William Bartram was a naturalist, explorer and plant collector
who explored the Southeast between 1773 and 1777. He chronicled
his early journey through Western North Carolina in his famous
diary, Bartram’s Travels, and a long-distance footpath in the
region now traces his route. As part of the annual Bartram Trail
celebration, Dan Pittillo, Professor Emeritus in botany at
Western Carolina University, will present an illustrated
presentation on how the plants and animals of the mountains
developed from the earliest ages of the continent to the
present, at 10 a.m. Sept. 29 in the Macon County Library in
Franklin. Pittillo has been involved in the planning, building,
and maintenance of the trail since its beginning in 1977; he is
the only remaining member of the original board and the only one
surviving who participated in the creation of the trail. After
the program, the group will take a guided hike and tour of Cowee
Mound, a thriving Cherokee township that William Bartram
described in detail in his journals.