Tales of Dadeville T
STORY BY BETSY ILER PHOTOS BY KENNETH BOONE, CLIFF WILLIAMS & BETSY ILER
his is the first in a series of articles about the history of Dadeville. Moderated by TPI’s Amy Passaretti, speakers for the free Tales of Dadeville series will share the town’s history on the last Thursday evening of each month through October and the third Thursday in November. The series is hosted by Zazu’s Verandah at 128 W. Cusseta St. on the courthouse square. A food truck will be on site at 6 p.m. at each event, and Zazu’s Verandah will be open for beverage sales throughout the evening. The storytelling begins about 6:30 p.m. or 6:45 p.m. each evening and lasts about 30 minutes with a question and answer session following. This month’s speaker will be Roy Mathis on Sept. 24. When the Spanish came to this area up through Florida in the 1540s, they found a rich country and towns that were home to hundreds and sometimes thousands of people, mostly Creek clans, said Ralph Banks, a Dadeville native whose family history in the area dates back to 1852. Banks kicked off the Tales of Dadeville speaker series at Zazu’s Verandah on Aug. 21. He is a long-time volunteer at Horseshoe Bend National Military Park in Daviston and at Wetumpka’s Fort Toulouse.
24 Lake Martin Living
Spain’s Hernando de Soto killed many Native Americans, some deliberately and many others through the spread of diseases to which the native peoples had no immunity. Other Europeans came to the area 60 years later, including settlers from Georgia and South Carolina, and they found a much different place. “The Spanish came looking for gold, and early traders wanted furs and hickory nut oil. By the time of the Revolutionary War, every major chief among the Creeks was at least one-quarter European, but they were very good at playing the European powers off each other. Of course, they ran into a problem when they started dealing with the American settlers because they wanted Telling Tales Above: TPI's Amy Passaretti the land,” Banks (on stage far right) moderates explained. the speaker series, which kicked Following the Revolutionary War, off Aug. 21 with Ralph Banks (on stage at left); Right: the Upper Creeks Menawa's portraits indicate his and Lowers Creeks, nose was not collected which included for counting after the Battle the Poarch Creeks, of Horseshoe Bend.
