Walhalla in Oconee County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Oconee Mountain

Photographed by J. J. Prats, May 18, 2025

1. Oconee Mountain Marker

Inscription. Oconee Mountain would have been the first mountain encountered when moving east to west along the Cherokee Trading Path. It appears in European journals as early as the 1700s. In 1761, Captain Christopher French wrote: “We march’d about five, & at about 2 miles distance we reach’d Ocunnih Mountain which is extremely high & about four miles over, the prospect from it behind us was very extensive.” Multiple treaties, such as the Treaty of Dewitt’s Corner (1777) and Hopewell (1785), mention Oconee’s ridgeline as a boundary between settler and Cherokee lands in South Carolina.

At the mountain’s base was the Cherokee town of the same name, which is an active and protected archaeological site today.

Oconee Town and the Grant Expedition: In the summer of 1761, British Lieutenant-Colonel James Grant led an army of 2800 men in an expedition against the Cherokee Nation. Many famous South Carolina revolutionaries were in the regiment, including Thomas Middleton, Henry Laurens, Andrew Williamson, Isaac Huger, Andrew Pickens, Thomas Sumter, William Moultrie and Francis Marion. On June 7 that year, they camped at the

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abandoned Cherokee village of Ocunnih.

(sidebar)
“My next flight was up a very high peak, to the of the Occonne Mountain, where I rested; and turning about found that I was in a very elevated situation from whence I enjoyed inexpressively magnificent and comprehensive.
“On the foot of the hill are ruins of the ancient Occonne town.”
—William Bartram (1775)

Erected by Museum of the Cherokee in South Carolina — Walhalla SC.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Exploration • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Landmarks • Natural Features • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1761.

Location. 34° 45.865′ N, 83° 4.09′ W. Marker is in Walhalla, South Carolina, in Oconee County. It is on Short Street west of South Tugaloo Street, on the left when traveling west. It is front of the Museum of the Cherokee in South Carolina. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 60 Short St, Walhalla SC 29691, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in South Carolina’s and pstate,

in the Foothills, in

Photographed by J. J. Prats, May 18, 2025

2. Oconee Mountain Marker

the Golden Corner. 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 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Cherokee Path (here, next to this marker); Colonel R.T. Jaynes (within shouting distance of this marker); Patriot's Hall: Oconee Veterans Museum (within shouting distance of this marker); The Lynching of Allen Green (within shouting distance of this marker); Gen. John A. Wagener (within shouting distance of this marker); Oconee County Veterans Memorial (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Combat Infantrymen Monument (about 300 feet away); The Silver Rose (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Walhalla.

More about this marker.

Museum of the Cherokee in South Carolina, Walhalla SC image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, May 18, 2025

3. Museum of the Cherokee in South Carolina, Walhalla SC

This interpretive panel is illustrated with a large aerial photograph of the Blue Ridge with legends pointing to Oconee Mountain in the center of the photograph, Stumphouse Mountain on the left, and Tamassee Knob on the right. In addition there is a map with this legend “This British map shows the route taken by the Grant expedition through Oconee County, SC. Right-of-center is the Oconee Town Site.” Finally there is a small oval portrait of William Bartram.

Also see . . . Oconee Town Acquisition Celebration 2017. This page includes a 5¾ minute video and photographs. Excerpt:

The Oconee Town site was located on the Todd Family Farm. Over the years, the museum and the Todd Family came into an agreement that the family would sell the area where the Cherokee village site was.

This process took 11 years to work through. The museum is extremely excited because now there is a Cherokee village site that will be saved forever and people can come visit this site.

The museum has officially turned the Oconee Town site over to the park system.

(Submitted on June 23, 2025.)

Credits. This page was last revised on June 24, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 23, 2025, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 330 times since then and 68 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 23, 2025, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.