History of Guntersville

History of Guntersville (HMM83)

Location: Guntersville, AL 35976 Marshall County
Buy Alabama State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 34° 21.822', W 86° 17.451'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 783 views
Inscription
(Side A) This area's proximity to the Tennessee River and Indian trails made it a crossroads for early habitation, settlement, and trade. Archaeological studies reveal it was first inhabited about 12,000 years ago by Paleo-Indians. They were followed by various tribes of Native Americans. The Cherokees arrived in the late 1700s and called the area Kusa-Nunnahi, meaning Creek Path. In 1785, John Gunter became the first white man to settle here. He married the daughter of the local Cherokee chief. He was given land here and raised a large family (Will Rogers is his great grandson). Gunter and his wife died in 1835 and are buried near their old home site. General Andrew Jackson came through the area in October 1813 and recruited several Cherokees to help him fight the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. John Gunter's son, Edward, established a ferry here in 1818. As the small village grew, it became known as Gunter's Landing. (Continued on other side)

(Side B) (Continued from other side) Gunter's Landing was involved in the tragic removal of Indians during the late 1830. The John Benge Detachment of more than 1,000 Cherokees crossed the river in Guntersville in early October 1838 on their way to the Oklahoma Territory in what has become known as the Trail of Tears. John Allan Wyeth, the town's most famous citizen, was born in a log cabin near here in 1845 and later became president of the American Medical Association. Guntersville was practically destroyed during the Civil War by Union raids and cannon bombardments. One building to survive is the Col. Montgomery Gilbreath home which still exists. By the 1890s, the town had become a major port for commercial and passenger steamboats traveling between Knoxville and Decatur. The area was forever changed in 1939 when the TVA constructed Guntersville Dam a few miles south and created Lake Guntersville.
Details
HM NumberHMM83
Series This marker is part of the Trail of Tears series
Tags
Year Placed2010
Placed ByThe Alabama Tourism Department and the City of Guntersville
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Wednesday, October 15th, 2014 at 1:24am PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)16S E 565208 N 3802711
Decimal Degrees34.36370000, -86.29085000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 34° 21.822', W 86° 17.451'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds34° 21' 49.32" N, 86° 17' 27.06" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)256
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 375 Lurleen B Wallace Dr, Guntersville AL 35976, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. What historical period does the marker represent?
  2. What historical place does the marker represent?
  3. What type of marker is it?
  4. What class is the marker?
  5. What style is the marker?
  6. Does the marker have a number?
  7. This marker needs at least one picture.
  8. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  9. Is the marker in the median?