Old Stone Fort (Tennessee) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Old Stone Fort
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Map of the fort from Joseph Jones's Explorations of the Aboriginal Remains of Tennessee (1876)
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 Location in Tennessee
Location in the United States
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| Location | 732 Stone Fort Drive |
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| Nearest city | Manchester, Tennessee |
| Built | 0-499 A.D. |
| Website | Old Stone Fort |
| NRHP reference No. | 73001757 |
| Added to NRHP | 1973 |
The Old Stone Fort is an amazing ancient structure built by Native American people long ago. You can find it in Coffee County, Tennessee, in the southeastern part of the United States. Experts believe it was built between 80 and 550 AD, during a time called the Middle Woodland period. It's the most complicated hilltop enclosure in the South. It was probably used for special ceremonies, not for fighting or defense.
Today, this incredible place is part of the Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park. It's one of only two archaeological parks in Tennessee. (The other is Pinson Mounds near Jackson). The Old Stone Fort is so important that it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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Where is the Old Stone Fort Located?
The Old Stone Fort sits on a piece of land shaped like a finger. This land is surrounded by two rivers. These are the Duck River and the Little Duck River. The Duck River is on one side, and the Little Duck River is on the other. The Little Duck River also curves around the southern edge.
The ancient walls of the fort cover about 50 acres (20 hectares) of land. The Duck River system flows over a rocky area called the Highland Rim. As the two rivers come together, they drop quickly. This has created deep canyons around the fort's location. Both canyons have many beautiful waterfalls and fast-moving water. The strong water flow here attracted people who wanted to build mills in the 1800s.
The Old Stone Fort is entirely within Coffee County, just west of Manchester, Tennessee. The Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park is very large, covering about 876 acres (3.5 square kilometers). The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation manages the park.
What Does the Old Stone Fort Look Like?
The walls of the Old Stone Fort are made of stone and earth. They are usually about 4 to 6 feet (1.2 to 1.8 meters) tall. Originally, the walls had an inner and outer layer of stacked rocks. Gravel and earth filled the space between these layers. Over many years, the earth has spread over the rocks. This makes the walls look like long, low mounds today.
The walls are generally in three main parts. Two sections run along the Duck and Little Duck Rivers. A third section runs along the southern edge of the land. The river-side sections slowly move inward, away from the rivers. They come close to each other at the northeastern part of the land. Here, the walls stop just before touching, leaving a small entrance.
Two old "pedestal" mounds are found on each side of this entrance. One mound is 35 feet (11 meters) wide, and the other is 48 feet (15 meters) wide. The entrance continues through a 120-foot (37-meter) L-shaped path. This path then opens into the fort's inside area.
The walls along the Duck River are about 1,394 feet (425 meters) long. The walls along the Little Duck River are about 1,094 feet (333 meters) long. The southern walls are mostly straight and are 2,116 feet (645 meters) long. There are large open spaces between the southern wall and the other two walls. These areas were likely left open because they overlook very steep cliffs. The rivers below these cliffs probably acted as natural defenses.
A large ditch, sometimes called a "moat," runs along the southern wall. This ditch is actually a natural old river channel. We don't know if ancient people kept this channel open on purpose.
The Old Stone Fort Through History
By the mid-1700s, when European hunters and traders arrived, many trails crossed the Cumberland Plateau. These trails connected what is now Middle Tennessee with Georgia and Northern Alabama. One important trail passed very close to the Old Stone Fort. It followed what is now U.S. Route 41. The ancient fort was surely a major landmark for early travelers in the area.
During the Cherokee–American wars, a group called the Nickajack Expedition camped inside the Old Stone Fort. This was on their way to the Chickamauga towns. The fort was also very important to the first people living in Coffee County. The county's first court meeting was held at the "Old Stone Fort Tavern" in 1836. The main town of the county was also planned near "Main Stone Fort Creek."
The powerful Duck River made the fort's location great for mills. As early as 1823, Samuel Murray built a rope factory there. Later, W.S. Whitman built a paper mill in 1852. During the Civil War, Whitman built a powder factory to help the Confederacy. However, Union troops destroyed it the next year. In 1879, the Stone Fort Paper Company built a large mill near Big Falls. This mill provided paper to newspapers across the Southeast. You can still see the mill's old foundations today. They are on the cliffs overlooking Big Falls.
The land with the Old Stone Fort eventually belonged to the Chumbley family. They wanted to protect the ancient structure. In 1966, the State of Tennessee bought 400 acres (1.6 square kilometers) from the Chumbley family. This land became the main part of Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park. The Old Stone Fort was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
Who Built the Old Stone Fort?
For a long time, the Old Stone Fort was a mystery. People had many ideas about who built it. In the 1800s and early 1900s, different theories came up. For example, one newspaper in 1823 thought it was built by Buccaneers from Seville. Later, some believed Vikings built it.
The first serious study of the fort was done by Joseph Jones in 1876. He found several ancient artifacts. Then, Tennessee State Archaeologist P.E. Cox studied the fort in 1928.
The mystery was finally solved in 1966. The University of Tennessee started archaeological digs after the state bought the fort. They dug trenches and did a lot of research. The experts found that Native Americans from the Middle Woodland period built the fort. Charles Faulkner, one of the researchers, explained why:
- They used radiocarbon dating on charcoal found in the walls. This showed the fort was built between 30 and 430 AD. This is the Middle Woodland period.
- The fort's design and location are similar to other structures from Middle Woodland cultures. These include the Hopewell people in Ohio and the builders of Pinson Mounds in West Tennessee.
- Between 1966 and 1971, five Middle Woodland villages were found near the fort. One large village was just 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) away.
The University of Tennessee team believes the fort was built slowly over hundreds of years. Two different local Middle Woodland cultures likely built it. These are known as the McFarland and the Owl Hollow cultures. The McFarland culture started the work in the 1st century AD, and the Owl Hollow culture finished it.
What Was the Old Stone Fort Used For?
For many years, people thought the fort was used for military defense. But the discoveries from the 1966 digs suggest a different purpose. It was likely used for religious or ceremonial events. Charles Faulkner based this idea on several points:
- Defensive forts are usually built quickly when there's danger. But the Old Stone Fort was built slowly over many centuries.
- The walls are not tall enough to be good for defense. Also, no evidence of a wooden fence (palisade) was found.
- The area inside the walls is very large. It would take a huge fighting force to defend it. This was more than a typical Middle Woodland group would have.
- The 1966 digs found almost no everyday items inside the walls. This suggests the area was kept very clean. It was not a place where people lived all the time.
The "moat" near the fort was once thought to be man-made. However, researchers now believe it's a natural dry riverbed.
The Old Stone Fort Museum
The Old Stone Fort Museum is located near the park's entrance. It was built by Tennessee State Parks. The museum has exhibits that explain the different ideas about who built the fort. It also shows information about the archaeological digs. There's a small theater, a gift shop, and displays about early Native American history. An observation deck on top of the museum offers great views of the Old Stone Fort and the nearby Blue Hole Falls.
