and the

presents

POLK COUNTY

Tennessee Local History Network Web Site

"A HIDDEN TREASURE"

WELCOME

In the Heart of the last stronghold of the

Cherokee Indian

Hosted by:  Joyce Gaston Reece & Sharon McCormack

"Old Fort Marr"

    Built just before the "Great Removal" of the Cherokee Indians this structure stands as a grim reminder of one of history's tragedy's.  The Fort was originally built near McNair's Stand just north of the Conasauga River in South Polk County but today stands in Benton, the county seat.  Above photo by Joyce G. Reece, Benton, TN., circa 1975

This old black and white photo of Fort Marr was taken during the time period when photo post cards were popular (1940's and 1950's).  The Blockhouse was moved in the 1960's.  For this reason it is possible that this picture was taken before it was moved.

                    
______________________________________________________________

Polk County, Tennessee was formed in 1839 just after the "Great Removal".  It was formed from Indian lands, part of McMinn and part of Bradley County.  Much of today's Polk County property is owned by the National Forest Service's Cherokee National Forest.

165th Anniversary of Polk County

by Marian Presswood

________________________________________________________________________________________

Polk County lies in the extreme southeastern corner of the state.  These communities lie in Polk County: Wetmore, Linsdale, Benton, Ocoee, Old Fort, Conasauga, Archville, Greasy Creek, Reliance, Springtown, Farner, Turtletown, Ducktown & Copperhill.  Three rivers make their way through the county.  On the south end the beautiful Conasauga River passes north from Georgia's Chattahoochie National Forest (also spelled Chattahoochee) to flow just a few miles through the county. The Conasauga is one of the few 'unencumbered' rivers remaining in the region.  It flows south through Georgia's drainage system.  The Ocoee River heads up in north Georgia in the Blue Ridge area to meander through the Appalachian Mountains to join with the Hiwassee.  The Hiwassee River heads up east of the Ocoee watershed. The Hiwassee where Murphy, North Carolina now stands and west of the mountains in the section between the mountains and the mouth of the river was once the site of several Cherokee towns & villages and is now a scenic river providing many recreational opportunities.  The Ocoee feeds into the Hiwassee near the Patty/Linsdale communitys which eventually feeds into the Tennessee River near Birchwood, TN. in Bradley County.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

The Overlook from Benton Mountain's south end.  This is Lake Ocoee (or Parksville Lake in native's usage).  This is probably the most widely used picture depicting Polk's scenic beauty.  In the background is Sugarloaf Mountain (Round Mountain in native's usage).  Photo looks westward toward Bradley County.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

RECORDS

____________________________________________________________________________________________

LINKS

A collection of links to web sites we hope will be beneficial and educational.

_________________________________________________________________________

SEARCH THIS SITE

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Family History Web Site Links

{A collection of offsite links of Polk related researchers.}

AN INTENSIVE LIST OF HISTORICAL ARTICLES & PHOTO'S AVAILABLE AT THE POLK COUNTY NEWS - CITIZENS ADVANCE

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Information about the Polk County Library

___________________________________________________________________________________________

POST YOUR QUERIES HERE

Polk County Message Board at Ancestry.com

(A FREE registration may be required to log on.  This helps system administrators prevent abuse.)

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

GOODSPEED'S POLK COUNTY

HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHIES

The ANNALS OF TENNESSEE

by Dr. J.G.M. Ramsey

This book has long been a standard tool in researching Tennessee history. 

Be sure to take a look at the information provided here...you might be surprised at the amount of data included.

INDEX

Appendix

This link will take you to the index of this 800+ page book. 

Claudia B Carson

Claudia will do lookups.  Please be as specific with your names as possible.  Claudia may wish to snail mail photocopies.  In that case please be prepared to send an addressed stamped envelope to her.  Contact her at the above link for more information

The Annals of Tennessee to the end of the eighteenth century comprising its settlement, as The Watauga Association, from 1796 to 1777; A Part of North Carolina, from 1788 to1784; The Territory of the U. States, South of the Ohio, from 1790 to1796; The State of Tennessee, from 1796 to 1800 by J.G.M. Ramsey, A.M., M.D. 

______________________________________________________________________________________

Always remember that when researching Polk County that the county was formed from Cherokee lands, Bradley County, TN. & McMinn County, TN.  Residents living on those county boundaries would instantly become residents of Polk County in the 1840 records.  Be sure to check the records of these surrounding areas.  For instance, many of the land grants were recorded in McMinn County deed records.

Many times these boards will be sent on to the rootsweb mailing lists but not always. When checking out the information look for a message at the upper left portion of the board mentioning that the board is gatewayed to the list.

To subscribe to the following mailing lists--click link for an email connection. Put subscribe in subject line and send. You will receive an email confirming your subscription and telling about the archives of past lists and how to unsubscribe if necessary.

The internet offers many message boards but the two best are Ancestry/Rootsweb and Genforum. Remember however everyone does not always read or send messages to both so be sure to check both for some informative help.

Libraries are always a great resource.  Here are links for a few in our area.

(Data compiled by Sharon McCormack)

These links take you to area newspapers that contain McMinn, Bradley and Polk Co Obituaries

Please visit the websites of our neighboring counties

In Memorium

Reba Bayless Boyer

You are visitor   since April 5, 2004