Georgia Natural Wonder #204 - Fort Yargo State Park - Battle Of King's Tanyard. 733

[Top Row Dawg]

Fort Yargo State Park

We are really digging for Wonders here at 204, but today's State Park is probably one of the most visited. The Ranger once told me they pay for themselves. Again a blur between Natural and Historical, but this hearkens back to a time when Georgia was wilderness. A dangerous wilderness.



A site named "At Your Pace" did a nice dig into today's Wonder. This park takes us back in time to after the Revolutionary War and before the turn of the century (1800) as the colonists started to become a new nation and farmers wanted to expand westward. Native Americans fought on both sides of the conflict between the British and the French during the French and Indian War. Winning that, the British began expanding their influence with local tribes in the colonies against those new settlers who were talking about independence. When the Revolutionary War started, tribes split over who to support.



When the British lost the Revolutionary War in 1783, I don’t think they left behind their influence with the Indian tribes who had fought along side of them. I think they kept stirring the pot, so to speak, against this new nation. At first, relationships with Native Americans in Georgia were peaceful, but eventually the westward push put a strain on their interactions, and the farmers needed to protect themselves when they were attacked; hence the need for a fort. But the fort we’re seeing today is nothing like the forts we remember from the Westerns we grew up with!

Wikipedia History

The Creek village and trading center known as Snodon was located near what is now Athens and Church streets in Winder. A Creek named Umausauga claimed an area south of Tishmagu, now called Mulberry River. Umausauga invited a group of settlers to stay and make their homes there. This was in part because they had impressed him with a gift of modern fish hooks, which his people used with great success. In 1786, three men – Abednego Moore, Richard Easley, and Josiah Strong - arrived from Effingham County. They set up camp north of the Mulberry River in hopes of trading beads and cloth. The three men formed a friendship with Umasauga, who allowed the men to purchase some of his land which they called Beadland. The day after the trade nine friends and family joined the three men. They brought four horses, two wagons, four head of cattle, four sheep, six pigs, ten new rifles with powder and shot and tools. The new colony now had eight men and four women, six of whom had fought in the American Revolution. 



The State of Georgia contracted with the Humphries brothers – George, Shadrack, and Uriah, the three sons of Revolutionary War captain and Jackson County delegate to 1798 Georgia Constitutional Convention, Joseph Humpheris – to build four forts across Georgia. Fort Yargo was constructed in 1793. Its location was given as three miles SW of "Jug Tavern," the original name for Winder. The other three forts are Fort Strong at Talassee, (1793 - 1796), A settlers' blockhouse at Talassee Shoals on the Mulberry River. Also known as Fort Strong. Built by the Humphries Brothers. Fort Thomocoggan now Jefferson, (1793 - 1796), A settlers' blockhouse. Built by the Humphries Brothers. Fort Groaning Rock now Commerce. (1793 - 1796), A settlers' blockhouse. Built by the Humphries Brothers.



Another site said Fort Yargo was one of three original trading posts built by The Humphries Brothers Trading Company. Fort Yargo, along with another fort at Scull Shoals and a third near present day Commerce, were a major attempt to set up an effective series of trading stations among the Upper Creek Indians.


Schull Shoals, a future Georgia Natural Wonder.

Scull Shoals began as a frontier settlement in 1782, and after several Indian raids, residents erected a fort in 1796. They began to expand across the Oconee River with the 1802 treaty.

Old Fort Yargo

The Fort Yargo building, constructed as part of the original Fort, is an 18 by 22 feet two-story log blockhouse. The logs used to construct the Fort are around 10 inches thick and are joined at the corners by interlocking wedge shaped notches. Portholes are located on the Fort to aide defense.



In 1810, George Washington Humphrey, an original builder of the Fort, sold Fort Yargo and 121 surrounding acres at auction to John Hill for $167.00. John Hill and his family lived on the property for a number of years. The family cemetery is located in the Fort Yargo State Park. 



In the year 1927, the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) took on the project to restore and preserve Fort Yargo. Mildred Pledger and the DAR placed a marker on the grounds which was later destroyed. Led by C.O. Maddox, members of the Kiwanis Club and the Lions Club set out to preserve the fort. With the help of Senator Richard B. Russell, Jr. in 1954, 1,497-acre were donated to the state. Other lands were acquired to bring the acreage count to 1,814-acre. 



At Your Pace

I think it’s so interesting that the first forts in America were individual strongholds for small groups of settlers who planned on protecting themselves instead of waiting for the army or other governmental agency to step in. As the West was being populated, large Army forts were built to house soldiers who would ride out to protect settlers on their travels through the countryside. When local attacks happened, settlers and farmers would come to the Army fort for protection and to help fight.



A nearby settler from around one of the other forts, Abel Trent, visited this location prior to 1800 and found a few settlers who were well-armed and willing to come to the aid of the people near his fort should it be attacked.



Small forts sprang up across Georgia’s Indian lands during and after the Revolutionary War. The Creek, Cherokee, and other tribes were drawn into the conflict by the British and fought skirmishes against the settlers who were establishing farms in their territory. When the Indians attacked, these settlers would flee to nearby forts for their mutual protection. According to letters and legal statements given by local citizens of the time, the 1780s and 1790s were particularly violent.



Settlers carved out farms in the Indian territories because the land was free for the taking. However, they risked their own lives, as well as those of their families, since Indian attacks, while not happening every day, were frequent and often deadly. Other challenges came to the settlers from disease, snakes, wildlife, and starvation if their crops failed or were destroyed. Families lived mostly in small, 1-room log cabins, usually several miles from their nearest neighbor.



The original fort was moved to today’s location in 2005. First its leaning stone chimney had to be removed so the building could be moved. Then a permanent foundation was created for the fort so the logs could be kept dry since it had previously sat on the ground. The chimney was rebuilt and the roof restored using treated pine shingles. Volunteers did as much work as possible with 18th century tools.



After the log blockhouse was reconstructed, volunteers got to work on building fences, pathways, garden beds, and the cooking shed; they continually look for ways to add 18th century elements to the site. A group of volunteers help maintain the original 1790s blockhouse structure and provide demonstrations to visitors. The structures and gardens around the fort are historically accurate for a typical trading station that would have been in this area.



Settlers wanted to establish their own farms as they moved westward. They cleared the forest and brush before building fences to corral their livestock, mark their boundaries, and keep out predators. Fence material depended on what was around and its purpose. Some farmers cleared stones from their fields and built low walls; old stone fences are common today in the upcountry and rocky areas.



The fence built around the fort is a wattle fence made by interweaving twigs or tree branches into upright rods or stakes. Sometimes fences were covered with daub or mud to help keep out small rodents.


At times, this log building could be filled with 30-50 people while they were under attack.

When not in use for fortification, a family occupied it and often travelers, new settlers, trappers, and traders bunked with them on their way across Georgia.



Firing holes or shooting ports were cut out around the room to provide a field of fire. this one is to the right of the fireplace had a limited view because of the chimney. To the left of the fireplace, a shuttered wood pass provided a larger field of fire.



The second floor served mainly as storage and sleeping space. Its windows opened to allow for a larger field of fire during attack and for better air flow on hot summer days and nights.



Many of the settlers in this part of the southern highlands, especially those of Appalachia, came from Scotland, Ireland, and northern Europe like Germany, which means they built there structures here like the ones they were familiar with. Logs were readily available, while saw mills were sparse or nonexistent in more rural areas.


This is what it looked like back in 1990's.

This building, like so many others in this hilly part of Georgia and the Carolinas, is one and a half stories with front and back doors opposite each other for air flow during the warmer months. It has a shake roof and a stone chimney. Its first chimney was probably made from sticks or logs daubed with mud.



In Georgia, log cabins looked more like those of the German tradition and often resembled a style well known to the South’s many Scots-Irish settlers.



Notching: hewn logs are squared off rather than being left round, and it is the most common log shape used in log homes in Southeastern U.S. Six types of corner notching are used on hewn logs. All could be made with an ax, maul, and adz. Three of the most popular in the southern Appalachian region are shown in this picture.



The half dovetail is also called Chamfer and Notch and is the best for keeping water out of the cabin. As the building settles with age, the joints pull in tighter and help the cabin last for a long time. This style was the most common notching style used in Georgia and it is used on the log structure here.



Settlers built their cabins out of logs and placed cedar or pine shakes, or shingles, on the roof. These small thin wood pieces were hand cut and applied to the roof with nails, probably the only place where nails were used when building a cabin since they were handmade and expensive.



Chinking: This has to do with the spaces between the hewn logs that needed to be filled, especially for the colder months. Originally chinking referred to the solid filler like straw or pieces of wood, while daub referred to the clay or lime mortar. Today chinking refers to all of the materials placed between the logs.


This photograph is of Fort Yargo before it was moved to its current site.

Today we can see the restored stone chimney, the well chinked logs with half-dovetail notchings, and the slots and windows used during attacks and for better air flow.



At one time, settlers used Bee Hive ovens to bake all kinds of foods. Taking its name from its shape, the oven can be found in all parts of the world even today. Simple to build from clay and straw, they were inexpensive for the early settlers to build, as well as very efficient and easy to use. Sometimes a small chimney for venting the smoke was added if the ratio of dome to door didn’t work well, but a chimney would reduce its efficiency.



How does it work? A hardwood fire is built on the floor inside the oven. Smoke is vented out the top side of the only opening in front, while fresh air is pulled in through the lower area. The oven can reach about 950 degrees in 2 hours. The fire is then raked out and the floor of the oven is damp mopped. At this point the oven can hold the heat for about 8 hours. Fast cooking items, such as bread and cakes, are cooked directly on the floor first. Roasts of meat and slower foods are cooked later as the temperature inside the oven begins to drop.



These ovens were popular and well used until the Industrial Revolution when gas and electric ovens were starting to be available.



Settlers usually cooked over open fires while traveling to their new homes in frontier settlements like those around Fort Yargo.

Once their farms were established, they continued cooking outside during the hotter days of summer. However, most women appreciated having a home with a hearth. This fire was rarely extinguished as the family depended on it for cooking, heat during the cooler months, and light during the evening hours.


Outside spits and cooking areas that the volunteers use for demonstrations.

The original Fort Yargo building had a cooking shed that sat over the beehive oven.


A reconstructed smokehouse at the site.

Smokehouses were used to cure meat or fish with smoke and salt. Before refrigeration, fresh meat wouldn’t last very long unless it was “smoked” or frozen. In early winter, farmers butchered animals for food during the cold months. In colder climates, the excess meat was frozen, but in the South, is was more often smoked or salted - or both.



When areas are first settled, saw mills and brick kilns won’t be built for a while yet, so smokehouses had to be built of logs or stones. Stones wouldn’t burn but were hard to build with. Eventually brick smokehouses were built, and they were more durable. However, plank smokehouses remained a less expensive alternative



The Hill family bought this land with the Fort Yargo building in 1810. We found the family cemetery in the park on an unmarked path and walked up the hill.



A number of different families are buried here.



Fort Yargo State Park is a 1,816-acre Georgia state park located in Winder, situated between Athens and Atlanta. The park is located 1 mile south of Winder and is accessible by Georgia State Route 81.



There is a 260-acre lake with a public beach. Available activities at Fort Yargo include GeoCaching, hiking, mountain biking, disc golf, boating (including Jon boat, pedal boat, and canoe rentals), lake swimming, fishing, picnicking, miniature golf, tennis, and basketball.



The park also features a log fort built in 1792 by settlers, for protection against the Creek and Cherokee. Local citizens and the Fort Yargo Living History Society are working today to restore Fort Yargo and some out buildings. Scheduled living history dates provide visitors with a chance to learn more about the history of the site. 



In 1954 local citizens formed the Marbury Creek Watershed Association to promote full development of the lands and water.



The association, with the help of local, state, and federal governments, planned and built the watershed works of improvement.



Through the efforts of U.S. Senator Richard B. Russell, the Federal Government in 1942 purchased Fort Yargo and 1497 acres of land.



It was deeded to the State of Georgia to be developed for recreational purposes.



The land was renewed, and a 261-acre lake constructed as part of the watershed project.



Fort Yargo State Park is a popular hiking, trail running, mountain biking, fishing, and camping destination, thanks to its short drive from both Atlanta and Athens. The highlight of the park is a large, 260-acre lake with a meandering shoreline that’s shaded by pine and hardwood trees. Circling the lake, the Lake Loop Trail spans seven scenic miles.



This out-and-back hike travels through some of the park’s more remote and scenic areas and runs nearly level, making it equally great as a beginner-friendly hike or ultra-scenic trail run.



The adventure begins at Fort Yargo’s picnic area (view maps and driving directions), hiking southbound (the lake is the trail’s left side). The trail passes a small island, a wooden dock, and the park’s boat ramp before reaching a wooden bridge at a third of a mile.



The hike crosses the bridge, catching great views of Fort Yargo’s Marbury Creek Lake from both sides, and catching reflections of the opposite shore in the lake’s rippled surface. Reaching land at the bridge’s end, the hike veers left to follow the Inner Lake Loop through a power line clearing. The trail’s surface is sandy as it hugs the lake shore, and scraggly shrubs and trailing vines blanket the landscape.



The hike reaches a second power line clearing at .8 mile. A quick pause in the sun-drenched, grassy clearing catches views of wildlife, as hawks soar overhead, grasshoppers buzz and butterflies flutter in the grass. The hike turns left, following a dirt road northbound for a short stretch through the clearing. The hike veers left to dart back into the forest, following signs for the Inner Loop.



The hike traces the contours of the lake, exploring a forest of pine and rolling elevation on several small hills. The hike veers left at a fork in the trail at 1.25 miles, and then crosses a wooden bridge at 1.75 miles.



The trail reaches an intersection at 1.9 miles, turning left to once again follow the Inner Loop, and crosses over the lake’s dam.



Views from the grassy, raised dam are broad and open. The lake’s outlet flows through the dam, exiting in a small stream visible far below in the forest. Reaching the end of the dam, the trail veers left, hiking northbound along the lakeshore and passing Fort Yargo’s cabins high on a hill on the right.


Yurts down by the lake.

This stretch of trail is a particularly great spot to catch a sunset, with the lake’s glassy surface doubling the light show in its reflections. (If you’re chasing the sunset, be sure to leave plenty of time to hike back to the trailhead before dark.)



Reaching the park’s campground area, this hike turns around, doubling back on the same trail to the trailhead. (Alternately, continue hiking through the campgrounds to circle the upper portion of the lake, completing the hike in a loop. The full loop is a great hike, but travels through some of the park’s busier recreation areas… while we’ve done both, we prefer the scenery of this 5-mile out-and-back.) Reaching the park’s picnic area, the adventure completes at 5 miles.


There are off road bike tracks.


Disc Golf.


Fishing.



Camp Will-A-Way

The park also hosts Camp Will-A-Way, an accessible camp designed for individuals with developmental disabilities, in partnership with Camp Twin Lakes.



Camp Will-A-Way is provided by Camp Twin Lakes and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Opened in 1971 and renovated in 2009, the camp provides a 250-bed camping facility to provide for the special needs population. Camp Will-A-Way at Fort Yargo State Park in Winder, the first comprehensive outdoor recreational complex for people with disabilities in the U.S., turned 50 years old last summer.



The Will-A-Way Recreation Area opened in 1971 after four years of planning, design and construction, and, since 2009, Camp Twin Lakes has partnered with Fort Yargo to provide summer and weekend programs for children with serious illnesses, disabilities and other life challenges.

Barrow County

Alright, a little over 50 images for today's Wonder. A lot more than I expected. Let's see if we can get a tangent on Barrow County in here. All British and French maps show the region around Barrow County to be Kataapa (Catawba Indians) and the Kiawah (Keowee) Creeks until the American Revolution. These Catawba joined the Creek Confederacy, and so within a generation, were probably speaking one of the Creek languages, and thus considered just plain Creeks.Virtually all references state that Barrow County was on the border between the Cherokees and Creeks.



The few Cherokees living in northeast Georgia were not hostile to American settlers and were many miles away. These Cherokees were emotionally broken from losing every war they fought since 1739. The Chickamauga Cherokees were causing considerable mayhem in southeastern Tennessee at that time, because white settlers had invaded lands assigned to the Cherokees. However, there is no record of Chickamauga raiding parties reaching the area around Barrow County.



There were isolated incidents between the Anglo-American settlers and the indigenous peoples of the area – the Yuchi’s and several branches of the Creeks. Most of the conflict was caused by white settlers trespassing on Creek lands to build farmsteads or hunt. However, a gang of young Yuchi men formed a horse and cattle rustling ring that periodically crossed the Oconee River to steal livestock. No major battles were fought in the vicinity of Fort Yargo. A rather significant Civil War Battle did happen in Barrow County.

Battle Of King's Tanyard

In July of 1864, General Sherman ordered an operation to cut Atlanta’s railroad supply lines.  Maj. Gen George Stoneman, with three cavalry brigades  was given the task. (2112 men and 2 guns) He successfully destroyed the railroad in Gordon, McIntyre and Toomsboro burning trains, supplies, and the railroad bridge over the Oconee River. 


Stoneman went on to be Governor California. Capron went on to be United States Commissioner of Agriculture.

Begun in the hopes of wrecking railroads south of Atlanta and freeing prisoners at Andersonville, Stoneman's raid ended ignominiously. Surrounded by Confederate cavalry at Sunshine Church, Georgia on July 31st, Maj. Gen. George Stoneman was forced to surrender with 1 of his 3 brigades of his cavalry division, Army of the Ohio. He was outmaneuvered by Confederate forces.  As a result, Stoneman allowed himself to be captured along with 600 of his men to effect the escape of Adams’ and Capron’s brigades. The rest of his command, the brigades of Cols. Horace Capron and Silas Adams, managed to work their way free of encirclement late that afternoon and to race to safety.


Adams served a term as congressman from Kentucky.

Soon, however, a brigade of Confederate cavalry from the Army of Tennessee, several Kentucky regiments under Col. William C.P. Breckenridge, took up a spirited pursuit.


Breckenridge was a congressman from Kentucky for 10 years.

Capron, commanding the 14th Illinois, the 8th Michigan, and a squadron of the 1st Ohio, fled in company with only a few hundred men, though numerous escapees later joined him. At first separated from Adam's brigade, by pressing northeastward, he linked with it near Rutledge Station late on August 1st.  Capron and Adams moved north and developed a plan to attack Athens since it hosted an armory. On the next day, the combined force moved against Athens, planning a 2-pronged strike on that well-garrisoned river town. Adams attempted to cross the bridge over the Middle Oconee, but was unsuccessful on account the preparations that Confederate forces had made to defend Athens.  Adams turned his brigade North and eventually reached Marietta to rejoin Union Forces. While Adam's demonstrated above the town, Capron took up a detached position, then sought to rejoin him to force a crossing of the Oconee River, 2.5 miles above Athens. Capron was in Watkinsville holding in reserve for the attack on Athens. But a local guide misled Capron's column, and the Union forces remained apart. He attempted to follow Adams route back to Union lines, but instead took the Hog Mountain road which was further west.



With Breckenridge still baying at his heels, a disgruntled Capron moved on northeastward, stopping after dark on the 2nd at Jug Tavern, almost within reach of Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman's infantry. Having ridden 56 miles in 24 hours, Capron's men were exhausted, and he permitted them a 2-hour rest. Although he was being pursued by the “Orphan Brigade”, Capron allowed his troops to rest for a few hours at the Mulberry River crossing.  This crossing is about ½ mile South of Bethabara Church.


Bethabara Baptist Church.

The Battle



Just before dawn on the 3rd, Breckenridge's cavalry struck the Union position. having slipped around Capron's pickets in the darkness, the Kentuckians plowed into a mob of runaway slaves who had camped in the rear of the Union column. The blacks fled in fear as the Confederates rode over them, shouting and shooting. Soon, Capron later wrote, the Confederates burst through his bivouac, "driving and scattering everything before them. Every effort was made by the officers to rally the men and check the enemy's charge, but... a stampede now took place." As panicky Union troopers remounted and galloped across a bridge over Mulberry Creek, the span collapsed under the weight and numerous men and animals drowned. Others, including Capron, fled to safety through dark forests. By then, perhaps as many as 250 Federals had been killed or captured. Capron and 6 of his men made it to union lines four days later on foot.


Not sure if this marker still there. Looks like earlier same marker, just moved downtown now.


Used to be right off Hwy. 211.

Nineteen year old Martin Van Buren Parkhurst was the only Confederate soldier to die in one of the Civil War's lesser known engagements. He was honored and had his unknown marker replaced with one bearing his name recently in Winder.


Daughters Monument in Museum now.

OK, next post we will tangent on Barrow County. I had this all as one post, Fort Yargo and Barrow County, but there was 193 images and even though I did not get a Message Too Large, I am going to pace myself. It threw me off because I was real proud of my Barrow GNW gals, but it affords me the opportunity to come up with today's Georgia Natural Wonders Gals, as they weld pioneer axes for Fort Yargo, and are ready to notch out some half & full dovetails.