FIRST -- Indian Village Visited by a White Man, Shell Banks AL
N 30° 15.103 W 087° 48.937
16R E 421533 N 3346959
An unobtrusive historic marker commemorates a major milestone for the Native Americans who lived here -- one that changed everything for them.
Waymark Code: WMND64
Location: Alabama, United States
Date Posted: 02/18/2015
Views: 4
In front of the small Shell Banks Baptist Church in a little Alabama back country road to Fort Morgan, stands this historic marker, commemorating a MAJOR event that happened here almost 450 years ago.
The marker reads as follows:
"INDIAN VILLAGE ACHUSE
The tiny Shell Banks Baptist Church rests near the location of the first Indian Village in America visited by a white man. This was the Indian Village of "Achuse" visited by Admiral Maldonado who was one of DeSoto's officers. He scouted the Florida and Alabama coast from Tampa Bay and entered the port of "Achuse" before DeSoto started from Tampa Bay on the longest, strangest, boldest adventure in the history of the world. This was in 1539, 81 years before the colony landed at Jamestown. The name of this village, "Achuse" is shown at this location on the official map made by the U.S. DeSoto Expedition Commission created by Congress in 1936. On an old crude Spanish map made of the Gulf Coast region in the 16th century, the Indian Village of "Achuse" shows on this map near the same location now occupied by the Shell Banks Baptist Church.
This marked is presented by: Addison and Dorothy Mauldin and Milton and Ruth Ewing. In loving memory of their parents, Charles and Sena Ewing. Written by Hatchett Chandler, December 22, 1968."
FIRST - Classification Variable: Item or Event
Date of FIRST: 01/01/1589
More Information - Web URL: [Web Link]
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