Parkway Access to Chickasaw Museum and Cultural Center

Natchez Trace Parkway » Parkway Access to Chickasaw Museum and Cultural Center » Document List

The Natchez Trace Parkway (Parkway) traverses lands that are the historic traditional homeland of the Chickasaw Nation. Significant natural, historic, and cultural resources, including archaeological resources and cultural landscapes associated with the Chickasaw, are included within the boundaries of the Parkway. However, the Parkway presently provides only limited interpretation of the rich heritage of the Chickasaw Nation.

The National Park Service and the Chickasaw Inkana Foundation propose to partner to expand and improve the interpretation of the Chickasaw historic connection to the region by developing a Chickasaw Heritage Center along the Parkway. The Chickasaw Inkana Foundation plans to build a Center adjacent to the Natchez Trace Parkway's Chickasaw village site. A road connecting the Parkway to the center is needed to allow Parkway visitor access. Several alternative routes have been considered, however the current proposed alternative involves approximately 400 feet of a 24 foot wide road to be constructed for safe access to the center. The new access would be located at Parkway milepost 261.4.

An environmental assessment with associated cultural surveys are needed to analyze the impacts of the proposed access route. The Parkway plans to conduct the assessment in the spring of 2016.


Contact Information

Lisa McInnis
662-680-4055