Gaylesville in Cherokee County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Chattooga River
Photographed by Angela Nichols, August 4, 2019
1. Chattooga River Marker
Inscription.
Chattooga River. . The river originates in Lafayette in Walker County, Georgia, flows through Chattooga County, Georgia and then enters Cherokee County before emptying into Weiss Lake. Prior to the construction of the lake, the Chattooga River converged with the Coosa River near Cedar Bluff. During the Civil War, U.S. General William Tecumseh Sherman ordered the grist mill here at Gaylesville and the bridge across the river to be burned. Further downstream, the river powered the blast for Cornwall Furnace during the Civil War. The mill at Gaylesville was rebuilt after the war. Even though the mill building is no longer standing, the rock pillars can still be seen on the west bank below the bend in the river and the dam is still noticeable a few inches under the water's surface during low water levels.
The river originates in Lafayette in Walker County, Georgia, flows through Chattooga County, Georgia and then enters Cherokee County before emptying into Weiss Lake. Prior to the construction of the lake, the Chattooga River converged with the Coosa River near Cedar Bluff. During the Civil War, U.S. General William Tecumseh Sherman ordered the grist mill here at Gaylesville and the bridge across the river to be burned. Further downstream, the river powered the blast for Cornwall Furnace during the Civil War. The mill at Gaylesville was rebuilt after the war. Even though the mill building is no longer standing, the rock pillars can still be seen on the west bank below the bend in the river and the dam is still noticeable a few inches under the water's surface during low water levels.
Location. 34° 15.838′ N, 85° 33.659′ W. Marker is in Gaylesville, Alabama, in Cherokee County. It is at the intersection of Riverside
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Lane and Canyon Drive (Alabama Route 35), on the left when traveling west on Riverside Lane. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Gaylesville AL 35973, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in East Alabama and specifically in North Alabama. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, 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 Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Credits. This page was last revised on May 8, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 4, 2019, by Angela Nichols of Centre, Alabama. This page has been viewed 1,345 times since then and 74 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on August 4, 2019, by Angela Nichols of Centre, Alabama. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
