Gems of the Past: History of Hiwassee Old Town

The Tennessee Overhill Heritage Association will host a special installment of its Gems of the Past lecture series on Thursday, July 16 at 7 p.m. at the Historic Gem Theater in downtown Etowah. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and admission is free. Archaeologist and historian Dr. Brett H. Riggs, one of the nation’s leading scholars of Cherokee history, will present “When the Revolution Came to Hiwassee Old Town.” His program examines how the American Revolution reshaped life for Cherokee residents of the Overhill towns, using archaeological findings, historical documentation, and Cherokee accounts to trace how the conflict transformed the community at Hiwassee Old Town, located at the present‑day Tennessee Tree Nursery on Highway 411 in Delano. Riggs has spent more than three decades researching Cherokee settlements and the early colonial period across the Southern Appalachians, work that has significantly deepened modern understanding of the Overhill Cherokee and their role in early American history. The event is sponsored in part by TN250, Tennessee’s commemoration of the nation’s 250th anniversary, and aligns with statewide efforts to highlight the people and places that shaped Tennessee’s early story. Guests are also encouraged to visit the Nancy Cantrell Dender Gallery, connected to the GEM Theater, which will be open before the lecture. The gallery is currently displaying the Tennessee State Museum’s traveling exhibit “Our American Story: Voices From Tennessee,” a TN250 exhibition featuring influential Tennesseans whose lives helped shape both the state and the nation. The lecture is free, open to the public, and seating is first‑come, first‑served. For more information, contact the Tennessee Overhill Heritage Association at 423‑263‑7232 or visit tennesseeoverhill.com