Architectural styles platform mound Area 7 ha | NRHP Reference # 80004598 Added to NRHP 26 November 1980 | |
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Location Franklin, North Carolina Cultures South Appalachian Mississippian; Cherokee | ||
Nikwasi is an archaeological site located on the floodplain of the Little Tennessee River located in contemporary Franklin, North Carolina. An associated platform mound is conspicuous to the many drivers who pass by daily on US 441 Business. The mound architecture has been well-preserved down to the present day, and the ramp and flat summit continue to be easily differentiated.
Contents
- Spirit defenders of nikwasi native american flute and mountain dulcimer appalachian fusion
- Archaeological and Geophysical Investigations
- Nikwasi in the Documentary Record
- References
The site takes its name from the Cherokee town located there which enters the historical record in the early 18th century. Based upon the southeast orientation of the ramp and the results of a 2009 ground-penetrating radar survey, the summit of the mound is thought to have been the seat of the townhouse in which Cherokee leaders hosted British delegations in 1727 and 1731.
Spirit defenders of nikwasi native american flute and mountain dulcimer appalachian fusion
Archaeological and Geophysical Investigations
A single 5′ x 5′ test unit dug by University of North Carolina archaeologists in 1963 constitutes the entirety of formal digging known to have been undertaken at Nikwasi. The mound’s excellent state of preservation owes much to the fact that it was opened by neither the Valentines nor the Smithsonian during the later part of the 19th century.
The 2009 GPR survey revealed that the base of the mound is covered by from 1 to 2 meters of combined alluvial deposits and manmade fill. As a result of these findings, it is clear that prior to the flooding and fill events the mound enjoyed greater topographic prominence than currently. In other words, the mound was once an even more impressive part of the cultural landscape than it is today.
Nikwasi in the Documentary Record
The Varnod census enumerated the 1721 population of the town as 142, constituting 53 men, 50 women, and 59 children.
Nikwasi hosted delegations up from Charleston in the years 1727 and 1731. Colonel John Herbert took part in a council there on December 3, 1727. Self-appointed royal ambassador Alexander Cuming was hosted at the town three years later on April 3–4, 1731.
During the summer of 1761 the Nikwasi townhouse was used as a field hospital by the members of the punitive expedition led by James Grant.