Manchester in Coffee County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
Mills Interrupt the Walls
Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, June 28, 2025
1. Mills Interrupt the Walls Marker
While the mills propelled the development of Manchester, today we are lucky to still be able to track most of the line of mound walls through the area of mill construction. It seems that the proprietors took some care to preserve sections of mound, but in the areas where they particularly needed to build, there was no such protection. Two mill foundations interrupt the run of the wall back towards the trailhead, however you will be able to follow a significant portion of mound along the way.
The north-south road track, that made industry succeed here, still drives Manchester's development today. Trade and travel occurred on a trail called the Nickajack Trace in early historic times, but the route's prehistoric origins are illustrated by American Indian artifacts in the South using materials obtained far to the north - some from where U.S. 41 originates in the Northern Peninsula of Michigan today.
Erected by Tennessee State Parks. (Marker Number 9.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Environment • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Industry & Commerce.
Location.
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Middle Tennessee and in the Highland Rim. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, 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 walking distance of this marker: Patterns in Mound Wall Construction (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Uses of Water in Different Cultures (about 700 feet away); Powder Production (about 800 feet away); Powder Storage and Distribution (approx. 0.2 miles away); Water: an Industrial Power Source (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Long Back Wall (approx. Ό mile away); The Mound Walls Meet the Cliffs (approx. Ό mile away); The Old Stone Fort and the Stone Fort Paper Co. (approx. Ό mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Manchester.
Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, June 28, 2025
2. Mills Interrupt the Walls Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on July 8, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 6, 2025, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 76 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 6, 2025, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.
