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The American Ethnologist James Mooney released his book on Cherokee legends in 1888. Only one sentence refers to a Cherokee council site. It falls under his definition of Talking Rock. Specifically, he states: "TALKING ROCK: A creek in upper Georgia flowing northward to join Coosawatee river. The Indian settlements upon it were considered as belonging to Sanderstown, on the lower part of the creek, the townhouse being located about a mile above the present Talking Rock stat

Charles Walker's conceptual drawing of an Indian Removal fort. Nearly 190 years ago, in what is now Cherokee County, more specifically in an area near Lake Allatoona and Bridgemill, an Indian Removal fort was built in 1838. Eight years earlier, Camp Hinar was established when a Federal Lieutenant named Abram Fowler destroyed 19 buildings built by prospectors and gold miners who had illegally entered the Cherokee Territory. The Indian Removal Act was passed in May, 1830. Dis

In June of 1964, Joseph Mahan Jr., an archaeologist from Columbus, Georgia, arranged a trip to southwest Pickens County, near the Henderson and Sharp Mountains. He had learned of an abandoned gold mine and wanted to explore it. In 1878, David Cantrell moved near the Indian Pine section of Southwest Pickens County. He lived on the land until he passed away in 1947. His son T.D. lived with him at the property on Route 3, Jasper. Reed Henson acquired part of the Cantrell Fa

When the Indian Removal happened in 1838, a series of stockades were built in Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama, and Tennessee to round them up and house them before their exile to the Oklahoma Territory. Over ten of these forts were built in North Georgia, including Fort Newnan (present Pickens County) and Fort Hetzel in Gilmer County. The map below shows the location of some of the Removal Forts in the southeast. Note: Fort Morrow, Tennessee (above the second G in Georgia

CLICK HERE TO BUY TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH: A COMPENDIUM OF NORTH GEORGIA HISTORY After four years of research and countless hours and excursions, I'm proud to release my first book about North Georgia history. The book spans four centuries of events with original content. Over thirty separate pieces of research are organized into six sections: The First Inhabitants - Pretribal Indians through the Cherokee Enter the Europeans - British and American Colonists from the Revolutiona

For years, I regularly contributed articles to the now gone North Georgia Journal and Georgia Backroads. In the process, I learned much...

For years, I regularly contributed articles to the now gone North Georgia Journal and Georgia Backroads. In the process, I learned much...

Many millions in eastern North America live within a short distance of amazing ruins as old as two millennia but do not know it....

The Mitchell Map Wauchope's Interpretation of the Mitchell Map The Mitchell map of 1755 was the first map to show Long Swamp as a place (albeit, under a different name). The map was compiled from the best sources of information at the time under the direction of the Second Earl of Halifax. The map remained one of the largest and most accurate depictions of North America through the 18th Century. At six and a half feet wide and four and a half feet high, it is a massive map

The Treaty of Tellico and the great road that traversed Augusta, Georgia to Knoxville, Tennessee. In 1805 the Federal Road was created, having been established by a treaty between the Cherokee and the United States Government. Chief James Vann, a half Scot, half Cherokee leader. The treaty allowed for the passage of the white settlers through the Cherokee Territory. A series of taverns and public houses were constructed along different segments providing travelers with

In researching the family Summerour of North Georgia, I made a surprising series of connections. Henry Harrison Summerour moved to Auraria, Georgia around the time of the Georgia Gold Rush, and later moved to Hightower, (previously known as Frogtown) by the 1840s. Hightower was a major stop and crossroads on what is now known as the Old Federal Road. Henry operated a dry goods store. He was also appointed postmaster of Hightower in 1848. One of his neighbors was Mrs.

In 1804, the Cherokee Indians had negotiated the terms of the creation of a Federal Road that ran between Tennessee to Augusta, Georgia. In exchange for settlers' passage through the Cherokee Territory, the Indians were allowed to operate taverns along their old Cherokee highway. In less than 30 years, in 1832, the Cherokee Territory was mapped out at the request of the government with the purpose of dividing the land into lots, giving away lots by a lottery system creating

An illustration of the game of Anetsa being played. Anetsa, a game that resembles lacrosse, was a Cherokee Indian game played by two teams of up to eighteen players on a 100-yard field. Normally this was played by a water source. They used wooden sticks (longer than a tennis racquet) with a depressed cavity made of deer sinew (looking similar to a spoon) On each end of the field, there were two poles erected with a pole spanning the top (similar to Football posts). The first

Fort Newnan was built in March of 1838 in Gilmer County (Present-day Pickens) It was named after Major General Daniel Newnan, Georgia Secretary of State of the 1820s. The Fort was led by Captain Reverend John Dorsey. He led a mounted regiment. On May 26, 1938, After the Indian removal was completed, Captain Dorsey refused to give up the post. A detachment was sent to arrest him, but by their arrival, he had gone home and half of his men had left. The remainder of his tr

Carmel Mission, which took its name on January 7, 1824 - previously named Taloney Mission, was a missionary outpost of the Presbyterians established in 1819 in Gilmer County (present-day Pickens County). The property today is located about two miles northwest of Talking Rock, 12 miles south of Ellijay, just north of 136, and south of Talking Rock Creek by a fifth of a mile on private property. (LL83) Carmel was located near Sanderstown (named after John and George Sander

Chief Vann was a controversial figure. Born in the 1760s, the half Scotsman/half Cherokee, grew to become a wealthy businessman,...

If you ask old-time residents of Pickens County, they'll tell you that Murphy Bottom off of Jerusalem Church Road (near two branches of Scarecorn Creek) in West Pickens used to be the place to find arrowheads. Some people mention that a village may have been there at one time. Archaeology sites in Georgia are The site was originally designated as 9 Pi 12. It also has the designator of 9 Pi 103. The real topic of interest was always the who, when, where, and what. The why

In the early 1970s Robert L. Blakely, Roy S. Dickens and Phillip Greear found 50 artifacts within the newly developing community....

High atop Rich Mountain there is a half acre site with 95 stacks of Indian rock piles. Ancient Sites within Pickens County Pretribal Indians throughout North America had left remnants of their ceremonial sites in the forms of cairns. According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, a cairn is large, conical heap of stone, especially of the type common in Scotland and Wales and also found elsewhere in Britain, 1530s, from Scottish carne, akin to Gaelic carn "heap of stones, rock