Too-Cowee facts for kids
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Looking downriver across the Too-Cowee site.
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| Alternative name | Cowee [Stecoah] |
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| Region | Macon County, North Carolina |
| Coordinates | 35°15′54″N 83°25′3″W / 35.26500°N 83.41750°W |
| History | |
| Cultures | South Appalachian Mississippian culture, historic period Cherokee |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural styles | platform mound |
| Architectural details | Number of temples: |
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Cowee Mound and Village Site
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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| Area | 53 acres (21 ha) |
| Part of | Cowee-West's Mill Historic District (ID00001569) |
| NRHP reference No. | 73002238 (31Ma5) |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | January 18, 1973 |
| Designated CP | January 8, 2001 |
Too-Cowee (also called Cowee or Stecoah) was a very important historic Cherokee town. It was located near the Little Tennessee River in what is now Franklin, North Carolina. This site also has an older, prehistoric platform mound and village built by people who lived there long before the Cherokee. The Cherokee built a special building called a townhouse on top of the mound. This was a central place for their community meetings. The name "Too-Cowee" means "pig fat" in English. British traders and settlers called Cowee one of the "Middle Towns" of the Cherokee. These names helped them describe where different Cherokee groups lived, usually in relation to coastal cities like Charleston, South Carolina.
Today, the "Cowee Mound and Village Site" is in Macon County, North Carolina. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 because it's an important archaeological site. Since 2006, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) has owned the site. They work with the state to protect it.
Contents
Exploring the Ancient Village Site
The Cowee site was built on the flat land near the river, called a floodplain. Many ancient towns were built this way because it was good for farming. Experts say Cowee is one of the best-preserved sites from the South Appalachian Mississippian culture in western North Carolina. This culture was active in the area from about 1000 CE until the 1300s or 1400s.
The Mississippian Culture and Mounds
People of the South Appalachian Mississippian culture built large earth mounds. These mounds were often flat on top, like a platform. In this region, larger villages usually had one main platform mound. These villages acted as important centers for smaller communities nearby. In other places, like Cahokia or Etowah Indian Mounds, Mississippian people built many mounds. These bigger sites showed that their societies had more levels of leaders and different social groups.
The Cherokee and Their Townhouse
The Too-Cowee mound and village became a very important place for the Cherokee people. The Cherokee lived in a large area that included parts of Tennessee, North and South Carolina, and Georgia. It's believed they came from the Great Lakes area, where other groups who speak similar languages live. They have lived in the Southeast for over 1,000 years.
When the Cherokee lived at Cowee, they built a big townhouse or council house on top of the mound. This building was very important for their community. It held a sacred fire, which was a symbol of their people. When it was time, the old townhouse would be taken apart and burned. Then, a new one would be built in its place, and the mound would be repaired. Over time, the mound grew larger. The townhouse was big enough for hundreds of people to gather for meetings and ceremonies.
Cherokee Towns in the Mountains
In the western part of North Carolina, the Cherokee had towns known by settlers in the 1700s as the Middle, Valley, and Out Towns. These towns were located along river valleys and flat areas between mountain ridges. Important rivers in this region included the French Broad, Pigeon, Tuckaseegee, Little Tennessee, and Hiwassee. Later in the 1700s, the Cherokee expanded their territory further south and west into Georgia and Alabama.
The Cowee Mound and Village Site includes the mound itself and about 53 acres (21 ha) of fields and hills. Experts believe these areas contain signs of the Cherokee village and even older settlements. The site was officially recognized as an archaeological site on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. In 2001, it was also included as an important part of the "Cowee-West's Mill Historic District."
History of Too-Cowee
Too-Cowee faced challenges during conflicts with European settlers. During the Anglo-Cherokee War, which happened at the same time as the later years of the French and Indian War, British colonists attacked the village. Later, during the American Revolutionary War, the Cherokee sided with the British. They hoped this would help them keep their land from the colonists.
Attacks and Changes
In November 1776, colonial soldiers led by Colonel William Moore attacked Cowee. Most of the people had left the village, but the soldiers destroyed their homes and took their stored crops. They then went on to attack other Cherokee towns. After the Revolutionary War, other Cherokee groups fought a series of battles in southeastern Tennessee. They tried to stop American settlers from moving onto their land.
In 1819, the Cherokee were forced to give up this territory to the United States through a treaty. After this, the mound and village site were left empty for some time.
Protecting the Site Today
Between 1838 and 1839, most of the Cherokee people were forced to move from the Southeast to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). This event is known as the Indian removal. In the 1840s, the Hall family, a European-American family, bought the land that included the Cowee site. The Hall family owned the land for 175 years. During this time, they did not allow private archaeological digs on the main platform mound or the old village area.
In 2002, the Hall family's descendants began talks that led to the transfer of the mound and village site in 2007. The land was given to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI). The state of North Carolina also holds certain agreements to help protect the land. The EBCI has worked hard to get back other important Cherokee sites in their historic homeland. For example, they bought Kituwa, their "mother town," in 1996. With a non-profit partner, they acquired the Cowee Mound and Village Site in 2006. The EBCI are descendants of Cherokee people who stayed in North Carolina after the forced removal. They are the only federally recognized Cherokee tribe in North Carolina.
By 2020, the EBCI and their partners also gained control of the Nikwasi and Watauga mounds. These mounds are what's left of large historic Cherokee towns along the upper Little Tennessee River. They created a non-profit group called the Nikwasi Initiative and worked with the Mainspring Conservation Trust to achieve this.
Plans are being made to feature these three sites on the "Nikwasi Trail." This trail will be a special area along the Little Tennessee River. The tribe and local groups are working together to develop this area for fun activities, learning, and heritage tourism. This will help people learn about these important and sacred sites.
Images for kids
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Looking downriver across the Too-Cowee site.
