Mystery of Fort Mountain

Mystery of Fort Mountain

High atop a wind-swept summit on Fort Mountain in the Cohutta Mountain Range, stands the rumbling ruins of an ancient Stone Wall whose prehistoric origin remains steeped in mystery and legend.
Generations of archaeologists, historians, and treasure hunters have unsuccessfully sought to unravel the timeless riddle of the Stone Wall, one of the several enigmatic stone assembles scattered throughout the highlands of Tennessee and other parts of the Southeastern United States.
More than 100 years after the Wall’s discovery, the search goes on for clues to answer three important questions: Who built the Wall, when was it built and for what purpose?
Theories abound, of course, but only a few are considered seriously by archaeologists. The most realistic explanation offered by experts is that the Wall was built by a tribe of Indians around 500 A.D. - possibly for religious purposes. This theory has often been challenged by others who assert that the Stone Wall was built by wandering bands of Welsh Explorers in the 14th Century - possibly as a fortification against hostile Indian tribes. According to Cherokee Indian legends, the Wall was built by a race of people the Cherokees referred to as the “Moon Eyes”. As legend has it, the “Moon Eyes” were a race of light-skinned people who could see in the dark. Because of the language barrier, it is hard to decipher exactly what the Cherokee Indians meant by the “Moon Eyed” people. As Indians are born only with brown or black eyes, could they have been describing a race with pale blue eyes, or light-colored eyes? No one really knows.
The theory that the Wall was built by a tribe of unknown Indians around 500 A.D. for religious purposes is supported by the fact the Wall extends by a precipice on the east side of the mountain and due west to a similar point on the other side. Consequently, the sun rises on the end of the Wall and sets on the other. The Indians worshipped the sun, as they did all things in nature. The fact that no artifacts of any kind have ever been found in or around the area of the Stone Wall supports the theory that the Indians built the Wall for religious purposes. Indian ceremonial objects used in religious ceremonies were always taken with the Indians when they moved to a new location.
Another theory about the Stone Wall’s origin involved a legendary Welsh Prince named Madoc. He supposedly sailed into Mobile, Alabama 500 years ago and worked this way northward toward the Fort Mountain vicinity. Nothing else is known about Prince Madoc except that his name is linked to several stone markings called petrol glyphs in other parts of the southeast.
Yet another theory, which once received wide support, is that Spanish conquistadors, possible Hernando de Soto himself, helped build the wall as a defense against Indian attacks. Self-styled experts enjoy tearing holes in this theory by asserting that de Soto was never in the are long enough to build such a defense system. The explanation most defended by archaeologists today, however, leans toward the Native American connection.
The Stone Wall runs east and west and is 855 feet in length. Approximately every 30 feet circular pits were built into the wall. Its height runs from two feet to approximately six feet, but archaeologists believe that the Stone Wall might have been considerably higher many years ago.
Nobody really knows who built this mysterious Wall of stones that zigzags across the southern face of the most prominent peak of the Cohutta Range in Murray County. Lack of artifacts and written records lead many archaeologists to fear that the legendary origins of the Stone Wall and the secrets once contained within its walls will forever remain a mystery.



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