Archaeological excavations performed by Dr. David Moore during the early 1980s, revealed artifacts and other evidence that the earliest inhabitants of McDowell County lived there from the
Woodland period and
Mississippian culture era, from 250 to 1500 AD. Dr. Moore discovered this material in an area close to the
Catawba River, in and around an unusual topographical site known as Round Hill. Both the historic
Cherokee and
Catawba Indians were Native American peoples known to live in what is now McDowell County, and they had been there long before any Europeans. These Native Americans were living in this section for centuries before the Spanish
Juan Pardo's 1566 expedition to the interior region from the Atlantic coast. In the next two years, Pardo traveled from the Spanish colony on an island, through what are now South Carolina and
Western North Carolina and into southeastern Tennessee. His expedition traveled through the area that is now McDowell County. His purpose was to acquire territory for Spain and establish forts for an alternative interior route to central Mexico. The Spanish mistakenly believed that the Appalachians connected to a range there, where they had established silver mines. Pardo also hoped to find precious metals during his expedition, in which he stopped at several Native American villages. Pardo and his men built a log blockhouse, Fort San Juan, at a
Mississippian chiefdom known as
Joara at the headwaters of the
Catawba River, a site north of present-day
Morganton, North Carolina. They wintered over at Joara. Pardo directed his forces to establish five more forts in the interior, including one at
Chiaha, in present-day southeastern Tennessee. The Native Americans raided the Spanish newcomers and killed all but one of the soldiers in the garrisons, burning all six forts in 1568. Pardo had already left for Spain by then. The Spanish gave up their efforts to settle the interior. In 1748, "Hunting" John McDowell received a land grant from the colony of North Carolina for property known today as
Pleasant Gardens, including acreage that originally extended from Swan's Pond (Catawba County) up the Catawba River west to present-day Marion and into the region known as Buck Creek. McDowell went hunting with his friend Henry Weidner, and the two came upon a lush green valley with thousands of acres of what they thought was virgin forest. They were both interested in the land, and McDowell won a wrestling match to decide who should apply for it. McDowell settled here with his family, and received two more land grants. established residence here family, and subsequently received two land grants. He is noted in Max Dixon's book,
The Wataugans, as being instrumental in Jacob Brown's purchase of one of the last remaining pieces of acreage along the
Nolichucky River in eastern Tennessee. McDowell hosted negotiations with the Cherokee from that area on his farm in North Carolina. His son, Joseph McDowell, fought in the
Battle of Kings Mountain. McDowell County is named in his honor. Today, McDowell's home survives, one of the few remaining that was built by its namesake. The settlement of what was known as Old Fort took place nearby; this became for a time the westernmost outpost of colonial society. These early
pioneers established a community protected by a series of forts that were used into the early 19th century. In 1793, Colonel John Carson built a plantation house near Buck Creek in the Pleasant Gardens community. It is known as the historic
Carson House. He also operated gold mines in the southern part of the county. Colonel Carson had contributed to the Patriot cause in the
American Revolutionary War. Marion, the county seat of McDowell County, was planned and built on land selected by the first McDowell County Commissioners when they met on March 14, 1844, at the Carson House. It was not until 1845, however, that Marion was designated as the county seat by the state legislature. The settlement was named after
Francis Marion, the
American Revolutionary War hero known as the "Swamp Fox." He was the subject of the dramatic movie
The Patriot (2000). The historic movie
The Last of the Mohicans (1992), based on a novel by
James Fenimore Cooper, was set in New York state, but it was filmed along the shores of
Lake James. During the
Carolina Gold Rush period of the early 19th century, the south county area was known for its gold production. The banks of the Muddy Creek and mines at Vein Mountain were productive areas. Many mines and thriving gold rush towns such as Brackettown no longer exist; scattered ruins and abandoned cemeteries mark once-active sites of the gold rush period. An old mine in Woodlawn is from this period. McDowell County was first formed in 1842 from parts of
Burke County and
Rutherford County. It was named for
Joseph McDowell, a Revolutionary War leader and hero of the
Battle of King's Mountain. He was elected and served one term as a member of the
United States House of Representatives, from 1797 to 1799. In 1861, parts of McDowell, Burke,
Caldwell,
Watauga, and
Yancey counties were combined to form
Mitchell County. McDowell County is rich in
American Civil War History. ==Geography==