Fort Prince George

Front: Fort Prince George, covered by Lake Keowee since 1968, was built nearby in 1753, near the unofficial boundary between Cherokee lands and white settlements. Across the Keowee River from the Cherokee Lower Town of Keowee, it was built to protect whites and Cherokees from the Creeks or other enemies and had been promised to the Cherokee “headmen” by Gov. James Glen since 1748. Reverse: The fort, a palisaded earthwork with bastions on the corners, was manned by about 25 men. Conflict between its officers and Cherokees helped bring on the Cherokee War of 1760-61. Fort Prince George was abandoned in 1768 as relations between Great Britain and the colonies worsened. Archaeologists excavated the fort site in 1966-68 before Duke Power Company flooded the valley in 1968.