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History in the Macon
Written By: Donna Rhodes | Issue: 2015/03 - March
What do we Maconites have in common with Bibb County, Georgia? Answer: Nathaniel Macon, a North Carolina Congressman who served 1791 to 1828. The city of Macon, Georgia, and the county of Macon, North Carolina, both bear his name. Residents of that statesman’s constituency traveled south to settle in Central Georgia. They named the area in Macon’s tribute. Why did they leave the beautiful mountains for a plot of land on the Ocmulgee River? Commerce perhaps. It was in the heart of the land of cotton, and the river transported goods to the Gulf and New Orleans.
Macon County originally encompassed parts of Cherokee, Jackson, and Clay counties. Several important contacts with the Cherokee Nation took place in our county. In 1730, a diplomat with questionable credentials called a meeting among the Cherokee at a council house, which sat on top of the Nikwasi Mound located in today’s downtown Franklin. He won their allegiance to the British king. He escorted one of their young men, Attakullakulla (translated Little Carpenter) to England. Little Carpenter was quite a sensation among the English. He eventually returned to his tribe, where he became one of the Cherokee’s greatest chiefs.
The British went on to develop an extensive trading network with the Cherokee via South Carolina’s Colonial government. When the French-Indian War broke out, the Cherokee sided with the British. A few disagreements later, war broke out between the former allies, two large battles being fought right here in Macon County. In 1760 British and Colonial forces lost to the Cherokee at Nikwasi. The following year, tables turned, and the Cherokee lost to Colonel James Grant at the village of Etchoe, near present-day Franklin.
So next time you pass a Macon, Georgia, signpost, reflect on the connection we have to our Southern neighbor. They, “Macon” commerce; and we, “Macon,” our own brand of commerce via tourism, gemstones, and good ol’ Southern hospitality.
To learn more about Macon County history, visit the Macon County Historical Society, 36 West Main Street, Franklin, or contact Ran Shaffner at Highlands Historical Society. Highlands Museum visits will resume in the late Spring. In the meantime, go online to www.highlandshistory.com or email [email protected].
