Quanassee Town Traditional Cache
Bioknee: Retiring from geocaching.
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Size: 
(small)
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This cache is placed along the Hiawassee River, adjacent to a recreation area and an historic site in Hayesville, NC.
From the parking coordinates provided, follow the paved walkway to the Spikebuck Mound observation point. Before crossing the bridge, bear left on a path/road that will take you to the cache location.
THIS IS A BETTER SET OF COORDINATES - N35*02.891, W 083*48.912
The cache is placed within 30' of the river. The water level can change significantly and quickly with release from the dam, and can be very swift. This is not a good place to stop for a swim, and please keep a close eye on the kids!
In 1700, the river bottoms surrounding present-day Hayesville were home to a thriving Cherokee community called Quanassee. The heart of the village was a townhouse, a combined civic center, council house and temple that was located atop the mound (today called the Spikebuck Mound) that still stands nearby on the bank of the river. Look for it on the way back to the parking area.
Archaeological evidence indicates that Quanassee was a substantial settlement as early as 1550, and most of Spikebuck mound was constructed before the first English explorers came to the area in the 1690s.
In 1717, South Carolina established a public trading "factory" (store and warehouse) at Quanassee to supply the region with English manufactured goods in exchange for deerskins and other Cherokee commodities. The main route (the Unicoi Turnpike) between the English settlements in South Carolina and the Cherokee towns in Tennessee passed through Quanassee, and the town became a bustling trade center.
In its heyday Quanassee was home to several hundred people, but by 1721, it was among the smallest Cherokee towns. The threat of attack during the protracted Creek-Cherokee War (c. 1716-1752) drove many townspeople to seek more secure settlements. Their fears were well founded; in 1725, a Coosa (Creek) war party destroyed the town and killed or enslaved most of its inhabitants.
The settlement was defunct for many years, but a new community established itself at Quanassee prior to the American Revolution. The area was known as Quanassee into the 1820s, when Baptist missionaries came to preach to families living at "Quansee." The town of Hayesville was not incorporated until 1913.
When you find the cache, you are standing near the center of what was Quanassee Town. Take time to visit the adjacent historical site to learn more about our history, and check out the photo below of the model of the village.
At different times of the year, an archaeology class from Western Carolina University can be seen in the field digging for relics. Feel free to stop and talk with them.
CONGRATS TO MXCR & LL100 FOR ANOTHER FTF!!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Purrc!