French Fort in Memphis in Shelby County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

Fortress of Chisca

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, April 23, 2023

1. Fortress of Chisca Marker

Inscription. When first visited by the explorers, this acreage was the site of the fortress of Chisca, the chief of the Indian tribe which inhabited this region and whose principal village stood a short distance eastward. The nearby eminences are mounds which were constructed by aboriginal inhabitants and are of unknown antiquity.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Exploration • Forts and Castles • Indigenous Peoples and Communities. A significant historical year for this entry is 1541.

Location. 35° 7.338′ N, 90° 4.501′ W. Marker is in Memphis, Tennessee, in Shelby County. It is in French Fort. It can be reached from Metal Museum Drive west of Riverside Boulevard when traveling west. Marker is in Chickasaw Heritage Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Memphis TN 38106, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in West Tennessee.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

in the Upper South,

in the Mississippi Delta,

and in the Great River Road Region.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

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the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Chickasaw Heritage Park (here, next to this marker); De Soto Viewed the Mississippi (here, next to this marker); Chisca Mound (here, next to this marker); U.S. Marine Hospital (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Fort Pickering (approx. 0.2 miles away); Memphis Martyrs (approx. half a mile away); Tom Lee Monument (approx. 1.1 miles away); Site of First Memphis Telephone (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Memphis.

Also see . . . Migration Story. Chickasaw Nation website entry:
The Chickasaw and Choctaw were once the same tribe, until a disagreement between brothers Chiksa' and Chahta led them to part ways and resulted in modern-day Memphis being within Chickasaw territory. (The (Submitted on April 28, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, April 23, 2023

2. Fortress of Chisca Marker

Indian Mound image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, April 23, 2023

3. Indian Mound

One of two remaining mounds from the Chickasaw village.

Credits. This page was last revised on April 8, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 28, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 959 times since then and 97 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 28, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.