This painting by Bernice Davidson tells the story on Te-lah-nay, a Yuchi Indian woman who was forced to walk the Trail of Tears, and the wall built by her great great grandson Tom Hendrix to honor her return home.
Te-lah-nay, a Yuchi Indian woman who was forced to leave her home in north Alabama to walk the Trail of Tears where Indigenous peoples were resettled in the Oklahoma territories.
The Yuchi people ancestral home was where the Tennessee River goes through North Alabama. They called it the Singing River because they believed a woman who lived in the river sang to them. Te-lah-nay found the rivers of Oklahoma did not sing to her, after one winter she set out on a solo journey to return back to her homeland.
To honor her memory and the story of her homecoming, great great grandson Tom Hendix, a descendant living in North Alabama, built a wall of stone symbolizing her long and arduous path.
From an interview:
“Over 32 years ago, I had the great honor and privilege of sitting with one of my grandmother’s people. She changed my life,” Hendrix said in an interview with a visitor. “Her name was Minnie Long. I told her I wanted to do something for my grandmother. She said, ‘We shall all pass this Earth, only the stones will remain. We honor our ancestors with stones. That’s what you should do.”
Tom worked on building a stone wall for over 30 years, until it was over a mile long, winding through his property. It is considered the longest unmortared stone wall in the United States. Visitors came from far and wide to admire the work and pay tribute to the story of Te-la-nay and Tom’s work.
Tom Hendrix passed away February 24, 2017. He was 83 years old.
Location: 13890 County Road 8, Florence, AL 35633
The Wachahpi Commemorative Stone Wall is open every day from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
More about Tom Hendrix and Tellaney