Toccoa in Stephens County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
Old Tugaloo Town
Photographed by David Seibert, circa February 1992
1. Old Tugaloo Town Marker
Old US 123 is to the left and US 123 to the right in the photo.
North of this marker, in the center of the lake, once stood an important Indian town. The area now marked by a small island was settled around 500 A.D. and occupied by Cherokee Indians around 1450. Traders were coming to the town by 1690.
In 1716, while Col. Maurice Moore treated with Charity Hague, Cherokee Conjuror, a group of Creek ambassadors arrived. The Creek Indians, supported by Spain and France, wished to drive the British from the Carolinas in the Yamassee War. The Cherokees killed the Creek ambassadors and joined the British. By 1717, Col. Theophilus Hastings operated a trading center at Tugaloo where gunsmith, John Milbourne cared for Cherokee firearms. Indian agent George Chicken visited Tugaloo in 1725 and described it as "...the most ancient town in these parts."
Tugaloo remained a principal Cherokee town until destroyed by American patriots fighting these allies of the British in 1776.
Erected 1985 by Georgia Department of Natural Resources. (Marker Number 127-5.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Settlements & Settlers
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Location. 34° 36.423′ N, 83° 13.954′ W. Marker is in Toccoa, Georgia, in Stephens County. It is on East Currahee Street (U.S. 123) 0.1 miles east of Old Roberts Road, on the left when traveling east. Marker is between US 123 and Old US 123 where it ends at the Tugaloo River, at the South Carolina State Line. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Toccoa GA 30577, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Georgia’s Mountains. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 10 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: "Indian Rock" (approx. 0.4 miles away); Jarrett Manor (approx. 0.4 miles away); Traveler's Rest (approx. 0.4 miles away); Traveler's Rest State Historic Site (approx. 0.4 miles away); Slavery at Traveler's Rest (approx. 0.4 miles away); Historic Traveler's Rest (approx. 0.4 miles away); Colonel Benjamin Cleveland Monument (approx. 2.3 miles away in South Carolina); Tugalo Baptist Church and Cemetery (approx. 3.6 miles away); Paul Anderson (approx. 5.1 miles away); Paul Anderson Memorial Park (approx. 5.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Toccoa.
Also see . . . Tugaloo. Tugaloo
Photographed by Brian Scott, February 14, 2013
2. Old Tugaloo Town Marker
Photographed by Brian Scott, February 14, 2013
3. Tugaloo River/Lake Hartwell
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on August 6, 2008, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. This page has been viewed 3,834 times since then and 99 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on August 6, 2008, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. 2, 3. submitted on February 15, 2013, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page.
