Prehistory and early history Excavations in the flats around Sycamore Shoals have uncovered evidence of significant habitation dating back to the
Woodland period (ca. 1000 B.C. – 1000 A.D.) and continuing sporadically through much of the
Mississippian period (ca. 900–1600 A.D.). By the late 17th century, the Mississippian-period inhabitants had largely vanished, and had been replaced by the Cherokee, who used Sycamore Shoals as a gathering place and hunting camp. By the 1760s,
long hunters such as Julius Dugger and Andrew Greer were operating stations in the Watauga Valley in the vicinity of Sycamore Shoals. In 1769,
William Bean, known traditionally as Tennessee's first permanent white settler, built a cabin at the confluence of Boone's Creek and the Watauga, about downstream from the Shoals. Around the same time, John Honeycut was operating out of a hut at the mouth of Roan Creek (about 20 miles upstream from the Shoals, now part of
Watauga Lake). Early hunters and explorers called the flats around Sycamore Shoals the Watauga "Old Fields," as they were full of
cane rather than trees, resembling once-cultivated fields that had for years lain fallow. and then returned to North Carolina to notify family and friends of his discovery. In late 1770 or early 1771, Robertson returned to the Old Fields with sixteen families in tow.
The Watauga Association In 1772, the Watauga settlers, hoping to keep control of the land they had been developing, sent James Robertson and James Bean to
Chota, where they negotiated a 10-year lease for the lands in the Watauga Valley. Being outside the authority of the Virginia and North Carolina colonial governments, the settlers lacked any official means of dealing with criminals and carrying out basic government functions, such as registering land deeds. Thus, in May 1772, the settlers drafted the
Articles of the Watauga Association— one of the first written constitutions west of the
Appalachian Mountains. modern historians point out that the Wataugans never claimed to be independent of the British Crown, and tried to associate themselves with Virginia. The Carter Mansion, the oldest
frame house standing in Tennessee, may be the only surviving material link to the
Watauga Association. Listed on the
National Register of Historic Places, the mansion was built between 1775 and 1780 by John Carter and his son Landon. John and Landon Carter were both prominent in political and military affairs, serving during the American Revolution and several conflicts with
Native Americans. When Tennessee was admitted into the United States in 1796, Carter County was named for Landon Carter, and the county seat of Elizabethton was named for his wife, Elizabeth Maclin Carter. The finely detailed interior and over-mantle paintings place the mansion among the most significant historic houses in Tennessee.
Treaty of Sycamore Shoals The defeat of the
Shawnee in
Lord Dunmore's War in 1774 emboldened land speculators in North Carolina, who believed much of what is now Kentucky and Tennessee would soon be under British control. One such speculator, Richard Henderson (1734–1785), learned from his friend Daniel Boone that the Cherokee were interested in selling a large part of their land on the Trans-Appalachian frontier, and Henderson quickly set up negotiations with Cherokee leaders. Between March 14 and March 17, 1775, Henderson, Boone, and several associates met at Sycamore Shoals with Cherokee leaders
Attakullakulla,
Oconastota, Willanawaw, Doublehead and
Dragging Canoe, the latter of whom sought unsuccessfully to reject Henderson's purchase of tribal lands outside the Donelson line, and departed the conference vowing to turn the lands "dark and bloody" if settlers attempted to settle upon them. The rest of the negotiations went fairly smoothly, however, and the Treaty of Sycamore Shoals was signed on March 17, 1775. At the same conference, the Watauga and Nolichucky settlers negotiated similar purchases for their lands. The Treaty of Sycamore Shoals, sometimes called the "Transylvania Purchase" (after Henderson's Transylvania Company, which had raised money for the endeavor), basically consisted of two parts. The first, known as the "
Path Grant Deed", regarded the Transylvania Company's purchase of lands in Southwest Virginia (including parts of what is now
West Virginia) and northeastern Tennessee. The second part, known as the "
Great Grant," acknowledged the Transylvania Company's purchase of some of land between the
Kentucky River and
Cumberland River, which included a large portion of modern Kentucky and northern Tennessee. The Transylvania Company paid for the land with 10,000
pounds sterling of trade goods. After the treaty was signed, Boone proceeded northward to blaze the
Wilderness Road, connecting the Transylvania Purchase lands with the Holston settlements. In July 1776, the Cherokee invaded the Nolichucky, Holston, and Watauga settlements. Although the settlers were chased out of Carter's Valley and the Nolichucky valley, the Holston settlers managed to thwart Dragging Canoe at the Battle of Island Flats (at modern
Kingsport) on July 20. The following day, a Cherokee contingent led by Old Abraham of Chilhowee reached Fort Watauga. The Wataugans, led by John Carter, James Robertson, and John Sevier, were well-prepared, having been warned of the invasion by Nancy Ward. Ward also used her powers as a Cherokee Beloved Woman to spare the life of Lydia Russell Bean (wife of early settler William Bean), who had been captured during the invasion and had been sentenced to be burned at the stake. The Cherokee laid siege to Fort Watauga for about two weeks before retreating. A relief force led by
William Christian arrived at Fort Watauga a few weeks later and attacked the
Overhill towns. The following year, the Cherokee signed the Treaty of
Long Island, ceding the Sycamore Shoals area to the United States. and the
Battle of Musgrove Mill. In late 1780, Major
Patrick Ferguson led an army of loyalists into the Appalachian Mountains to cover
Cornwallis' invasion of North Carolina. Ferguson sent a message to the frontiersmen in Southwest Virginia and northeast Tennessee, ordering them to give up their arms or face destruction. On September 25, a force of 400 Virginians led by William Campbell, 240 Sullivan Countians led by
Isaac Shelby, and 240 Washington Countians led by John Sevier gathered at Sycamore Shoals. After being supplied with food, money, and gunpowder by locals, the force marched across the Appalachian Mountains, linking up with several North Carolina and South Carolina militias along the way. On October 7, the Overmountain Men engaged and defeated Ferguson's loyalists at the Battle of Kings Mountain. The Overmountain Men suffered less than 100 casualties while killing 157 in the loyalist force (including Ferguson), wounding 163, and capturing another 698. The victory forced Cornwallis to temporarily abandon his invasion of North Carolina. ==Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park==