New Echota
Encyclopedia
New Echota was the capital of the Cherokee Nation
prior to their forced removal
in the 1830s. New Echota is 3.68 miles north of present-day Calhoun, Georgia
, and south of Resaca, Georgia
. The site is a state park and an historic site.
The site is at the confluence of the Coosawattee River and Conasauga River
, which join to form the Oostanaula River
, and near to Town Creek. Archeological evidence has shown that the site of New Echota was occupied by earlier villages before the Cherokee made it their capitol in 1825. A Cherokee town called Gansagiyi (abbreviated Gansagi) was present at the site before its re-establishment as New Echota.
Prior to the building of New Echota, the nearby town of Ustanali on the Coosawattee River
(established by refugees from the Cherokee Lower Towns in northwestern South Carolina in 1777), had served as the seat of the Cherokee people since 1788. (That was the year in which Old Tassel
and several other Cherokee leaders were murdered while on an embassy to the State of Franklin
at that government's invitation —sparking an increase in attacks from warriors all across the frontier in addition to the followers of Dragging Canoe
, who were already in the midst of the Chickamauga wars
.) Following the murders, Little Turkey
was elected chief
of the Cherokee and Chota
was abandoned as the seat of the council, which was moved to Ustanali.
New Echota was named after Chota, the former capitol of the Overhill Cherokee
which had by that time been completely abandoned after being mostly buried by the waters of Tellico Lake, in Monroe County. The site and the entire region of the Overhill Towns had been ceded to the United States the year before. "Chota" and "Echota" were later names used for Itsati, the original name of the town. According to James Mooney
, the meaning of the word is lost. Mooney apparently did not consult a Creek
dictionary when making that assessment. Itsati is the name that Hitchiti Creeks call themselves, to this day. Chota is the Hitchiti
-Creek and Muskogee-Creek word for "frog." In the Itsati and Itza Maya languages, applying an "E" prefix to a proper noun imparts importance or suggests that it is the principal town with that name. Chota was therefore, probably a Muskogean town in eastern Tennessee, prior to being occupied by the Cherokees.
The meaning of the Cherokee town name Gansagiyi is also lost. A common English name for New Echota was "Newtown" or "New Town". These names are still used for the area around the State Park. The area was also known as "The Fork" and "Fork Ferry" by Anglo-American settlers.
By 1823 the government of the Cherokee Nation was meeting in New Echota. Its central location and easy access made the city an excellent choice for the capitol. On November 12, 1825, New Echota was officially designated capitol of the Cherokee Nation. At that time, the tribal council also began a building program that included construction of a two-story Council House, a Supreme Court, and later the office (Printer Shop) of the first Indian language and Cherokee newspaper, the Cherokee Phoenix
.
Here Elias Boudinot
wrote and a printer laid out the first Native American newspaper. Boudinot wrote it in English and Cherokee, using for the latter the new syllabary created by Sequoyah
. Private homes, stores, a ferry and mission station were in the outlying area of New Echota. The town was quiet most of the year, but Council meetings provided the opportunity for great social gatherings. During these meetings, several hundred Cherokees filled the town, arriving by foot, on horseback or in stylish carriages.
In 1832, Georgia's Sixth Land Lottery gave Cherokee land to white
settlers. The Cherokee Nation had never ceded the land to the state, however. Over the next six years, the Georgia Guard conducted a form of vigilante justice against the Cherokee. By 1834, New Echota was becoming a ghost town. Council meetings were moved to Red Clay, Cherokee Nation (now Tennessee). In May 1835, a small group of Cherokee (300–500 Cherokee known as Ridgeites or the Treaty Party) signed the Treaty of New Echota
in the home of Elias Boudinot. Signers included Major Ridge
, John Ridge
, and Andrew Ross, brother of John Ross
. They agreed to removal in exchange for lands west of the Mississippi River
. This controversial document used by the American government to justify the removal influences what is now now known as the Trail of Tears.
In 1838 the U.S. Army, under the command of Winfield Scott
, began the forced removal
of Cherokee from the state of Georgia. A Cherokee removal fort was located at New Echota. It was called Fort Wool. The fort held Cherokee prisoners from Gordon County, Georgia
and Pickens County, Georgia
until their removal. As the prisoners began their exodus
to Rattlesnake Springs, Cherokee Nation (4 miles south of Charleston, Tennessee
), the Cherokee from counties south and east of the area also were housed here.
, called "the Messenger", a missionary to the Cherokee. When the then-current landowners deeded land to the state for preservation, the Worcester house, the largest remaining structure, had been vacant for two years. The wear of the elements in that brief time was apparent.
In March 1954, Georgia Historical Commission
archeologist Lewis Larsen and five men were sent to oversee the work of excavating New Echota. The team went to work slowly as they uncovered evidence not only of a Cherokee settlement in New Echota, but also of earlier Indian cultures. They asked National Park Service
archeologist Joe Caldwell and two more workers to join them for the next two months as they continued excavation. The group recovered a Spanish coin dated 1802, crockery, household wares, bootery remains, a small quantity of lead, and 1700 other artifacts. They identified 600 items as having belonged to the Cherokee. In addition to the standard finds and remains of many buildings, Larsen and Caldwell astonished the world by discovering much of the type once used to print the Cherokee Phoenix.
On March 13, 1957, following the news of Larsen and Caldwell's archeological finds, the State of Georgia authorized the town of New Echota to be reconstructed as a Georgia State Park. They rebuilt some of the buildings of the village of New Echota (such as the Council House) where once the laws of the Cherokee Nation were enacted, the Supreme Court, the Printer Shop, a building of the Cherokee Phoenix, a Common Cherokee Cabin (representing a home of an average Cherokee family) and a Middle-Class Cherokee Home including outbuildings. Vann's Tavern, owned by Chief Vann
was "original" with modern nails and replacement wooden parts, but is not the original New Echota Vann Tavern. This was relocated from Forsyth County, Georgia
(Chief Vann owned 14 taverns across the state of Georgia) as original New Echota Vann Tavern was destroyed. In addition, the park contains the site of the former Elias Boudinot house, where it once stood but had since been destroyed by fire. This site, unreconstructed, serves as a memorial to Boudinot. The Worcester house was restored to its 19th century condition. Other sites are not open to the public, as they are now on private property. Across from New Echota, there were two farmhouse sites that were owned by white men who had married Cherokee women; these sites are now part of Gordon County golf course.
The New Echota Historical Park was opened to the public in 1962, with a replica of the original Office of the Cherokee Phoenix as a highlight of the tour. Inside that office were 600 pieces of type containing the lasting legacy of the first American Indian newspaper. They have reproductions of 19th century printing machines that tourists can take "reissue" Cherokee Phoenix newspapers to their homes. Later some type was moved to the museum and research facility that is built in front of New Echota. The three-quarter mile walk can be expanded by walking the Newtown Trail, a 1.2 mile interpreted trail that takes tourists to Town Creek (inside the center of New Echota), where the majority of the Cherokee had camped when the Council was in session. In 1973, when the State of Georgia terminated the Georgia Historical Commission
that controlled the New Echota Historic Site. The New Echota Historic Site was turned over to the Department of Natural Resources
also known as Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites, that continues to operate and maintain this historic site after 1973.
The site is listed as a National Historic Landmark
.
Cherokee Nation (19th century)
The Cherokee Nation of the 19th century —an historic entity —was a legal, autonomous, tribal government in North America existing from 1794–1906. Often referred to simply as The Nation by its inhabitants, it should not be confused with what is known today as the "modern" Cherokee Nation...
prior to their forced removal
Cherokee removal
Cherokee removal, part of the Trail of Tears, refers to the forced relocation between 1836 to 1839 of the Cherokee Nation from their lands in Georgia, Texas, Tennessee, Alabama, and North Carolina to the Indian Territory in the Western United States, which resulted in the deaths of approximately...
in the 1830s. New Echota is 3.68 miles north of present-day Calhoun, Georgia
Calhoun, Georgia
Calhoun is a city in Gordon County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 15,650. The city is the county seat of Gordon County.-Geography:Calhoun is located at , along the Oostanaula River....
, and south of Resaca, Georgia
Resaca, Georgia
Resaca is a city in Gordon County, Georgia, and Whitfield County, Georgia along the Oostanaula River. The population was 815 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Resaca is located at ....
. The site is a state park and an historic site.
The site is at the confluence of the Coosawattee River and Conasauga River
Conasauga River
The Conasauga River is a river that runs through southeast Tennessee and northwest Georgia. The Conasauga River is long and is home to 90 species of fish and 25 species of freshwater mussels...
, which join to form the Oostanaula River
Oostanaula River
The Oostanaula River is a principal tributary of the Coosa River, about long, in northwestern Georgia in the United States. Via the Coosa and Alabama rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mobile River, which flows to the Gulf of Mexico. Its name is said to come from a Cherokee Indian term...
, and near to Town Creek. Archeological evidence has shown that the site of New Echota was occupied by earlier villages before the Cherokee made it their capitol in 1825. A Cherokee town called Gansagiyi (abbreviated Gansagi) was present at the site before its re-establishment as New Echota.
Prior to the building of New Echota, the nearby town of Ustanali on the Coosawattee River
Coosawattee River
The Coosawattee River is a river located in the northwest part of the U.S. state of Georgia.The river begins at the confluence of the Ellijay River and Cartecay River in the city of Ellijay in Gilmer County. The river flows west through the foothills of the north Georgia mountains.In Murray...
(established by refugees from the Cherokee Lower Towns in northwestern South Carolina in 1777), had served as the seat of the Cherokee people since 1788. (That was the year in which Old Tassel
Old Tassel
Utsi'dsata, or Corntassel, known to history as Old Tassel, became First Beloved Man, at least of the Overhill and other non-belligerent Cherokee, in 1783 after the elders removed his predecessor, The Raven of Chota...
and several other Cherokee leaders were murdered while on an embassy to the State of Franklin
State of Franklin
The State of Franklin, known also as the Free Republic of Franklin or the State of Frankland , was an unrecognized autonomous United States territory created in 1784 from part of the territory west of the Appalachian Mountains that had been offered,...
at that government's invitation —sparking an increase in attacks from warriors all across the frontier in addition to the followers of Dragging Canoe
Dragging Canoe
Tsiyu Gansini , "He is dragging his canoe", known to whites as Dragging Canoe, was a Cherokee war chief who led a band of Cherokee against colonists and United States settlers...
, who were already in the midst of the Chickamauga wars
Chickamauga wars
The Chickamauga Wars were a series of raids, campaigns, ambushes, minor skirmishes, and several full-scale frontier battles which were a continuation of the Cherokee struggle against encroachment by American frontiersmen from the former British colonies...
.) Following the murders, Little Turkey
Little Turkey
Little Turkey was elected First Beloved Man by the general council of the Cherokee upon the move of the council's seat to Ustanali on the Conasauga River following the murder of Corntassel in 1788...
was elected chief
Tribal chief
A tribal chief is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribal societies with social stratification under a single leader emerged in the Neolithic period out of earlier tribal structures with little stratification, and they remained prevalent throughout the Iron Age.In the case of ...
of the Cherokee and Chota
Chota (Cherokee town)
Chota is a historic Overhill Cherokee site in Monroe County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. For much of its history, Chota was the most important of the Overhill towns, serving as the de facto capital of the Cherokee people from the late 1740s until 1788...
was abandoned as the seat of the council, which was moved to Ustanali.
New Echota was named after Chota, the former capitol of the Overhill Cherokee
Overhill Cherokee
The term Overhill Cherokee refers to the former Cherokee settlements located in what is now Tennessee in the southeastern United States. The name was given by 18th century European traders and explorers who had to cross the Appalachian Mountains to reach these settlements when traveling from...
which had by that time been completely abandoned after being mostly buried by the waters of Tellico Lake, in Monroe County. The site and the entire region of the Overhill Towns had been ceded to the United States the year before. "Chota" and "Echota" were later names used for Itsati, the original name of the town. According to James Mooney
James Mooney
James Mooney was an American ethnographer who lived for several years among the Cherokee. He did major studies of Southeastern Indians, as well as those on the Great Plains...
, the meaning of the word is lost. Mooney apparently did not consult a Creek
Creek people
The Muscogee , also known as the Creek or Creeks, are a Native American people traditionally from the southeastern United States. Mvskoke is their name in traditional spelling. The modern Muscogee live primarily in Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida...
dictionary when making that assessment. Itsati is the name that Hitchiti Creeks call themselves, to this day. Chota is the Hitchiti
Hitchiti
The Hitchiti were a Muskogean-speaking tribe formerly residing chiefly in a town of the same name on the east bank of the Chattahoochee River, 4 miles below Chiaha, in west Georgia. They spoke the Hitchiti language, which was mutually intelligible with Mikasuki; both tribes were part of the loose...
-Creek and Muskogee-Creek word for "frog." In the Itsati and Itza Maya languages, applying an "E" prefix to a proper noun imparts importance or suggests that it is the principal town with that name. Chota was therefore, probably a Muskogean town in eastern Tennessee, prior to being occupied by the Cherokees.
The meaning of the Cherokee town name Gansagiyi is also lost. A common English name for New Echota was "Newtown" or "New Town". These names are still used for the area around the State Park. The area was also known as "The Fork" and "Fork Ferry" by Anglo-American settlers.
Cherokee Phoenix
The Cherokee Phoenix was the first newspaper published by Native Americans in the United States and the first published in a Native American language. The first issue was published in English and Cherokee on February 21, 1828, in New Echota, capital of the Cherokee Nation . The paper continued...
.
Here Elias Boudinot
Elias Boudinot (Cherokee)
Elias Boudinot , was a member of an important Cherokee family in present-day Georgia. They believed that rapid acculturation was critical to Cherokee survival. In 1828 Boudinot became the editor of the Cherokee Phoenix, which was published in Cherokee and English...
wrote and a printer laid out the first Native American newspaper. Boudinot wrote it in English and Cherokee, using for the latter the new syllabary created by Sequoyah
Sequoyah
Sequoyah , named in English George Gist or George Guess, was a Cherokee silversmith. In 1821 he completed his independent creation of a Cherokee syllabary, making reading and writing in Cherokee possible...
. Private homes, stores, a ferry and mission station were in the outlying area of New Echota. The town was quiet most of the year, but Council meetings provided the opportunity for great social gatherings. During these meetings, several hundred Cherokees filled the town, arriving by foot, on horseback or in stylish carriages.
In 1832, Georgia's Sixth Land Lottery gave Cherokee land to white
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
settlers. The Cherokee Nation had never ceded the land to the state, however. Over the next six years, the Georgia Guard conducted a form of vigilante justice against the Cherokee. By 1834, New Echota was becoming a ghost town. Council meetings were moved to Red Clay, Cherokee Nation (now Tennessee). In May 1835, a small group of Cherokee (300–500 Cherokee known as Ridgeites or the Treaty Party) signed the Treaty of New Echota
Treaty of New Echota
The Treaty of New Echota was a treaty signed on December 29, 1835, in New Echota, Georgia by officials of the United States government and representatives of a minority Cherokee political faction, known as the Treaty Party...
in the home of Elias Boudinot. Signers included Major Ridge
Major Ridge
Major Ridge, The Ridge was a Cherokee Indian member of the tribal council, a lawmaker, and a leader. He was a veteran of the Chickamauga Wars, the Creek War, and the First Seminole War.Along with Charles R...
, John Ridge
John Ridge
John Ridge, born Skah-tle-loh-skee , was from a prominent family of the Cherokee Nation, then located in present-day Georgia. He married Sarah Bird Northup, of a New England family, whom he had met while studying at the Foreign Mission School in Cornwall, Connecticut...
, and Andrew Ross, brother of John Ross
John Ross (Cherokee chief)
John Ross , also known as Guwisguwi , was Principal Chief of the Cherokee Native American Nation from 1828–1866...
. They agreed to removal in exchange for lands west of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. This controversial document used by the American government to justify the removal influences what is now now known as the Trail of Tears.
In 1838 the U.S. Army, under the command of Winfield Scott
Winfield Scott
Winfield Scott was a United States Army general, and unsuccessful presidential candidate of the Whig Party in 1852....
, began the forced removal
Ethnic cleansing
Ethnic cleansing is a purposeful policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove by violent and terror-inspiring means the civilian population of another ethnic orreligious group from certain geographic areas....
of Cherokee from the state of Georgia. A Cherokee removal fort was located at New Echota. It was called Fort Wool. The fort held Cherokee prisoners from Gordon County, Georgia
Gordon County, Georgia
Gordon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 44,104. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 52,044. The county seat is Calhoun.- History :...
and Pickens County, Georgia
Pickens County, Georgia
Pickens County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The 2000 Census showed a population of 22,983. The 2007 Census Estimate showed a population of 30,488...
until their removal. As the prisoners began their exodus
Trail of Tears
The Trail of Tears is a name given to the forced relocation and movement of Native American nations from southeastern parts of the United States following the Indian Removal Act of 1830...
to Rattlesnake Springs, Cherokee Nation (4 miles south of Charleston, Tennessee
Charleston, Tennessee
Charleston is a city in Bradley County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 651 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Cleveland, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
), the Cherokee from counties south and east of the area also were housed here.
New Echota Historic Site
After the Cherokee were removed, their capitol remained abandoned for more than 100 years. New Echota disappeared, though some of the houses continued to be used. Most notable was the house of Samuel WorcesterSamuel Worcester
Samuel Austin Worcester , was a missionary to the Cherokee, translator of the Bible, printer and defender of the Cherokee's sovereignty. He was a party in Worcester v...
, called "the Messenger", a missionary to the Cherokee. When the then-current landowners deeded land to the state for preservation, the Worcester house, the largest remaining structure, had been vacant for two years. The wear of the elements in that brief time was apparent.
In March 1954, Georgia Historical Commission
Georgia Historical Commission
The Georgia Historical Commission was an organization created by the U.S. state of Georgia for purposes of historic preservation. The Georgia legislature created the commission in February 1951 to promote and increase knowledge and understanding of the history of Georgia...
archeologist Lewis Larsen and five men were sent to oversee the work of excavating New Echota. The team went to work slowly as they uncovered evidence not only of a Cherokee settlement in New Echota, but also of earlier Indian cultures. They asked National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
archeologist Joe Caldwell and two more workers to join them for the next two months as they continued excavation. The group recovered a Spanish coin dated 1802, crockery, household wares, bootery remains, a small quantity of lead, and 1700 other artifacts. They identified 600 items as having belonged to the Cherokee. In addition to the standard finds and remains of many buildings, Larsen and Caldwell astonished the world by discovering much of the type once used to print the Cherokee Phoenix.
James Vann
James Vann was an influential Cherokee leader, one of the triumvirate with Major Ridge and Charles R. Hicks, who led the Upper Towns of East Tennessee and North Georgia. He was the son of Wah-Li Vann, a mixed-race Cherokee woman, and a Scots fur trader...
was "original" with modern nails and replacement wooden parts, but is not the original New Echota Vann Tavern. This was relocated from Forsyth County, Georgia
Forsyth County, Georgia
Forsyth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The county seat is Cumming, Georgia. Forsyth County is a part of the Atlanta metropolitan area...
(Chief Vann owned 14 taverns across the state of Georgia) as original New Echota Vann Tavern was destroyed. In addition, the park contains the site of the former Elias Boudinot house, where it once stood but had since been destroyed by fire. This site, unreconstructed, serves as a memorial to Boudinot. The Worcester house was restored to its 19th century condition. Other sites are not open to the public, as they are now on private property. Across from New Echota, there were two farmhouse sites that were owned by white men who had married Cherokee women; these sites are now part of Gordon County golf course.
The New Echota Historical Park was opened to the public in 1962, with a replica of the original Office of the Cherokee Phoenix as a highlight of the tour. Inside that office were 600 pieces of type containing the lasting legacy of the first American Indian newspaper. They have reproductions of 19th century printing machines that tourists can take "reissue" Cherokee Phoenix newspapers to their homes. Later some type was moved to the museum and research facility that is built in front of New Echota. The three-quarter mile walk can be expanded by walking the Newtown Trail, a 1.2 mile interpreted trail that takes tourists to Town Creek (inside the center of New Echota), where the majority of the Cherokee had camped when the Council was in session. In 1973, when the State of Georgia terminated the Georgia Historical Commission
Georgia Historical Commission
The Georgia Historical Commission was an organization created by the U.S. state of Georgia for purposes of historic preservation. The Georgia legislature created the commission in February 1951 to promote and increase knowledge and understanding of the history of Georgia...
that controlled the New Echota Historic Site. The New Echota Historic Site was turned over to the Department of Natural Resources
Georgia Department of Natural Resources
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources is an administrative agency of the U.S. state of Georgia. The agency has statewide responsibilities for managing and conserving Georgia’s natural, cultural, and historical resources, and is divided into six divisions:...
also known as Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites, that continues to operate and maintain this historic site after 1973.
The site is listed as a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
.
External links
- New Echota Historic Site, official site
- New Echota Historic Site, North Georgia
- Treaty of New Echota
- New Echota map