We, Milton Hide (Jim and Jo) were lucky enough to be directed to Te-la-nay’s wall when we were on a road trip of eastern USA in 2016. This was just off the Natchez trace Parkway in Alabama. We met Tom Hendrix and chatted with him, he told us the story of his creation of the wall, a commemorative installation, and about his great great grandmother .. and sold us a copy of his book. Sadly he passed away the following year so we didn’t get to share our song with him, a song that we called Old Tom’s Story.  Below are some excerpts from the website and some photographs that we took of the wall. It’s not easy to find so if you do fancy a visit, make sure you check the website and be prepared to do some hunting around.

We’ve included this in the Your Stories In Song archive as we have performed it at the project events during 2024 as an example of a song based on a story. We also hope the story itself is a creative inspiration to others. At the bottom of this page is a link to an early video of us performing this song shortly after it was written. (Song and lyrics ©Milton Hide/James Tipler 2016)

From: https://www.natcheztracetravel.com/natchez-trace-alabama/florence-tennessee-river/456-wichahpi-stone-wall.html

In northwest Alabama, Tom Hendrix has been building a stone wall for over 30 years in memory of his great-great-grandmother’s journey.

 

His great-great-grandmother Te-lah-nay was part of the Yuchi Indian tribe that lived near here along the Tennessee River in the 1800s.

 

Her journey began when she and her sister Whana-le were sent to the Indian Territory of Oklahoma as part of the removal of native peoples from the southeast [ the Trail of Tears ]. But, that was only the beginning of her journey. Her tribe called the Tennessee River the Singing River because they believed a woman who lived in the river sang to them. When Te-lah-nay arrived in Oklahoma she said the streams and rivers did not sing to her and she longed for home. After spending one winter in Oklahoma she decides to head home. Even though she is alone the lessons that her grandmother taught her as a little girl help her overcome every peril and obstacle along the way. After enough adventure to literally fill a book she returns home and to the Singing River.

 

Fortunately, Tom’s grandmother (Teh-la-nay’s granddaughter) told him the stories about his great-great-grandmother when he was a little boy. Later in life Tom knew he needed to do something to honor her memory. During a conversation with an elder of the Yuchi tribe he was told “All things shall pass. Only the stones will remain.” It was then that he knew what he needed to do.

Mr. Hendrix passed away February 24, 2017. He was 83 years old.

Everyone who has visited the wall heard Mr. Hendrix say that building the wall “wore out three trucks, 22 wheelbarrows, 3,800 pairs of gloves, three dogs and one old man”. But, he enjoyed every minute of it. Especially the last several years when visitors came by every day – I think he enjoyed telling his grandmother’s story even more than actually building the wall.

Mr. Hendrix’s family has created a Life Tributes page to make it easy to share your memories…click here

Tom wrote a book about Te-lah-nay’s journey titled “If The Legends Fade”. For more information about the book and how to order, go to: ifthelegendsfade.net.

Tom’s Wall can still be viewed daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.