Willstown
Encyclopedia
Willstown was an important town in the southwesternmost part of the nation (in present-day DeKalb
and Etowah
Counties in Alabama
) prior to the Indian removal
of 1836. The settlement of Willstown began at the southernmost end of historic Lookout Mountain within its shadow near the banks of Lookout or Little Wills Creek, sitting in the present right of way of the Great Southern Railroad and bordered to the northwest by an ancient trade path known as US Highway Eleven
since the 1920s in what is now Attalla, Alabama, continuing north along the confluence of the mountain through what is now Reece City, Crudup, Keener, Collinsville, Killian, through Fort Payne into Valley Head and the old mining settlement of Battelle. There are three known trading sites along the stretch between Attalla and Collinsville and numerous burials, homesites and remnants of farms.
The settlement was commonly called Willstown, after its headman, a red-headed man of mixed-race named Will Weber, or RedHead Chief Will, who was famous for his mane of thick red hair. The town, sometimes also called Wattstown because Chickamauga
leader, John Watts
, used it as his headquarters, was founded during the Chickamauga wars
, and later served as the council seat of the Lower Cherokee well into the 19th century. Will Weber emigrated to the Arkansas country in 1796, and John Watts died in 1802.
According to Major John Norton, a more accurate transliteration would have been Titsohili. The son of a mixed-blood Cherokee adoptee of the Mohawk, Norton grew up among Native Americans and traveled extensively in the region in the early 19th century. He stayed at Willstown several times.
The site of Willstown is north of the city of Ft. Payne, close to the Valley Head area. The former Fort Payne was built to intern Cherokees prior to their removal on the Trail of Tears
. Its site is in downtown Ft. Payne. There are still remnant earthworks at the site.
DeKalb County, Alabama
As of the 2010 Census DeKalb County had a population of 71,109. The median age was 37.5. The racial and ethnic makeup of the population was 81.6% non-Hispanic white, 1.5% African American, 1.4% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander , 9.9% from some other race, 2.2% reporting two or...
and Etowah
Etowah County, Alabama
Etowah County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is from the Cherokee language, which means "edible tree". It is the center of the Gadsden Metropolitan Area which includes Etowah and Cherokee Counties. As of 2010 the population was 104,430. Its county seat is Gadsden...
Counties in Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
) prior to the Indian removal
Indian Removal
Indian removal was a nineteenth century policy of the government of the United States to relocate Native American tribes living east of the Mississippi River to lands west of the river...
of 1836. The settlement of Willstown began at the southernmost end of historic Lookout Mountain within its shadow near the banks of Lookout or Little Wills Creek, sitting in the present right of way of the Great Southern Railroad and bordered to the northwest by an ancient trade path known as US Highway Eleven
U.S. Route 11
U.S. Route 11 is a north–south United States highway extending 1,645 miles across the eastern United States. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 90 in the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge in eastern New Orleans, Louisiana. The northern terminus is at the United...
since the 1920s in what is now Attalla, Alabama, continuing north along the confluence of the mountain through what is now Reece City, Crudup, Keener, Collinsville, Killian, through Fort Payne into Valley Head and the old mining settlement of Battelle. There are three known trading sites along the stretch between Attalla and Collinsville and numerous burials, homesites and remnants of farms.
The settlement was commonly called Willstown, after its headman, a red-headed man of mixed-race named Will Weber, or RedHead Chief Will, who was famous for his mane of thick red hair. The town, sometimes also called Wattstown because Chickamauga
Chickamauga Indian
The Chickamauga or Lower Cherokee, were a band of Cherokee who supported Great Britain at the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War. They were followers of the Cherokee chief Dragging Canoe...
leader, John Watts
John Watts (Cherokee chief)
John Watts, or Kunokeski, also known as Young Tassel, was one of the leaders of the Chickamauga during the Chickamauga Wars, particularly after the murder of his uncle, Old Tassel, by marauding frontiersmen firing upon delegates at a peace conference in 1788...
, used it as his headquarters, was founded during 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...
, and later served as the council seat of the Lower Cherokee well into the 19th century. Will Weber emigrated to the Arkansas country in 1796, and John Watts died in 1802.
According to Major John Norton, a more accurate transliteration would have been Titsohili. The son of a mixed-blood Cherokee adoptee of the Mohawk, Norton grew up among Native Americans and traveled extensively in the region in the early 19th century. He stayed at Willstown several times.
The site of Willstown is north of the city of Ft. Payne, close to the Valley Head area. The former Fort Payne was built to intern Cherokees prior to their removal on the Trail of Tears
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...
. Its site is in downtown Ft. Payne. There are still remnant earthworks at the site.