Historical Society Explores Roots of Natchez Trace Area

HUNTINGDON (June 17) — Brenda Brown served as the featured speaker at the Huntingdon Historical Society’s June meeting, where she outlined the history of early settlement and the development of the Natchez Trace State Forest area in Carroll County.

Brown, a descendant of early settlers, said the land had been occupied for approximately 10,000 years, with the Chickasaw as the final Native American inhabitants before the region opened to European settlers in the late 1700s. Many of the early arrivals came from North Carolina, seeking land grants issued to soldiers after the Revolutionary War.

According to Brown, settlers traveling in covered wagons around 1830 navigated the 880-mile journey using landmarks such as a prominent pecan tree and a hill known as “Round Top.”

Upon arrival, settlers often faced harsh winter conditions and lived in caves or dugouts before establishing permanent communities, including the Shiloh community, which they initially named “Cavia,” and Maple Creek.

The early residents were primarily Baptist, and the community built churches, including one they named Shiloh. Brown noted that the word Shiloh means “peace” in Hebrew.

The region faced significant instability during the Civil War, as Carroll County was deeply divided. Following the war, Brown said economic conditions remained difficult, leading some residents to produce moonshine as a means of survival.

“Nobody ever got rich making moonshine up there,” Brown said. “They did it as a survival thing.”

During the Great Depression in the 1920s and 1930s, the federal government acquired approximately 16,000 acres to establish the Natchez Trace State Park and State Forest. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) subsequently launched projects to improve the land, including building roads, bridges and digging Maple Creek Lake.

Brown noted that government officials introduced kudzu during this time to combat soil erosion, a decision that proved problematic as the plant became invasive. While the land is now managed for recreation and timber production, remnants of the area’s history remain, including the Mount Comfort Cemetery, which contains burials dating back to 1830.

Brown took questions at the conclusion of her presentation, further detailing the Natchez Trace community’s deep history.

Johnny McClure asked those in attendance how many could trace their ancestry back to the Natchez Trace area, with many raising their hands.

The Huntingdon Historical Society’s next presentation is Wednesday, July 15 at 9 a.m. in the meeting room of Huntingdon City Hall. Featured speakers are coaches Jimmy Pritchard and Eric Swenson, who will speak about the history of Huntingdon High School football.