Lost Civilization
Old Stone Fort Park preserves an ancient ceremonial gathering place

Visit Old Stone Fort near Manchester, and youll be struck by the aura of mystery the ancient cultural site, once used for Native American rituals, still retains.

Located just north of downtown Manchester off U.S. Highway 41 is a place that has been shaped by both nature and man the Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Area.

Not only do the Duck and Little Duck rivers converge here, but Native American people once did as well, for ancient ceremonies.

According to park manager Ward Weems, European settlers who first mapped the area in the 1500s called the place a fort. But archaeologists believe its walls and barriers including the cliffs and rivers were used more to define the location than to defend it.

"They are not controlling barriers as much as conceptual barriers," Weems says. "Like a picket fence, it does not necessarily keep people out, but it makes a statement that this is set aside for another purpose."

During the first 1,000 years A.D., groups of Native Americans not yet formed into specific tribes came together at the site probably for religious ceremonies, Weems says.

Evidence of their gatherings is found in the man-made mounds and walls that surround an open field at the 50-acre site. Made out of rock hand-carried from the nearby rivers, the linear knolls are considered the oldest standing structures in the United States.

Park ranger Keith Wimberly says the site was most likely used for religious ceremonies for quite a number of years. Archaeologists from the University of Tennessee excavated the area in the early 1970s and determined that it had been used for approximately 500 years during the Woodland period of Native American development.

Near the museum and park office are two additional walls that jut in from the irregular circle. Archaeologists believe one wall was oriented toward the summer solstice. From the air, it looks almost like a giant boomerang.

Part of another wall was removed when mills began being built in the area in the 1800s. But the rest of the somewhat mysterious site is intact, which cannot be said for most other ancient Native American settlements in the United States, Weems says.

Although most and possibly all of the areas native peoples were aware of the place 1,500 years ago, many who live nearby today have never been there, Weems says. But those who do visit are impressed.

"It usually is exciting for people to realize there is something that large and complex that goes back that far in time and survives as well as it does," he says.

The scenery surrounding the fort is also enticing, Wimberly says.

"Its spectacular to see the waterfalls and rivers that adjoin the fort itself," he adds.

The area has fishing, hiking, camping and picnicking opportunities available as well as a nine-hole golf course adjacent to the main park. For more information, call (931) 723-5073.

by John Shearer
Photo provided by Tennessee State Photo Services