[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 130 (Thursday, September 25, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1856]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                FORT SOUTHWEST POINT'S 200TH ANNIVERSARY

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                             HON. ZACH WAMP

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 25, 1997

  Mr. WAMP. Mr. Speaker, I rise to bring the House's attention to the 
200th year celebration of Fort Southwest Point, located in Kingston, 
TN, on Oct. 5, 1997.
  Military activities at Southwest Point began in 1792 with the 
establishment of a blockhouse post for territorial militia troops under 
the command of Gen. John Sevier who later became the first Governor of 
Tennessee. During the 1790's, most of the many settlers traveling to 
the Nashville area passed Southwest Point, and parties of such 
travelers were often accompanied along the Cumberland Road by guards 
supplied from the militia post.
  Subsiding hostilities with the Indians contributed to a change in the 
role played by Southwest Point and by 1797 the militia had been 
replaced by Federal troops under the command of Lt. Col. Thomas Butler. 
From this point until the removal period, the Federal troops preserved 
the peace primarily by preventing illegal settlers on the remaining 
Cherokee lands. Fort Southwest Point's role in the peaceful coexistence 
with the Cherokees was enhanced in 1801 when Col. Return Jonathan Meigs 
was appointed to be military agent for Federal troops in Tennessee and 
principal agent to the Cherokee Nation.
  In 1807 the garrison was removed farther into the Indian territory, 
and Fort Southwest Point served as a supply depot for other forts until 
about 1812.
  Archeological work at this site began in 1974 when crews from the 
University of Tennessee began to uncover the site of the original fort. 
In 1984 a cooperative endeavor between the Department of Conservation 
and the city of Kingston, owner of the site, continued the 
investigation, and began to rebuild the fort on its original 
foundations. Now the fort is open as a museum staffed by city-employed 
agents and volunteers. Work continues on the research and rebuilding 
and many historically and militarily oriented events take place there. 
Currently celebrations are in order for the commemoration of Fort 
Southwest Point's 200th birthday.

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