Historian Lamar Marshall’s talk will focus on the earliest history of the Old Campground and its evolution as a public meeting place for early church meetings and its eventual location as a prison camp. It is very likely, though not proven yet, that Cherokees transported from Fort Lindsay to Camp Dudley in or very near the town of Franklin were taken to this site where Camp Dudley is believed to be.
The old campground originally encompassed the area that today is NC State Department of Transportation Macon County Maintenance Yard and adjacent properties where the State Prison camp and Tomato Co-op are located.
The Bartram Trail has a planned re-route around this location up to Trimont Ridge, so this Lamar’s talk will provide additional background on the area for all you Bartram buffs!