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History on a Stick
Fort San Juan By Michael C. Hardy
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n school, we once learned of Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in the New World, founded in 1607. It is an important place and an important date. The history of European settlement in the New World actually goes back before that familiar date. The Vikings explored North America centuries earlier. The English attempted a colony on Roanoke Island, off the coast of North Carolina in 1585. Before the English, came the Spanish. Everyone should be familiar with Christopher Columbus, who explored the Bahamas in 1492, and Ponce de Leon, who visited Florida in 1513. They found a land full of strange flora and fauna, interesting foods, and people. The Indigenous peoples in North America had been here for millennia, although they too had once been explorers and colonizers. Other Spaniards followed over the next decades. Hernando de Soto explored much of the southern portions of the United States between 1539 and 1543, possibly even traveling through the Toe River Valley. Spain claimed much of the territory, calling it la Florida. In 1566, a Spanish fleet arrived off the coast of South Carolina. At present-day Parris Island, the Spanish expedition established the town of Santa Elena. Captain Juan Pardo was ordered to explore the interior, looking for an overland route to the Spanish silver mines in Mexico. In 1567, the expedition arrived at the Native American city of Joara. The Spanish constructed a fort, naming it Fort San Juan. Leaving behind a garrison of thirty soldiers, Pardo moved east, exploring the Catawba River area and building other garrisons, including one near present-day Salisbury. Left in charge of Fort San Juan was Hernando Moyano de Morales. Morales continued to explore the area, battling native peoples at Maniatique, near present-day Saltville, Virginia. Morales returned to Fort San Juan, as did Pardo for a short amount of time. Pardo returned to Santa Elena, leaving a garrison at Fort San Juan. Just what happened next is not entirely clear, but in May of the next year, the Natives laid siege to the fort, killed most of the garrison, and burned the structure to the ground. A ceremonial mound was later constructed over the site. The exact location of Fort San Juan was disputed for decades. Some believed it was in Knoxville, while others thought that it was near the Qualla Boundary in Swain County. In 2013, several archeologists officially announced that the site of the fort and of the town of Joara had been found. Commonly referred to as the “Berry Site,” the complex was just sixteen miles from Morganton. The Berry Site is an active archaeological dig, led by Warren Wilson College. There are summer camps and other educational opportunities devoted to the dig. In 2008, the North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program erected a marker on NC181 at Bost Road in Morganton denoting the site of Fort San Juan, four miles to the northeast. CAROLINA MOUNTAIN LIFE Summer 2021 —
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HISTORY ON A STICK
sound system with excellent acoustics. “This is an ideal setting for business or organizational meetings, trade shows, family gatherings, weddings, social events, live music concerts and more—all with an indoor seating capacity for 288 people,” noted County Manager Barrier. “Outside we have another giant stage attached to the far end of the building facing the actual fairgrounds with a capacity to accommodate up to 2,000 people for larger outdoor live events. And in the future we are hoping to add a large movie screen to host family movie nights for the community.” The first live music event for the Community Center was the all-day High Country Music Fest on June 12, hosted by the Avery County Fair Board. The next official large community event (as of this writing) is the annual Avery County Agricultural and Horticultural Fair to be held September 8 through 11 on the adjacent fairgrounds. Other summer events will be publicized once confirmed. With the equestrian center and 1.5mile walking trail on the horizon, the Avery County Cooperative Extension and Community Center is right on time towards fulfilling its six-phase vision of becoming a major destination point for County functions, community gatherings, special events and cultural happenings.
