Decatur in Morgan County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Packed with People

Rhodes Ferry Park

— Trail of Tears National Historic Trail —

Packed with People Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Ruth Wilson Wilcox, June 25, 2017

1. Packed with People Marker

Inscription. On this river in front of you, 2,300 Cherokee people arrived in waves, forced from their Tennessee Valley homeland in 1837 to 1838. The steamer Knoxville towed flat boats loaded with Cherokee families. Heavy rains soaked their clothes. Cold wind whipped off the water. They survived on cornmeal and flour fried in bacon grease. Once docked here at Decatur Landing, the Cherokee boarded cramped train cars. Their journey west continued along the rails.

"Women were found sick from exposure during the night due to a wet situation...a child of John Fields sick with diarrhea...Mary Swimmer was taken suddenly with fainting and spams."
March 7 journal entry of Dr. Lillybridge Decatur's unique combination of river and railroad transportation played a role in the Trail of Tears.
This view of Decatur Landing in 1905 shows what the scene may have looked like in the 1830s.

The Tuscumbia, Courtland, and Decatur Railroads was the only railway line in the country used to transport the Cherokee people during forced removal.

Erected by City of Decatur, Decatur Parks, Trail of Tears Association, National Park Service.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities

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• Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1837.

Location. 34° 36.851′ N, 86° 58.778′ W. Marker is in Decatur, Alabama, in Morgan County. It can be reached from Oak Street north of Market Street when traveling north. Located in Rhodes Ferry Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Decatur AL 35601, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Alabama.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Fight For Survival (here, next to this marker); Cherokee Trail Of Tears (within shouting distance of this marker); Site of Benson Field (within shouting distance of this marker); “Captain, We’ve Got It At Last” - The Charge of the 14th U.S. Colored Infantry (within shouting distance of this marker); Words of Resistance (within shouting distance of this marker); Uprooted From Home (within shouting distance of this marker); Gold Star Families Memorial Monument (approx. 0.2 miles away); Confederate Leadership at Decatur - McCartney Hotel Site (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Decatur.

Packed with People Trail of Tears National Historic Trail image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sandra Hughes Tidwell, January 6, 2020

2. Packed with People Trail of Tears National Historic Trail

Photographed by Ruth Wilson Wilcox, June 25, 2017

3. Packed with People Marker

Tennessee River at Decatur Landing image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Ruth Wilson Wilcox, June 25, 2017

4. Tennessee River at Decatur Landing

Photographed by Ruth Wilson Wilcox, June 25, 2017

5. Tennessee River at Decatur Landing

Credits. This page was last revised on September 3, 2022. It was originally submitted on October 10, 2019. This page has been viewed 533 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on October 10, 2019. 2. submitted on January 6, 2022, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. 3, 4, 5. submitted on October 10, 2019.