Historic Park of the Wiregrass
Irwin's Mill Creek
The banks of the creek are
rich in history. A significant
action of the First Seminole
War took place not far from
the park. Originally designated as Chattahoochee
State Park, this historic park near the very
southeast corner of Alabama is now
maintained by Houston County. Created as a Works Progress Administration
project and constructed
by the Civilian
Conservation Corps (C.C.C.) during the
darkest days of the Great Depression, the
park has provided recreation for residents
and visitors in the Wiregrass area for more
than 70 years. So long, in fact, that it is now a
historic site in its own right. parks have been
greatly modernized over the years until it is
difficult to recognize the original Depression
era planning and work, Chattahoochee State
Park still retains much of its original rustic
charm. workers
wind through the park, crossing a natural
stone dam built during the 1930s to impound
the waters of Irwin's Mill Creek and create a
clear, freshwater lake in the park. There are modern conveniences, of course,
but the feel of the original planners is still
there. Traces of the camp complex used by
the Depression era workers can still be seen
along the park's C.C.C. Despite its name, the park is not actually
located on the Chattahoochee River. The
water that flows through the recreation area
is Irwin's Mill Creek, one of the most historic
streams in the Wiregrass Area of Southeast
Alabama, Northwest Florida and Southwest
Georgia. Archaeological research along the
creek, in fact, has revealed that ancient
Indians lived in its basin long before the birth
of Christ. Fluted stone points found just downstream
from the park are thought to have been left
behind by prehistoric hunters who passed
through the area thousands of years ago
while pursuing large game animals such as
mastodon and American bison (buffalo). When Spanish explorers made their way
west across Florida into the valley of the
Apalachicola and Chattahoochee Rivers
(then known along its entire course as the
Apalachicolo), a small but powerful group
called the Chisca lived along Irwin's Mill
Creek. They fled their town in 1675 after
sparking a war with the Spanish. For many years, however, the land along the
creek was known as the "Chisca Old Fields"
and in later years the nearby Lower Creek
town of Chiscatalofa also preserved the
name of the band. They eventually merged
with the Creeks and are today known as the
Yuchi. By the time of the American Revolution, the
Red Ground band of Creeks were living on
the Chisca Old Fields along Irwin's Mill Creek. Their town, called Ekanachatte, ran along the
south bank of the creek to the river and then
down to today's Neal's Landing Park in
Jackson County, Florida. Ekanachatte aligned itself with an alliance of
Seminole and "Red Stick" Creek towns
against the United States during the First
Seminole War. On March 13, 1818, it was
attacked and destroyed by a U.S. allied force
of Creeks led by William McIntosh. In his
account of the battle, McIntosh crossing what
is now Irwin's Mill Creek somewhere near
the Chattahoochee State Park site. In the years that followed the destruction of
the village, the former Indian fields were
taken over by white settlers and Irwin's Mill
was built just downstream from the park. The
settlement faded in the years after the Civil
War, although the mill operated well into the
mid-20th century. Chattahoochee State Park is located on State
Highway 52 south of Gordon, Alabama, just
north of the Florida border. The park is open daily from daylight until
dark. The
admission
fee is $2 for adults, $1
for seniors and kids 12 and under. Fishing is
2 for adults and free for kids 12 and under.
