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Interactive Map - Places to Go - Tidbits & Contacts - More to Do & See |
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Sites in Franklin Once the center of a thriving Cherokee village, the Nikwasi Mound now stands at the center of the town of Franklin. Not only has it escaped destruction by excavation, farming, and development, Nikwasi Mound remains something like its original size. Its stature can not be appreciated driving by on the street, because the level around the mound has been filled for modern construction. Only when one stands at its base can one appreciate the sheer bulk and graceful lines of this earthen construction, which was once even larger. Originally crowned with a large townhouse, this mound held the ever-burning sacred fire, and was the dwelling place of the immortal spirit-beings, the nunnehi. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians asks that visitors not climb the mound or walk on its top, in order to help preserve it. Because the mound has not been excavated, no one knows its age,
but its location among the Middle Towns makes it typical of sites
from perhaps a thousand years ago or more. One of more than a dozen
such villages strung along the banks of the Little Tennessee, Nikwasi
was home to generations of Cherokee people, whose fields and orchards
filled the bottom land around it. Contact: Franklin Town Office 188 West Main St. Franklin
NC 28734 Contact: Macon Co. Historical Society, 6 East Main St. Franklin
NC 28734 Little Tennessee River Greenway Within sight of the Nikwasi Mound, about twenty-five yards east,
the Little Tennessee River Greenway follows the river, passing through
the Nikwasi village site, and passing near the Tasse village site
upstream (south) about a mile. From the Nikwasi Mound, the greenway
lies within easy walking distance, across the street and down North
East Main Street. There parking space and a covered picnic shelter
are available; the greenway, however, is closed to vehicles. Hiking
and bicycling are permitted. When completed, the Greenway will follow six miles of the Little
Tennessee River, beginning at its confluence with Cartoogechaye
Creek (Macon County Rec Park), passing the entrance of the Cullasaja
River (junction of Depot St. and Wells Grove Rd.), and the entrance
of Watauga Creek (near Lake Emory), all tributaries with village
sites. Bridges cross the river as the greenway switches from bank
to bank, often following the old trading path. The Greenway follows
the high power transmission line recently completed by Nantahala
Power & Light Company, now owned by Duke Power. Contact: Barbara MacRae, Nantahala Power & Light Co.
1 NP&L Loop, Franklin NC 28734 Scottish Tartans Museum and Heritage Center The Scottish Tartans Museum and Heritage Center stands on East
Main Street near where a Scots trader lived with the Cherokee in
the early 1700's. Many Cherokee women married Scots and English
traders in the early 18th century, and many Cherokee leaders including
Principal Chief John Ross were of Scottish descent (John's father
was Daniel Ross, and his grandfather was a MacDonald.) Today, some
members of the Eastern Band claim Scottish ancestry also. The Scottish Tartans Museum, a non-profit organization, serves
as one of the interpretive centers for the Cherokee Heritage Trails.
Its main exhibit presents the history of the tartan over the past
two thousand years. Exhibit panels briefly tell the history of the
Scots-Irish and early settlers in Macon County as well as the relationship
of the Scots and the Cherokees. The earliest Scots in the area were
traders among the Cherokees, and a display case with two full-size
figures depicts this relationship. Contact: Scottish Tartans Museum 95 East Main St. Franklin
NC 28734
Macon County Historical Society and Battle Marker One block from the Scottish Tartans Museum, down Main Street in
Franklin, on Courthouse Square, a large bronze plaque on a brick
monument tells the story of the battle of Etchoe. Although the battle
took place about seven miles south of here, it is commemorated here
as well as in North Carolina Historical markers closer to the site.
Franklin's town square also includes a marker noting William Bartram's
passage through this area. Just down the street, on the same block, the Macon County Historical
Society, preserver of Nikwasi Mound, has a small museum. Mostly
dedicated to the history of white Appalachian settlers, the museum
also has a collection of stone points and tools as well as a Bible
in the Cherokee language. Contact: Macon County Historical Society 36 West Main St.
Franklin NC 28734 Sites Near Franklin Smoky Mountain Host Visitors Center At this welcome center, panels interpret Cherokee Heritage Trails in this area of the Middle Towns. In addition, the center provides information about local accommodations and attractions. Contact: Smoky Mountain Host of NC Inc. Visitors Center
Highway 441 South, Franklin NC 28734 Side trips Wayah Bald rises to 5342 feet, named wolf, wa ya for the wolves
that once lived on its slopes. Wayah Gap was called Atahita, "Where
They Shouted." All of Wayah was known to the Cherokee: their trails
crossed it, their stories refer to it, their hunters used it, and
their Middle Towns stood within sight of its distinctive shape on
the skyline to the west. More than 11,000 years ago, hunters camped
near the springs on its crest, leaving spear points behind. Wayah, like numerous other mountains in the Southern Appalachians,
had a bald near its crest. These resemble the open spaces that the
Cherokee kept cleared near their villages to attract game. Their
legends say that the nunnehi, the immortal spirit beings, kept these
balds cleared on the high peaks so that the eagles could catch rabbits.
Scientists have no explanation for the existence of the balds, but
over the past 200 years, since the Cherokee Removal, and with the
closing of open range and the suppression of fire, the balds have
begun to grow over. Contact: U.S. Forest Service Wayah District 90 Sloane Rd.
Franklin NC 28734 Standing Indian, Yvwi tsulenv-yi, encompasses the headwaters of
the Nantahala River in a horseshoe-shaped basin whose two sides
are formed by the 5,000 foot peaks of the Nantahala and Blue Ridge
Mountains. Still rich in game, with bear, deer and wild turkey,
this area was known to and used by Cherokees of the Middle Towns,
although they left few signs of their occupation. Cherokee people
today come here to gather ramps in the spring, and some consider
this a sacred site. Its original Cherokee name means, "Where the man stood," Yvwi tsulenv-yi,
which refers to a stone formation shaped like a man that once stood
on the side of the mountain. At some point, this formation broke,
leaving only the bottom of the form. It can be seen among other
rock outcroppings by hiking up Kimsey Creek Trail and then taking
the trail to the top of the ridge. Contact: U.S. Forest Service Wayah District 90 Sloane Rd.
Franklin NC 28734 Waterfalls and Whiteside Mtn. Rt. 28 and Rt. 107 In Cherokee language, Cullasaja means sweet; that name may have
described the taste of the water in this river, or the beauty of
its waterfalls. Cherokee settlements here included Sugar Town and
Honey Locust place. From Franklin one can travel through the Cullasaja
Gorge, with the option of stopping to walk behind waterfalls, before
finally reaching Whiteside Mountain, legendary home of the Cherokee
monster Spearfinger. Between Franklin and Highlands, the road ascends
along the Cullasaja River, passing Cullasaja Falls, Bridal Veil
Falls, and Dry Falls. Cullasaja Falls drops spectacularly into the
gorge, but care should be taken in stopping to look from the narrow
road between the bluff and the drop-off. Farther up, Dry Falls can
be viewed - a trail with safety rails leads behind the falls itself,
whose sound fills its ravine. Bridal Veil Falls drops like sheer
lace from an outcropping that hangs out over the old road, creating
a drive-through waterfall. In Cherokee stories, waterfalls can be doorways to other worlds:
the world of the nunnehi, (the Immortals), or the world of the little
people. And water itself is respected as the Long Man, with his
head in the mountains and his feet in the sea. The sacred ritual
of going to water provides physical and spiritual cleansing prior
to ceremonies or ball games, as well as renewal for daily life.
Cherokee traditions prohibited putting anything unclean in the water,
including any human waste. Several years ago, local groups tried
to prevent the town of Highlands from discharging their sewage into
the Cullasaja, but failed. Their protest signs still stand along
the highway and river. Contact: Highlands Ranger District U.S. Forest Service 2010
Flat Mountain Rd. Highlands NC 28741
Scenic Drives Middle Towns - Rt. 441 South to Dillard The first of the scenic drives through the Middle Towns begins
in Franklin, going south along the Little Tennessee River to Dillard,
Georgia, where the southernmost of the Middle Towns was located.
Beginning with Nikwasi, one passes the location of a former town
at the entrance of the Cullasaja. Another at the entrance of Cartoogechaye
Creek, one near Otto. One near Coweeta Creek, and finally one near
Dillard. This route also traces the route of the Grant and Montgomery
expeditions and their battle sites. Highway 441 basically follows
the old trail along the west side of the river. Vestigal stands
of river cane survive near these village sites and can be seen lining
the banks of the Little Tennessee in pastures along 441 south. From the Nikwasi Mound or downtown Franklin, turn south on Depot
St. At the intersection of Depot Street and Wells Grove Road, turn
left and proceed on Wells Grove Road. The town of Tasse, according
to the Grant expedition, lay somewhere near the confluence of the
Little Tennessee River and the Cullasaja River, which Wells Grove
Road crosses here. The actual location of the town may have been
closer to the present location of Macon Middle School, a mile or
so farther down Wells Grove Road, where many artifacts were found
in the fields and where students tell stories of Indian ghosts in
the school. Turn around on Wells Grove Road and proceed back towards
town. Contact: Interpretive centers at Welcome Center and Scottish
Tartans Museum This scenic drive from Franklin north on Rt. 28 follows the Little
Tennessee River and passes some of the town sites associated with
it: Nikwasi, Watauga, Iotla, Burning Town, Cowee, and Coweetchee.
The Cowee area has just been designated a National Historic District
on the National Register of Historic Places, and includes historic
buildings and the West farm mill as well as the original Cowee village
area. From the Nikwasi Mound, proceed west on North East Main St. to
the second stoplight and turn right on Riverview Street. Follow
this winding street for a good view of the river, from its west
bank, and access to the northern terminus of the Little Tennessee
Greenway. In just a mile or so, this street joins Rt. 28 at a yield
sign. Proceeding north (straight) on 28, a North Carolina historical
marker describes one of the battle sites, which is actually located
on 441 south. The Macon County Airport, located a few miles off
of Rt. 28, stands on the site of the old Iotla village. The Burningtown
village was located several miles beyond here, giving its name to
the present-day communities of Upper Burningtown, Middle Burningtown,
and Lower Burningtown. Contact: Cowee National Historic District
Wayah and beyond - Appletree and Nantahala This scenic drive begins at Nikwasi and passes old village sites
to the west and then to the north over Wayah: [****by industrial
park], Cartoogechaye, Neohee (Sandtown), Aquone, the Appletree camp,
and Briartown. Cherokee people and their ancestors frequented or
lived at these sites from 11,000 years ago until the present day. Travel west from Nikwasi on Business 441 to its intersection with
Rt. 64, then take 64 west, a four-lane highway with pink dogwoods
and euonymous planted in the median. Just a few miles from town,
the Macon County Industrial Park, on the left, covers the site of
a village dating to 250 AD where mica was mined and prepared for
trade. Mica from this site has been identified in burials in the
Hopewell Mounds (in present-day Ohio.) Chunky Gal and Shooting Creek - Connect to Murphy on Rt. 64 From Franklin, a scenic drive on route 64 connects to Hayesville
and Murphy. The road passes former Cherokee village sites of Cartoogechaye,
and Sandtown, and ascends Winding Stair Gap. At the top of the gap
a parking lot connects with the Appalachian Trail, provides a scenic
overlook, and has drinking water running from a mountain spring.
The road stays on high ground past Rainbow Springs (the entry road
to Standing Indian) and on to Chunky Gal Gap before descending into
the watershed of the Hiwassee River at Shooting Creek. The name of Chunky Gal Gap refers not to a woman of ample proportions,
but one named for the traditional Cherokee game, which required
a smooth open area. Called gatayusti, by the Cherokees, it was known
to the whites by its Creek name, chunkey. Shooting Creek's name,
Du stayalv-yi, refers not to a gun battle, but to "Where it
made a noise like thunder or shooting" according to James Mooney. Editorial Note: For an in-depth look at each one of the interpretive centers along the Cherokee Heritage Trails, including complete articles and quotes, detailed information on all the historical sites, amazing full color photography depicting the land and its people, stories from many of the Cherokee Elders and much more about the wonderful Cherokee culture, make the Cherokee Heritage Trails Guidebook a part of your personal library. Click here to find out more |
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