Fort Southwest Point facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Southwest Point
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Fort Southwest Point
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| Location | Kingston, Tennessee |
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| Built | 1797 |
| NRHP reference No. | 72001252 |
| Added to NRHP | 1972 |
Imagine a time when Tennessee was a wild frontier! Fort Southwest Point was an important army base built by the U.S. government. It was located at what is now Kingston, Tennessee.
This fort was built in 1797 and had soldiers living there until 1811. It was a key meeting place between the U.S. government and the Cherokee people. It also served as a rest stop for pioneers traveling between Knoxville and Nashville.
We don't have many old drawings or detailed notes about what the fort looked like. But archaeologists dug up the area in the 1970s and 1980s. They found out how the fort was laid out. Based on their discoveries, the City of Kingston and the Tennessee Division of Archaeology have rebuilt part of the fort. The City of Kingston now takes care of the site.
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Where is Fort Southwest Point?
The Fort Southwest Point site is on a hill. From here, you can see where the Tennessee River and the Clinch River meet. This meeting point is now part of Watts Bar Lake. The lake was created when the Watts Bar Dam was finished in 1942. The Emory River also flows into the Clinch River about 5 miles (8 km) upstream from Southwest Point.
The fort site is part of Southwest Point Park. This park is both a historical place and a fun spot for recreation. You can find the park along State Route 58. It's about 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Interstate 40 and 1 mile (1.6 km) south of U.S. Route 70.
A Look Back: Fort Southwest Point's Story
The First Fort: Southwest Point Blockhouse (1792-1797)
During the American Revolutionary War in 1779, a man named Colonel Arthur Campbell had an idea. He thought the spot where the Clinch and Tennessee rivers met would be a good place for a fort. He told the governor of Virginia this idea. Virginia never built the fort then.
After the war, many settlers moved into the Tennessee Valley. This led to more conflicts with the Cherokee people who lived there. Two important things happened that made Southwest Point a very strategic place. First, the Avery's Trace road was built in 1788. This road started at Southwest Point. It became the main road connecting East Tennessee and Middle Tennessee until about 1800. Second, the Treaty of Holston was signed in 1791. This treaty set the border between U.S. land and Cherokee land at the Clinch River. This put Southwest Point right on the edge of the land where settlers could live in East Tennessee.
In the early 1790s, there were more attacks by a group of Cherokee called the Chickamauga Cherokee. They attacked the settlers moving into their lands. The governor of the territory, William Blount, often called up the militia (a group of citizen soldiers). Their job was to protect settlers and make sure the Holston Treaty was followed. John Sevier, who led some of the militia, set up camp at Southwest Point in 1792. By November of that year, his troops had built a small fort called a blockhouse there. They used it as a base until federal troops arrived in 1793.
The Main Fort: Fort Southwest Point (1797-1811)
From 1793 to 1796, only about 10 to 15 federal soldiers lived at the Southwest Point Blockhouse. During this time, a decision was made to build a much bigger fort. Many of the early records about the fort's construction were lost in a fire. But historians believe the new, larger fort was finished in July 1797. Federal troops led by Captain John Wade and Captain Richard Sparks built it.
The fort was first called "Fort Butler." This was after Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Butler, who was in charge of federal forces in East Tennessee. But by 1798, its name had changed to "Fort Southwest Point."
Lieutenant-Colonel Butler moved his main office to Fort Southwest Point in 1799. At that time, about 400-500 soldiers were stationed there. These soldiers were from nine different companies, including infantry, artillery, and dragoon (soldiers on horseback). Around the same time, land was sold for what would become the city of Kingston. The city was named after Major Robert King, an officer at the fort.
One of the first jobs for the soldiers at Southwest Point was to remove people who had settled illegally on Cherokee lands. These people were called "squatters." However, the first Treaty of Tellico was signed in 1798. Butler helped negotiate this treaty. It solved many of the problems with squatters. This meant fewer federal troops were needed in the area. By 1801, only about 100 soldiers were left at Fort Southwest Point.
In 1801, Colonel Return J. Meigs became the Cherokee Agent. He also worked for the War Department in Tennessee. Even though fewer soldiers were at the fort, Fort Southwest Point became Meigs's office. It was also a place where the Cherokee "annuity" was given out. This was an annual payment of goods from the U.S. government in exchange for land.
Meigs immediately started talking with the Cherokee. He hoped to get permission to build a wagon road across their lands. This road would connect Knoxville and Nashville. In 1805, the Third and Fourth Treaties of Tellico were signed. These treaties gave most of the Cumberland Plateau region to the U.S. This made the road possible. As the treaties moved the U.S.-Cherokee border south to the Hiwassee River, the soldiers at Southwest Point were no longer needed. By 1807, Meigs and most of the federal soldiers had moved to the Hiwassee area. A very small group of less than 5 soldiers stayed at Fort Southwest Point until 1811.
What Archaeologists Found
The Southwest Point site was bought by the Tennessee Valley Authority in the 1930s. This was before the Watts Bar Dam was built. (The site is high enough that it didn't get flooded by the lake.)
In 1973, the University of Tennessee started digging at the site. They found six structures and signs that people lived there long before the fort. Between 1984 and 1986, the Tennessee Division of Archaeology did more digging. They wanted information to help rebuild the fort. These digs uncovered nine more structures and the ditch where the fort's wooden wall (palisade) stood. This helped researchers figure out the fort's original design.
Archaeologists also found things from prehistoric times at the site. These included an infant burial, storage pits, and pieces of pottery. They found hickory nut shells in an old fireplace. Scientists used radiocarbon dating on these shells. They found that they were from around 1360 AD.
Fort Structures
Archaeological findings show that Fort Southwest Point was about 297 feet (91 m) long and 175 feet (53 m) wide. It covered about 1.2 acres (0.49 hectares) of land. There were at least 15 buildings inside the fort. Their layout was figured out mostly from the remains of their foundations.
Here are some of the structures found:
- Structure 1 — This building was 17 feet (5.2 m) by 22 feet (6.7 m). It was probably a corner blockhouse, which is a small, strong fort.
- Structure 2 — This was a deep vault, about 14 feet (4.3 m) deep. It was likely a privy, which is an old word for an outdoor toilet.
- Structure 3 — This large building was 70 feet (21 m) by 22 feet (6.7 m). It was probably where the officers lived and where administrative work was done.
- Structure 4 — This building was 62 feet (19 m) by 22 feet (6.7 m). It was likely barracks, where soldiers slept. It had a drain that sent water to a cistern (a tank for collecting water).
- Structure 5 — This was another barracks building, 62 feet (19 m) by 22 feet (6.7 m).
- Structure 6 — This barracks building was 43.5 feet (13.3 m) by 22 feet (6.7 m).
- Structure 7 — This building was about 83 feet (25 m) by 22 feet (6.7 m).
- Structure 8 — This building was 43 feet (13 m) by 22 feet (6.7 m). It might have been a distribution center, where goods were given out.
- Structure 9 — This was another vault, 8 feet (2.4 m) by 10 feet (3.0 m) and 10.5 feet (3.2 m) deep. It was probably another privy.
- Structure 10 — This building was 22 feet (6.7 m) by 18 feet (5.5 m). It was probably a corner blockhouse.
- Structure 11 — This building was about 17 feet (5.2 m) by 18 feet (5.5 m). It was probably a blockhouse.
- Structure 12 — This was similar to Structures 2 and 9, likely another privy.
- Structure 13 — This was similar to Structures 10 and 11, probably a blockhouse.
- Structure 14 — This barracks building was 63 feet (19 m) by 17 feet (5.2 m).
- Structure 15 — This building was 62 feet (19 m) by 23 feet (7.0 m). It was likely a supply building, where food and other items were stored.
