TheVoiceOfJoyce What are Tennessee folks concerned about? Removing indigenous remains illegally, voting for Pot to fix potholes and other infrastructure. The War in Iran is affecting farmers in Tennessee. They’re not getting their fertilizer along with other nations, causing concern there will be food insecurity this year. Plus, Trump’s drag us backwards policy on Wind Farms is giving Total Energy $1 Billion to cease Wind Contracts? Is this legal? Wind power is a proven renewable technology necessary to maintain our environment and our health. Does Trump care about our livelihood and health?

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Here at WPLN, we think a lot about our Middle Tennessee community. We’re thinking about what’s happening here, how national events are impacting Tennesseans on a local level, how our neighbors are making sense of it all.  

All that to say, our coverage is driven by community (if you’re tuning in on air this week, you’re probably hearing a lot about how our coverage is supported by you, too).  

But we’re also thinking about what it is you want to hear. That’s one of the reasons we revived Curious Nashville, a show where we answer questions directly submitted by our listeners.  

Yesterday, I was the latest reporter to dive into one of these inquiries. Kelly Cannon of Nashville asked:  

“A colleague recently told me that when the Brentwood Library was built, remains were found of ancient Mississippian people, along with evidence of ancient mounds. Is this true? Where were the bodies moved to? Who took responsibility for the remains?” 

WHAT TO KNOW

Mississippian artifacts found at the site of the Brentwood Library are on display in one of the library’s meeting rooms.Photo: Cynthia Abrams / WPLN 

At the end of our Curious Nashville hour, I found myself wishing we had more time to explore the story. 

It’s funny, though, that I wanted more time, given that the answer itself was pretty straightforward. A 563-page report released by TDEC in 2005 makes it clear that, yes, the Brentwood Library was built atop a Mississippian town, including the remains of the Indigenous people who once lived there.  

But there’s so much more to the story, between what happened at the library and how it fits into a nationwide failure to return looted artifactsand graves back to the tribes.  

During construction on the library in 1997, stone box graves were uncovered. Under state law, all human remains are protected — it’s a felony to disturb them. That means the city of Brentwood had two choices: to redesign the project or obtain a removal order to move the remains.  

Despite objections from the local Indigenous community, Brentwood opted to remove the remains and artifacts that were discovered. Under the supervision of the Chickasaw Nation, remains and funerary objects were reburied at an undisclosed location. 

This wasn’t the first time graves at this site were desecrated. Back in the 1880s, Confederate Captain-turned-Doctor William Jarmon purchased the land, and uncovered stone-box graves. He contacted the powerful Frederic Ward Putnam, then-curator of Harvard’s Peabody Museum.  

The Peabody, along with the University of Tennessee and Tennessee Valley Authority, among other institutions, were identified by a 2023 ProPublica report as some of the leading institutions that had failed to return Native remains and artifacts, despite a federal law’s requirement to do so.  

During our Curious Nashville episode, we spoke with one of the ProPublica reporters that investigated the institutions’ failure to repatriate, along with the president of the Tennessee Ancient Sites Conservancy.  Listen to full episode

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How has the nation honored Tennesseans who put their lives on the line to save their companions? A look at three remarkable stories of Tennesseans who died providing medial aid on the front lines of battle. Plus the local news for March 25, 2026 and this week’s edition of What Where Whens-day. 

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MORE TO KNOW

  • Nuclear technology company BWXT received rezoning approval from the Washington County Commission this week. The company has plans to expand its existing facility in Jonesborough, Tennessee’s oldest town, to process depleted uranium for the federal government. After months of debate and repeatedly postponed meetings, the commission voted in favor. WUOT’s Pierce Gentry reports that’s despite a packed courthouse filled with locals who say they’re against the project, citing fears that the uranium metal refined by the new facility could contaminate their air and water.  
  • Tennessee farmers are taking a hit amid the US-Israeli war against Iran. Iran is one of the largest exporters of fertilizer, but has closed key Persian Gulf shipping lanes. WATE reports numerous popular fertilizers are on waylaid ships, driving up costs just as American farmers want supplies for spring. Agriculture is key in Tennessee’s economy, with soybeans, tomatoes, and snap beans among the top commodities. 
  • As Tennessee faces a tight budget year, the legislature will soon discuss a proposal to give a new way to pay for fixing the state’s infrastructure. Senator Heidi Campbell and Representative Aftyn Behn, both Democrats, have introduced legislation to legalize marijuana and use the tax revenue for road maintenance. The Pot For Potholes measure faces an uphill battle in the state’s Republican supermajority, which voted last year to tighten restrictions on hemp and THC products. The bill will be heard in committee this week. 

FROM THIS IS NASHVILLE

“A colleague recently told me that when the Brentwood Library was built remains were found of ancient Mississippian people, along with evidence of ancient mounds. Is this true? Where were the bodies moved to? Who took responsibility for the remains?” WPLN’s Cynthia Abrams went to find the history of that site and shares the story — and its connections to other local sites, and the national movement for repatriation.

Your input is central to our show. Call (615) 751-2500 to leave us your feedback. Submit your idea or email us. Stream This is Nashville with host Blake Farmeron YouTube, or listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

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