The hidden history of Hiwassee Island

Cherokee Nation Supreme Court Justice Troy Wayne Poteete, local businessman Greg Vital and TWRA Game Warden, Jason Jackson, standing left to right, ready a tour group for departure to Jolly's Island recently. The island is considered one of the best Native American archaeological sites in the country.

By Alex Green March 28, 2016 5 min read

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The hidden history of Hiwassee IslandGroup visits Meigs County site of former Cherokee village where Sam Houston lived

TWRA Game Warden, Jason Jackson, left, and local businessman Greg Vital walk the site of an old Cherokee village on Jolly's Island in Meigs County.

A group departs for Jolly's Island from the Hiwassee Wildlife Management Area recently in Meigs County. The tour group came from Texas and Oklahoma and stopped in Meigs County on their way to Maryville, Tenn.

A group arrives at Jolly's Island from the Hiwassee Wildlife Management Area recently in Meigs County. The tour group came from Texas and Oklahoma and stopped in Meigs County on their way to Maryville, Tenn.

A group boards two Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency boats to tour Jolly's Island in Meigs County.

A tour group hikes Jolly's Island recently in Meigs County. The island is considered one of the best Native American archaeological sites in the country.

Shawn Patch, geophysics specialist for New South Associates, talks to a tour group on the site of a former Cherokee Village on Jolly's Island.

Shawn Patch, geophysics specialist for New South Associates, explains historical significance of Jolly's Island at the confluence of the Tennessee and Hiwassee Rivers.

Shawn Patch, top center, leads a tour of Jolly's Island at the confluence of the Tennessee and Hiwassee Rivers in Meigs County, Tenn. The island is considered one of the best Native American archaeological sites in the country.

More information

Click here for more information on the Cherokee Removal Memorial Park and Hiwassee Island.

HIWASSEE ISLAND, Tenn. – Gliding through the smooth waters around the northern tip of Hiwassee Island, Denton Florian said he had long wanted to make this trip, out to the little green spot at the confluence of the Tennessee and Hiwassee rivers where so much history comes together.

“I’ve wanted to come out here to this island for a number of years,” said Florian, executive producer of the documentary “Sam Houston.” “Places like this give me chills. I could sit out here for a week and just think.”

Florian was one of roughly 30 guests to the island last week, among a group that came from parts of Texas and the Cherokee Nation in Tahlequa, Okla.

Hiwassee Island was once the site of a flourishing Cherokee village, and home to John Jolly, eventual principal chief of the western tribe. For a time, Hiwassee Island was also the home of Sam Houston, eventual governor of Tennessee and founding father of Texas, and is where he met his eventual wife, Diana, Jolly’s niece.