Related Middle Woodland mound centers are located in northern Mississippi, eastern Arkansas, western Kentucky, and along the Tennessee River.
Although impresive, none of these centers rival Pinson Mounds in size (about 400 acres) or complexity. . . . — — Map (db m223677) HM
Pinson Mounds seems to have served as a type of pilgrimage site with people traveling great distances to participate in ceremonies.
Archaeologists have recovered portions of ceramic vessels at Pinson that were made and decorated in styles that . . . — — Map (db m223676) HM
Height: 72 feet
Base: About 370 feet by 300 feet
Constructed: 1-300 A.D.
Culture: Middle Woodland
Sauls Mound is the central mound of the Pinson Complex. This ceremonial mound is 72 feet tall and has four corners that point to the . . . — — Map (db m234393) HM
Sauls Mound is 72 feet tall and is the largest Middle Woodland mound in the United States.
Sauls Mound got its name from a previous owner of the site and is easily the most visually impressive earthwork at Pinson Mounds. The mound was built . . . — — Map (db m234394) HM
In the middle of this field can be seen a large depression. The dirt from here was probably used to build Sauls Mound. We know the Native Americans carefully layered some of the mounds with different colors of soil, sand and clay. These colors and . . . — — Map (db m234522) HM
A barrow pit is a designated source of material for the construction of earthen mounds or enclosures.
The only known barrow pit at Pinson Mounds is located near the largest mound, Sauls. The soil removed from this depression was likely used . . . — — Map (db m234514) HM
In 1916 Myer called this area the "Eastern Citadel." It is made up of a great circle that contains Mound 29 and, then, Mound 30 just beyond.
Recent research has helped to show that the roughly circular enclosure at Pinson is much like mound . . . — — Map (db m234525) HM
Approximately 2000 years ago, Native Americans across most of the eastern part of the continent, developed a complex ceremonial system during a period that archaeologists refer to as the Middle Woodland.
Mound building had been practiced by . . . — — Map (db m223679) HM
The immediate environment of Pinson Mounds includes two additional mound sites.
The Elijah Bray Site consists of a similar date range to Pinson Mounds. This site lies approximately six miles to the East of Pinson. The Johnston Site is more like . . . — — Map (db m223680) HM
Born Elizabeth Lowery, daughter of Chief John Lowery of the Cherokee, she lived in a house about 60 yards southeast after her marriage. She donated the ground on which the town of Jasper was laid out in 1820, when the county seat was moved here from . . . — — Map (db m1985) HM
5¼ miles southeast was the town of Nickajack or Anikusatiyi, destroyed by Ore's force, Sept. 14, 1794. The town occupied a space between the river and the cave in which was a storehouse for plunder. It was also used by the Confederacy during the War . . . — — Map (db m62564) HM
To the south, in the Tennessee River, is Burns' Island, formerly known as Lowery's Island. Here, at the Creek town of Chiaha, DeSoto camped June 5 to 28, 1540, while two scouts were sent north 30 leagues in search of gold. Here the Spaniards first . . . — — Map (db m30373) HM
About 1/2 mile east Joseph Brown lived. Enroute to the Cumberland Settlements by river from North Carolina in 1788, he was captured by Indians from Nickajack Cave. He escaped and in 1792 led the Ore expedition back to destroy the town. Settling . . . — — Map (db m75039) HM
Travel on the Natchez Trace was an adventure in the early 1800's. The 500-mile trail traversed a sprawling wilderness where only Indians, outlaws, and wild animals were at home. Travelers needed a place to find food, supplies, and rest.
At . . . — — Map (db m84620) HM
One of the few remaining buildings associated with the Old Natchez Trace is the house of ferry operator John Gordon.
In the early 1800s Gordon made an agreement with the Chickasaw Chief George Colbert to operate a trading post and ferry on the . . . — — Map (db m60217) HM
A wounded English officer from Fort Loudon was befriended by an Indian Chief and nursed back to health by Nocatula, daughter of the Chief. The soldier, given the name of Connestoga, “The Oak,” was accepted into the tribe and married . . . — — Map (db m82259) HM
The Treaty of 1805 between the United States and the Cherokee Nation established the Old Federal Road. The road extended from the Tellico Blockhouse on the Little Tennessee River to the towns of Madisonville and Columbus, Tennessee. This route . . . — — Map (db m178011) HM
A group of approximately 660 Cherokees traveled through McNairy County in late fall of 1838. Also called Bell's Treaty Party, it was the only detachment to be accompanied by the military. Escorted by U.S. Army Lt. Edward Deas and Cherokee leader . . . — — Map (db m19311) HM
In 1830, President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act. It ended the century long treaty relation that had defined Anglo-American, Cherokee relations. The debates that preceded the removal legislation set off fierce debates.
Public . . . — — Map (db m39497) HM
As they trudged westward, the parties that left Blythe's Ferry in the early fall of 1838 endured lingering health problems from diseases, such as diarrhea, dysentery, measles, and whooping cough, which began during their long stay in stockades. . . . — — Map (db m39538) HM
The Cherokee people made their homes in the river valleys that spread out of the southern Appalachian Mountains. They claimed a domain that stretched across present-day North and South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama. They also claimed hunting . . . — — Map (db m39494) HM
In addition to losing their land to the American government, many Cherokees fell prey to robbers and thieves who operated near the camps and along the roads leading west.
"We are now about to take our final leave and kind . . . — — Map (db m39532) HM
In hopes of avoiding bloodshed, American military leaders made one final appeal to the Cherokee people. It contained both promises of protection and threats of doom. The President, as well as Congress, have decreed that you should remove from . . . — — Map (db m39499) HM
During the 18th century, Cherokees worked hard to defend their homeland from invasion by Anglo-Americans. The nature of Cherokee politics - dispersed and locally defined - often hampered unified resistance to the invaders. In 1809, the Cherokee . . . — — Map (db m39495) HM
Although American legislation declared an end to Cherokee sovereignty, most of those remaining in the Nation continued to resist. In December 1835, however, a small party of Cherokee signed the Treaty of New Echota. The agreement promised that the . . . — — Map (db m39498) HM
Cherokees! The President of the United States has sent me with a powerful army, to cause you, in obedience to the treaty of 1835, to join that part of your people who have already established in prosperity on the other side of the Mississippi. . . . — — Map (db m39491) HM
Moving the thousand's of people and about 5,000 horses and 500 wagons across the Tennessee River at Blythe's Ferry proved slow. Some crossings took as long as three days. "I reached Blythe's ferry on Sunday evening last, and found the great body . . . — — Map (db m39536) HM
Beginning on May 26, 1838, soldiers began rounding up Cherokee women, men, and children. They showed little concern or respect for families or their property. In the first days, confusion abounded as soldiers and militiamen gathered individuals . . . — — Map (db m39530) HM
In the spring of 1838, American military forces evicted the Cherokee Nation from its homeland. Nearly 16,000 women, men, and children - including nearly five hundred Muskogee Creek Indians, and slaves belonging to Cherokee owners -- were forced from . . . — — Map (db m39492) HM
"The Trail of Tears was a tragedy for a progressive and independent people whose population was markedly decreased as a result of the hardships associated with lengthy confinements and a lengthy arduous journey. The forced Removal left an . . . — — Map (db m39540) HM
The detachments approached Walden's Ridge within days of leaving Blythe's Ferry. The climb up the mountain proved difficult. Supplying food to both people and animals became a major problem. Particular hardship accompanied the climb up Walden's . . . — — Map (db m39537) HM
Both the Indian Removal Act of 1830 and the Treaty of New Echota aimed to accomplish removal through voluntary emigration. Such efforts largely failed and by 1838 only about 2,000 Cherokee affected by the treaty had moved west. For those remaining, . . . — — Map (db m39493) HM
Both the Indian Removal Act of 1830 and the Treaty of New Echota aimed to accomplish removal through voluntary emigration. Such efforts largely failed and by 1838 only about 2,000 Cherokee affected by the treaty had moved west. For those remaining, . . . — — Map (db m39529) HM
One of the worst acts of "man's inhumanity" took place when an entire race of peoples were driven from their lands in 1838. It was here at Blythe Ferry that approx. 9000 Cherokees and Creeks camped while waiting to cross the Tennessee River on their . . . — — Map (db m39469) HM
Around 1809, William Blythe, a Cherokee, established a ferry at this site to provide transportation for the settlers to the west and the Cherokees to the east. During the 1838 Trail of Tears, it was an important crossing, and it played a military . . . — — Map (db m62612) HM
Around 1809, William Blythe, a Cherokee, established a ferry at this site to provide transportation for the settlers to the west and the Cherokees to the east. During the 1838 Trail of Tears, it was an important crossing, and it played a military . . . — — Map (db m39468) HM
Nine detachments ranging in size from 729 to 1,766 individuals began crossing the Tennessee River at Blythe's Ferry in October, 1838. Cherokee leaders, called conductors, Hair Conrad, Elijah Hicks, Reverend Jesse Bushyhead, Situwakee, Captain Old . . . — — Map (db m82269) HM
Throughout the spring and summer of 1838 Principal Chief John Ross and a group of Cherokee delegates negotiated with the United States War Department to take control of conducting the parties west. Just as the first groups departed under United . . . — — Map (db m82270) HM
By the beginning of the 19th century, many Cherokee had adopted many white ways of living. They built American type farms, wore American style clothes, developed American style systems of government and began buying African slaves to work on . . . — — Map (db m82271) HM
General Winfield Scott followed John Wool (1836-1837) and William Lindsay (1837-1838) as commander of Federal troops in the Cherokee nation. Scott arrived at New Echota, Cherokee Nation on April 16, 1838 and assumed command of the "Army of the . . . — — Map (db m39454) HM
Sir The several detachments of Emigrating Cherokees under the charge of Messrs. Hair Conrad, Elijah Hicks, John Benge, Jesse Bushyhead, Sitewakee, James D. Wofford, Stephen Foreman, & Moses Daniel having signified their readiness for the road will . . . — — Map (db m39535) HM
Upon arrival in the western territory, the Cherokee emigrants settled among several thousand Cherokee Old Settlers. Relations proved rocky and a generation of conflict followed. Despite the tensions the Cherokee began to rebuild their lives and . . . — — Map (db m39539) HM
This old road bed echoes back to 1838 for a nation of peoples that walked here, not by choice, but by force. Each agonizing step by thousands of people, horses and wagons etched a trench between August and November in 1838. No turning back, their . . . — — Map (db m178070) HM
About 1 mile east, at the mouth of Agency Creek, the U.S. Agency for the Cherokees was located from 1816 to 1821. Here, on July 8. 1817, Maj. Gen. Andrew Jackson, Governor Joseph McMinn, and David Meriwether, U.S. Commissioners, concluded a treaty . . . — — Map (db m150444) HM
This highway follows two miles of the Old Federal Road established by the Treaty of 1805 between the United States and the Cherokee Nation. The Road began at the Tellico Blockhouse on the Little Tennessee River and extended to Vann’s Ferry on the . . . — — Map (db m49576) HM
Cherokee Heritage Trails (Tsalagi Usdi Nvnohi) wind through the mountains of North Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia, in the heart of Cherokee homelands that once encompassed more than 140,000 square miles. Here, where Cherokee people have lived . . . — — Map (db m75410) HM
Four miles N.E., at junction Cane Creek, Tellico River, Fort Loudoun’s Garrison, which had surrendered to Attakullakulla and other Cherokee chiefs, was betrayed Aug. 9, 1760 - while returning under safe conduct to Charleston. 25 were killed; 200 . . . — — Map (db m49577) HM
The path now known as the Unicoi Turnpike Trail has existed for over 1,000 year. The earliest European maps of the area note the trail as a connector between Cherokee Territories and the coastal ports of Charleston and Savannah. In 1756 British . . . — — Map (db m82299) HM WM
Cherokee Heritage Trails (Tsalagi Usdi Nvnohi) wind through the mountains of North Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia, in the heart of Cherokee homelands that once encompassed more than 140,000 square miles. Here, where Cherokee people have lived for . . . — — Map (db m75440) HM
Along the south side of the Little Tennessee River for about thirteen miles were ten villages of the Overhill Cherokees. They were Mialaque, Tuskegee, Tomotley, Toquo, Tennessee, Chota, Citico, Halfway Town, Chilhowee, Talassee. White encroachments . . . — — Map (db m60258) HM
Constructed by the English 1756 to help win the valley of the Mississippi. Captured by the Indians under French influence 1760.
Marked by the Tennessee Society of the Colonial Dames of America 1917 — — Map (db m88877) HM
From the beginning of the eighteenth century until the American Revolution, Cherokee hunters and trappers traded tens of thousands of animal pelts for manufactured goods imported by licensed British traders. The first resident trader in the Overhill . . . — — Map (db m116823) HM
About 1½ mi. E., in the town of Tuskegee, this son of Nathaniel Gist, an emissary to the Cherokee from George Washington, and Wurteh, daughter of a chief, was born about 1770. He designed the alphabet of 85 characters, still in use in the . . . — — Map (db m60257) HM
The Tellico Blockhouse was a United States fortification constructed in 1794 and in use through 1807. Primarily, The Tellico Blockhouse served as a check against white settlement deeper into Cherokee lands. It also served as home to the Tellico . . . — — Map (db m120203) HM
Near here on the bank of the now-flooded Little Tennessee River was the Cherokee Indian village of Tenasee. Probably established in the 17th century, by 1753 it had been overshadowed by Chota, the principal political center during the latter half of . . . — — Map (db m53951) HM
The path now known as the Unicoi Turnpike Trail has existed for over 1,000 years. The earliest European maps of the area note the trail as a connector between Cherokee Territories and the coastal ports of Charleston and Savannah. In 1756 British . . . — — Map (db m82302) HM WM
The path now known as the Unicoi Turnpike Trail has existed for over 1,000 years. The earliest European maps of the area note the trail as a connector between Cherokee Territories and the coastal ports of Charleston and Savannah. In 1756 British . . . — — Map (db m82303) HM
First settler of Clarksville Tenn.
and his four sons
three of whom were killed in 1792
and one in 1794 by the Indians
and to other pioneers
of this county
who lost their lives in this manner. — — Map (db m122965) HM
Nancy Wells Morrison's marker, similiar to Josiah's
stood here until the 1930's; a picture taken at the
time of Clarksville's Sesquicentennial shows
broken stone piled up behind Josiah's. In tribute
to Nancy, a strong Methodist, and her . . . — — Map (db m164935) HM
Native Americans at various times over 12,000 years lived in Dunbar Cave, used it for storage, mined minerals from it, or entered it on a spiritual journey. Artifacts found during an archaeological dig here in 1978 and cave art tell us how it was . . . — — Map (db m225271) HM
Indigenous Agriculture
The wetlands and lake in front of you today was once a rich bottomland, filled with nutrient rich soil. Hundreds of years ago, this land was used by Mississippian people to grow their crops. By the 12th century C.E. most . . . — — Map (db m225278) HM
Two hundred yards south is the stone blockhouse of the Valentine Sevier Station. On November 11, 1794, this early outpost was attacked by an Indian band composed primarily of Cherokees. Valentine Sevier, a brother of Tennessee's first governor, lost . . . — — Map (db m88857) HM
Col. Valentine Sevier, defender of the early
settlers of this community, on July 11, 1792
purchased from George Cook, for the sum of
100 pounds, 640 acres, lying between this
point and Cumberland and Red Rivers,
known as Red Paint . . . — — Map (db m89073) HM
Four miles south, near a cave in the creek bank, Robert Crockett, kinsman of David, had a hunting camp with two companions, reportedly Joseph Drake and Kasper Mansker, in 1769. Crockett was ambushed and killed by Indians. His companions buried him . . . — — Map (db m136593) HM
According to legend, Nancy Ward (Nanye’hi or Na-ni) was born in the 1730s at Chota in the Overhill Towns, at a time when Cherokee society was largely traditional despite the extensive fur trade. As the child of a Cherokee woman, Nancy was by birth a . . . — — Map (db m109274) HM
High priestess of the Cherokee and always loyal friend of white settlers, is buried on the ridge to the west. She repeatedly prevented massacres of white settlers and several times rescued captives from death at the hands of her people. She is also . . . — — Map (db m80167) HM
100 yards NW, David McNair, Scotch pioneer who married Delilah Vann, daughter of a Cherokee chief, built a home about 1800 near a grove which was a Cherokee council ground and terminus of the Ocoee-Conasauga portage. He commanded a company in . . . — — Map (db m47675) HM
In the early 1800s trayelers upon
this highway, once
part of the historic Walton Road, were mystified
by a large stone which stood at
this spot. It was believed to have
been erected by Indians at some
remote date. Because of the . . . — — Map (db m150743) HM
A mysterious sandstone monolith of unknown origin stood just west of Monterey. According to local tradition, the structure resembled the shape of a large dog, which faced west
over the edge of the Cumberland Plateau. Captain William Walton, . . . — — Map (db m150751) HM
The sandstone rock atop this lighthouse-shaped pedestal is the only known remaining fragment of the 16-ft dog-shaped monolith that stood for centuries ½ mile to the west, marking an area of peace for the American Indians who travelled and hunted . . . — — Map (db m99000)
Named for pioneer settler William Smith, a New England teacher and merchant, who settled here in 1820, it was the junction of the Kiuka War Trace (later Black Fox Trail) to the Cumberland and the main north-south Indian trail to the Great Lakes. . . . — — Map (db m4053) HM
A small two story structure also referred to as a 'safe house' which was common in early settlements for protection against attacks from any Native American tribes. Many early settlements transitioned into forts, which weren't always military. A . . . — — Map (db m164375) HM
On Sept 21 1807, the State Legislature met on this site, and immediately resolved to "adjourn forthwith from Kingston," to meet in Knoxville on the 23rd. This brief meeting was in technical fulfillment of terms in a treaty with the Cherokees by . . . — — Map (db m32685) HM
At the time the first Europeans came the Cherokee were a settled, agricultural people. They lived in villages sometimes consisting of thirty to sixty houses, plus a large council house. Homes were usually made by interweaving river cane in a . . . — — Map (db m164402) HM
History
The first military post in this area dates to 1792 when a blockhouse was constructed about one-half mile upstream from the present fort sit eon the boundary of U.S. Territory and the Cherokee Nation as defined by a 1791 treaty. The . . . — — Map (db m159797) HM
A military post established in the Territory of the United States South of the River Ohio by General John Sevier under command of Captain John McClelland to protect the settlers and travelers from the Indians.
William Blount, Governor ceded, . . . — — Map (db m159789) HM
A log structure was one and a half to two stories high. The overall size is 43 ft. by 22 ft. including a 5 ft. porch. The roof is covered with wood shingles. A two sided fireplace is centered to allow equal heat distribution. A minimal of two . . . — — Map (db m164370) HM
Here, in the late 18th Century, the Cherokee had a tollgate, where they exacted tribute from travelers between the Watauga Settlements and the Cumberland country. Here James Glasgow, John Hackett and Littlepage Sims arranged with Talootiske, of the . . . — — Map (db m136292) HM
2 miles S.E., along Battle Creek in Jan. 1780, settlers fleeing from Renfro's Station on Red River about 17 miles away, were caught by Indians and massacred. The sole survivor was a widow named Jones who made her way 4 days later into a Settlements . . . — — Map (db m123306) HM
Samuel Crockett, Revolutionary War veteran from Pennsylvania built a fort east of here in 1788. During an attack by Indians in 1789 Rev. Patrick Martin was wounded and the daughter of Thomas Norris killed. Crockett lived to age 87 and is buried at . . . — — Map (db m123329) HM
★ Tennessee ★
Robertson County
Established 1796: named in honor of
James Robertson
Leader in establishment of the Watauga Settlement in East Tennessee. In 1778, explored the Cumberland country; in 1779 led an . . . — — Map (db m123302) HM
Three principal Indian and pioneer trails
cut across Rutherford County connecting
the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico and
the Atlantic Coast substantially following
animal trails to salt and water. Great South
Trail continued to Alabama and . . . — — Map (db m158268) HM
1/2 mi. east were the hunting grounds of Cherokee Chief Black Fox, Inali. On Sept. 7, 1794, Ore's Expedition overpowered Black Fox at the spring. According to legend, to avoid capture Black Fox leaped into the spring and emerged from Murfree . . . — — Map (db m82337) HM
In fall 1818, over 11,000 Cherokee in nine organized groups passed by here as they continued on their Trail of Tears toward Indian Territory in the West. The Cherokee had been traveling for a few weeks but had already crossed the Tennessee River and . . . — — Map (db m90694) HM
After the passage of the Indian Removal Act of 1830, the United States government forced tens of thousands of American Indians to leave their ancestral lands in the southeast for new homes in Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma). They traveled . . . — — Map (db m69123) HM WM
The poor sick Cherokee cannot stop, when sick & be refreshed by kind friends… but must be exposed and die." - Rev. Daniel S. Butrick in Murfreesboro (1838)
After passage of the Indian Removal act of 1830, the . . . — — Map (db m168540) HM
To Tsali the Cherokee and his two sons who gave their lives in 1836 so that their people might remain in the Land of of the Great Smokies. — — Map (db m203380) HM WM
Traffic of all sorts once passed through here—Indians, explorers, Confederate soldiers, farmers with livestock herds, merchants, and families traveling for varied reasons. This is Indian Gap. The road trace that descends the hill in front of . . . — — Map (db m99069) HM
About 2 mi. E., at mouth of Dumplin Creek, was Henry's Station, founded by Maj. Hugh Henry. Here, the state of Franklin, represented by John Sevier, and the Cherokee Nation, represented by Ancoo, Chief of Chota, signed, on June 10, 1785, the treaty . . . — — Map (db m82598) HM
Founded by Maj. Hugh Henry, it was 300 yards from here. On June 10, 1785, the Treaty of Dumplin Creek was signed here by commissioners of the State of Franklin and the chiefs of the Cherokee Nation. Blount, Hamblen, Jefferson, Knox and Sevier . . . — — Map (db m32782) HM
A member of Watauga Association 1772, he served with Bledsoe in 1777. In 1778 he took the Oath of Allegiance to the state in Washington District Court of N.C. He joined the Mountain Men of John Sevier at King's Mountain and was later at the Battle . . . — — Map (db m195429) HM
The only treaty made by the state of Franklin was signed here after some negotiation. Commissioners were John Sevier, Alexander Outlaw, and Daniel Kennedy. Signatory Cherokee chiefs were the King of the Cherokees, Ancoo of Chota, Abraham of . . . — — Map (db m33197) HM
Col. Samuel Wear built Fort Wear in this vicinity about 1781, the year that Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown. Fort Wear was one of nearly a dozen forts built in the 1780s in Sevier County. Its blockhouse was made from sturdy hand-hewn logs and was . . . — — Map (db m65923) HM
This shaft marks the site of the battle of Boyd's Creek Dec. 16, 1780
Gen. John Sevier and his command of East Tennessee pioneers defeated with heavy loss to the enemy. A large force of Cherokee Indians who had attacked the settlers while he . . . — — Map (db m171522) HM
This Mississippian substructure,16 ft. high and 240 ft.in circumference, built during the Dallas phase (1200-1500), was first excavated in 1881, with artifacts being sent to the Smithsonian. Later excavations exposed nearby villages of the Woodland . . . — — Map (db m17194) HM
A branch of the Great Indian War & Trading Path came up the valley of this creek, named for a Virginia trader killed by Indians in 1775. Col. William Christian's punitive expedition used it in 1776, crossing the French Broad River. John Sevier broke . . . — — Map (db m32686) HM
McGinnis Park is dedicated to the memory of Wiley Washington McGinnis (1875 1959), who
first landscaped Collierville Square. The park and streets of the 443 acre Schilling Farms development are named for individuals who contributed to the rich . . . — — Map (db m149054) HM
The Original Town Site of Collierville/Colliersville
In this area and to the east, lies the original town site of Collierville. The lands that were destined to become Collierville traveled through many periods of history before a village . . . — — Map (db m149071) HM
