I had never heard of Fort Buffington until late 2016 when I encountered a local man named Larry Vogt, who although not a native Georgian has made it his mission to locate the remains of the fort, which is not far from his home north of Atlanta. The fort was used to detain Cherokee who didn't want to leave their homes and move to Oklahoma in 1838-39. It was the start of the Trail of Tears.
The Spring issue of Georgia Backroads magazine has an article I wrote about Larry's quest, which is fascinating and heartbreaking. Unfortunately, you can't find the magazine online. It's only in paper copies, and in stores in Georgia, I believe. Georgians can usually find it at Kroger, CVS, and Barnes & Noble. Possibly Books A Million.
If you want to see a list of the stories in that issue, and order a copy instead of hunting in the store, look here.
Larry has had some help in his quest by being interviewed by his local online news publication. He has also written a book about Fort Buffington. As he reports on his blog, he has been working with the Department of Transportation to locate the remains of the fort before a new highway project possibly obscures it.
We have had some lively and fascinating conversations about the fact that my ancestors, the McConnells, were some of the militia that detained the Cherokee. Another branch of my family, the Hasty branch, includes at least two women we are pretty sure were part Cherokee. So ironically, I have genes from both the oppressors and the oppressed. [Larry posted a photo of one of the homes of my ancestors on this blog in 2015. Fascinating to see it, but also sad, because it was torn down. See it below.]
I would hope one day that if Fort Buffington could be located, the actual site -- and Larry thinks he may have located it -- that perhaps some sort of museum could be built to honor the Cherokee who suffered so much at that place.
below, the McConnell house that is now no more
