Fort Southwest Point, Military archaeological site in Kingston, Tennessee.
Fort Southwest Point sits where the Tennessee and Clinch Rivers meet, featuring reconstructed buildings from the 1797 federal frontier outpost. The site includes rebuilt barracks, officer housing, and a supply distribution center that show how the military garrison lived and worked.
The fort operated as a federal garrison from 1797 to 1811 and protected the frontier during early American westward growth. It served as a critical control point along the route between Knoxville and Nashville.
The site served as a key meeting place where the Cherokee Nation and the United States government negotiated land agreements and travel rights. Visitors walking through the grounds can sense how important this location was for communication between these two nations.
The site sits at the river confluence, which serves as a natural landmark for orientation and helps visitors locate the reconstructed buildings. Plan to spend time walking the grounds and taking in views of both rivers from the elevated terrain.
Excavations during the 1980s uncovered the original fort layout and revealed how the buildings were positioned and used. These archaeological findings guided the reconstruction of the buildings that visitors can see on the site today.
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