Nacoochee Valley/Nacoochee Indian Mound - GA
N 34° 41.010 W 083° 42.540
17S E 251818 N 3841285
Gauxule, Cherokee Indian town, Town House sat upon the mound, and the residents resided in the surrounding field. Visited by DeSoto in 1540, looking for gold.
Waymark Code: WM763N
Location: Georgia, United States
Date Posted: 09/07/2009
Views: 12
This location has several descriptions in the AGS book:
"At 19.2 m. the road enters the western side of the beautiful Nacoochee Valley (1,349 alt), a fertile tract lying along the headwaters of the Chattahoochee and Sautee rivers. according to legend, the valley was named for Nacoochee (evening star), an Indian maiden, who came here to meet Laceola, her lover from an enemy tribe. Learning of the tryst, Nacoochee's father sent a band of warriors to overtake her. When they discovered the two lovers together, one of them drew his bow, aiming at Laceola, but Nacoochee quickly stepped before him and recieved the fatal arrow in her own heart. Laceola, too, was slain, and the lovers were buried together in the beautiful valley."
"Right .03 m on this road across the bridge to the Nacoochee Indian Mound, 100 yards R of the road, on the property (private) of Mrs L.G. Hardman, widow of a former state Governor. This mound is 190 feet long, 150 feet wide, and 20 feet high. Exploration by the Heye Foundation in 1915 revealed a dog pot and many pottery vessels that indicate an advanced cultural development f the builders. According to tradition, this mound was the center of the ancient Cherokee town of Guaxule (pronounced Wah-zu-lee), said to have been visited by De Soto in 1540. In 1838 American gold miners uncovered a near-by sub-terranean village of more than thirty log houses. the logs were well preserved and showed evidence of having been notched by sharp metal tools. It is possible that the village was made by Spanish gold seekers who penetrated this region after De Soto's ill-fated expedition."
--Georgia: A Guide to its Cities and Countryside, 1940
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The mound is listed on the NRHP (http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMN0E_Nacoochee_Valley). In my life time a fence has been placed around the base of the mound--to keep the cattle off. There are several Georgia Historic Markers dedicated to the history of this valley:
-Nacoochee Indian Mound *****There is a pulloff at thus GHM*****
(http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM32A_Nacoochee_Indian_Mound_White_County)
-Nacoochee Valley: Valley of the Evening Star (http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM32E_Nacoochee_Valley_Valley_of_the_Evening_Star_White_County)
-The Unicoi Turnpike (http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMMVB_The_Unicoi_Turnpike_White_County)
-Early Trading Post (http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM32F_Early_Trading_Post_White_County)
Book: Georgia
Page Number(s) of Excerpt: 382
Year Originally Published: 1940
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