Nikwasi
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Western side of Nikwasi Mound. The ramp is to the right of the photo.
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| Location | Franklin, North Carolina |
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| Coordinates | 35°11′06″N 83°22′25″W / 35.18499°N 83.37360°W |
| History | |
| Cultures | South Appalachian Mississippian; Cherokee |
| Site notes | |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural styles | |
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Nequasee
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| Area | 18 acres (7.3 ha) |
| NRHP reference # | 80004598 |
| Added to NRHP | November 26, 1980 |
| Responsible body: Private | |
Nikwasi is an archaeological site located on the floodplain of the Little Tennessee River located in contemporary Franklin, North Carolina. An associated platform mound is conspicuous to the many drivers who pass by daily on US 441 Business. The mound architecture has been well-preserved down to the present day, and the ramp and flat summit continue to be easily differentiated.
The site takes its name from the Cherokee town located there which enters the historical record in the early 18th century. Based upon the southeast orientation of the ramp and the results of a 2009 ground-penetrating radar survey, the summit of the mound is thought to have been the seat of the townhouse in which Cherokee leaders hosted British delegations in 1727 and 1731.
A single 5′ x 5′ test unit dug by University of North Carolina archaeologists in 1963 constitutes the entirety of formal digging known to have been undertaken at Nikwasi. The mound’s excellent state of preservation owes much to the fact that it was opened by neither the Valentines nor the Smithsonian during the later part of the 19th century.
The 2009 GPR survey revealed that the base of the mound is covered by from 1 to 2 meters of combined alluvial deposits and manmade fill. As a result of these findings, it is clear that prior to the flooding and fill events the mound enjoyed greater topographic prominence than currently. In other words, the mound was once an even more impressive part of the cultural landscape than it is today.
The Varnod census enumerated the 1721 population of the town as 142, constituting 53 men, 50 women, and 59 children.
Nikwasi hosted delegations up from Charleston in the years 1727 and 1731. Colonel John Herbert took part in a council there on December 3, 1727. Self-appointed royal ambassador Alexander Cuming was hosted at the town three years later on April 3–4, 1731.
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Wikipedia