Fort Delaney

Located in present-day Andrews, Fort Delaney consisted of a palisade, blockhouses, a small hospital, a blacksmith’s shop, and quarters for officers and enlisted men.  In June, 1838, North Carolina troops stationed at Fort Delaney arrested hundreds of Cherokees from the nearby communities of Konahete, Daseti, and Little Tellico.  Detainees camped around the fort before soldiers marched them west to Fort Butler (present-day Murphy) and then to deportation camps in Tennessee.  Cherokees from more distant communities rested at Fort Delaney on their way to Fort Butler.  Around 1,500 Cherokees passed through Fort Delaney on their forced migration west.