Dedicated to Floyd Ayers

William Floyd Ayers (in memoriam)

Floyd was a charter member of the Tennessee chapter of the Trail of Tears Association and a member of Sewanee's Indigenous Engagement Initiative.

Floyd’s work on unearthing the history of the Bell Route was instrumental in demarcating the trail in Franklin and Marion counties and foundational to our understanding of the Trail of Tears. The installation of the National Historic Trail markers, made possible with Floyd’s contributions, represents a major turning point in local acknowledgement of Cherokee history and Indigenous issues more broadly. Sewanee’s Indigenous Engagement Initiative, like the Bell Route database, builds on Floyd’s diligent research and heartfelt advocacy.

As with Floyd’s instrumental planning of the Winchester Commemorative Walk, the October 25, 2024 campus launch of this website is another mark on the calendar to remember those who passed through our campus in October 1838.