Willstown (Cherokee town) facts for kids

Willstown (also called Wattstown) was an important town for the Cherokee people in the late 1700s and early 1800s. The Cherokee name for the town sounded like Titsohili. It was located in what is now DeKalb County, Alabama, near a stream called Lookout or Little Wills Creek.

Willstown was a busy trading center along a path used by Native American traders. The area where the town once stood is now part of both DeKalb and Etowah counties in Alabama. Most of the town was left empty after the Cherokee people were forced to move by the United States in the 1830s. The city of Fort Payne, Alabama later grew up nearby. It was built around a fort where Cherokee people were held before they were moved away.

What Was Willstown Like?

Willstown was built at the southern end of Lookout Mountain, close to Lookout or Little Wills Creek. An old Native American trade path ran along the northwest side of the town. Before the Indian removal in 1836, Willstown was in the far southwestern part of the original Cherokee Nation. Today, you can still see some old earth mounds at the site.

How Willstown Got Its Name

The town was usually called "Willstown" after its leader, Will Weber. He was also known as "RedHead Chief Will" because he had thick red hair. Will Weber was part Cherokee and part European American, but he grew up as a Cherokee. The town was sometimes called Wattstown too. This was because John Watts, a Cherokee leader from a group called Chickamauga, used it as his main base during the Cherokee–American wars. Willstown was an important meeting place for the Lower Cherokee people well into the 1800s. Will Weber moved with other Cherokee to Arkansas in 1796, avoiding the forced removal later on. John Watts passed away in 1802.

A Center for Trade

Willstown was one of the main trading spots for the Cherokee along the trade path. This path went through what is now Attalla, Alabama, and continued north. It followed the edge of the mountains through places like Reece City, Crudup, Keener, Collinsville, Killian, and Fort Payne. It then went on to Valley Head and the old mining area of Battelle.

There are three known Native American trading sites between Attalla and Collinsville. Many burial sites, old home sites, and farm remains have also been found there. Since the 1920s, US Highway Eleven has mostly followed this old trading path. The Great Southern Railroad was built along the lowlands near the creek and through the old Willstown site.

The Trail of Tears Connection

The modern city of Fort Payne, Alabama grew up south of Willstown, near the Valley Head area. This city developed where an Army fort was built. This fort was used to hold Cherokee people who were gathered in the region before they were forced to move to Indian Territory. This sad journey is now known as the Trail of Tears. Five forts were built in Alabama for this removal.

DeKalb County has put up historical markers at the old sites of the Willstown mission school and Fort Payne. They are also marking the route that an independent group of Cherokee took through the county. This group was led by Chief John Benge (Cherokee) on the Trail of Tears. Other groups had guides chosen by the military. Benge left with 1,103 Cherokee people on October 3, 1838. They traveled along what is now Alabama Highway 35 through Fort Payne, up Sand Mountain, and on to Rainsville. This path then led them along what is now Alabama Highway 75 to Albertville, and then on Highway 431 to Gunters Landing, which is now Guntersville.