The roots of this historical, educational and highly entertaining festival dates back to 1756.  The Great Island Festival is held annually on the very same site where Fort Loudoun was originally built.

The fort was constructed by the Independent Company of South Carolina along the Little Tennessee River in the Great Tennessee Valley as an British outpost. The purpose for Fort Loudoun’s construction was to protect the Overhill Cherokee from the French along the Appalachian frontier by the growing British Empire during the French and Indian War of 1756-1763.

The original fort lasted until the summer of 1760. Due to a hostile uprising by the Cherokee against all British outposts in their territory, the occupants of the fort where forced to withdraw that same summer. Upon their departure Fort Loudoun was burnt to the ground.

Withdrawal of the English was not enough; the command was attacked by the hostiles before they could reach the historic Unicoi Gap Trail (also known as the Northwest Passage) and the safety that lay to the east beyond the Blue Ridge Smoky Mountains.

Roughly two-dozen of the sizable English command were massacred in the battle while the others surrendered to the overwhelming odds and were taken captive. Some of the captives were tortured and killed; the English of South Carolina and Virginia later ransomed back the remaining captives.

The few remains of the old fort lay neglected along the banks of the Little Tennessee for more than 150 years. In 1917 the Tennessee Chapter of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America, appropriately rededicated the site with a historical marker.

Today the old fort has been meticulously reconstructed, outfitted with a new command and named Fort Loudoun State Historic Area, a premier example of historic restoration. Originally located along the southern bank of the Little Tennessee, Fort Loudoun today finds itself on a 1,200 plus acre island in a world unto itself due to the flooding of the Little Tennessee River, which created Tellico Lake.  You can see a fantastic backdrop of the Great Smoky Mountains just beyond the lake.

The historic significance of Fort Loudoun still rings true today as the 18th Century Fort comes alive with troops, officers, craftsmen and women, traders, frontiersmen and Cherokee natives playing out their roles with the authenticity of a culture long gone.

Their Garrison weekends, 18th Century Trade Faire and Christmas at the Fort offer visitors a special treat. These reenactments make each performance an experience worthy of a trip back in time.  Most performers are history buffs, volunteers while others are actual Park Rangers in Red Coat uniforms wheeling sabers, muskets and canon fire.

The 18th Century Trade Faire held each September is Fort Loudoun’s largest festival of the year. You will be entertained by performers and can shop at an authentic 18th Century colonial marketplace complete with merchants, artisans and entertainers.  The main festival features mock battles, musket and artillery drills, storytellers, musicians, minstrels, magicians, conjurer, fakir, glass harpist, prestidigitator, escompteur, escapist, gully-gully, ledgerdemain, somnambulist, equilibralist, contortionist, and jongleur, authentic frontier craftsmen and women, and Otto the Sword Swallower…this you got to see, that is, if you have the stomach or should I say, the throat for it.

You can sample 18th Century food delights, buy authentic cloth by the yard and bolt, watch a blacksmith’s hammer hot iron on an anvil, visit an authentic Cherokee village setting and hear Attakullakulla, the Peace Chief tell his side of the story of Fort Loudoun. This two-day festival is great for kids of all ages, especially you big kids.

Fort Loudoun State Historic Area has a Visitor Center Museum with exhibits and artifacts from the French and Indian War, an award winning 15-minute video featuring “The Fort Loudoun Story,” and a Gift Shop all available between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The parkland offer 5-miles of trails that loop around the park, thirty picnic sites with grills at each table plus a pavilion that accommodates up to 50 people, available for rental by reservation.  You can also fish year round off a 50’ long handicap accessible pier over Tellico Lake (license required for adults under 65 years of age.) The park is opened 8:00 a.m. to sunset.

Located on the island and across the main highway is the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum. Sequoyah created Syllabary, the first writing system for the Cherokees. The museum will also be celebrating their Sequoyah Birthplace Fall Festival the same weekend with craft-persons, storytelling, native dancers, log cabin building, blacksmithing, archery, games, artisans and concessionaires. There will be many authentic exhibits and demonstrations by a band of Cherokee performers that will delight your senses.

To take in the full scope of this Great Island Festival will require a full weekend with so much to do and too much to see. These island festivals are truly one of the Blue Ridge Highlander’s favorite events; we hope to see you there.

Fort Loudoun State Historic Area and the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum is located near the town of Vonore in Monroe County, Tennessee just off Highway 411 along Highway 360, the roadway will take you across the waters of Tellico Lake to the island where your adventure will begin.

The Highlander

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