than 20 years ago, it was designated as the first and only national archaeological district, part of a National Park Service unit that includes Chickamauga and the Chattanooga National Military Park.
