Photograph of unexcavated structural ruins at Fort Southwest Point in Kingston, Tennessee, taken circa 1980s
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- This photograph is of unexcavated structural ruins at Fort Southwest Point, located near the city of Kingston, in Roane County, Tennessee. The ruins show that the structures were composed of stacked mortared and unmortared limestone blocks and, occasionally, river rocks. Fort Southwest Point was established in 1792 as a blockhouse post for the territorial militia troops that were protecting white settlers from Indian acts of hostility. By 1797, the militia was replaced by Federal troops whose goals were to maintain peace with the Indians and protect their rights on the frontier. During the years between 1801-1807, the fort was established as the headquarters for the Cherokee Agency. In 1974, archaeological crews from the University of Tennessee unearthed portions of six fort building foundations, the remains of a massive stone wall, and many fort-period artifacts. A 1984 excavation of the site by the Department of Conservation and the City of Kingston located the sites of a total of thirteen buildings. These buildings include an officer's barracks, four blockhouses, and several buildings that are believed to have been barracks. A complementary excavation in 1986 revealed the location of two more buildings, bringing the total to fifteen buildings. The excavation also produced a more detailed examination of the palisade and stone wall enclosures, and uncovered several historic and prehistoric features. Additional excavations were conducted at Fort Southwest Point in the 1990s.
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