Visiting Old Fort Marr in Benton

A Day Away By Mike Steely

Many of our region’s historical structures are not where they originally stood. Many, like Fort South West Point in Kingston, were reconstructed where the fort once stood and others, like Fort White in Knoxville, used much of the original material in rebuilding the fort in a different location.

Fort Loudoun in Vonore was rebuilt above the flood waters of the Little Tennessee River and its former location and the Tellico Blockhouse there was unearthed but not rebuilt.

In Knoxville, the site of Fort Sanders, a Civil War stronghold, now holds a neighborhood. Many years ago Dr. James Faulkner found a small fort along the Third Creek Greenway north of the railroad tracks and preserved the breastworks there.

There is one other fort in our area that, like the James White Fort, has been relocated but is intact and is always available to visit without a charge. It’s located in the town of Benton just off Highway 411 south of Etowah.

Benton is where the Ocoee and Hiwassee rivers join north of the state line with Georgia. The town has a couple of historic places including the actual remains of Fort Marr, or Fort Morrow, and the famous grave of the Cherokee’s Beloved Woman Nancy Ward.

Originally Fort Marr was built in 1814 as a supply depot for Tennessee troops during the Creek War but was used again in 1838 to house removal forces who rounded up Cherokee and force marched them west during the Trail of Tears. Soldiers there served under the command of Captain John Morrow.

Several blockhouses were built for the Cherokee Removal and one survived.

Fort Marr was not originally located in Benton, but in Old Town, Tennessee, south of Benton just north of the Georgia line. It was physically removed and relocated to Benton.

The town was founded in 1840 as the Polk County seat and had been known as McCamy’s Stock Stand. The new town was named for Missouri U. S. Senator Thomas Hart Benton.

Nearby attractions include Big Frog Mountain, the Conasauga Snorkel Hole with a diverse aquatic population, the Ocoee River’s whitewater sites, and hiking trails along the Old Copper Road leading to the mining communities of Ducktown and Turkeytown. A hiking trail at Lake McCamy leads to Benton Falls.

Visiting Fort Marr and the historic Nancy Ward grave could make a good day outing for the family and you could loop back to Knoxville by way of Cleveland or Athens.

More information about Benton and Polk County can be found on the internet at ocoeecountry.com or you could call the Polk County Chamber of Commerce at (423)338-5040.