The History Press [New Releases]

Follow Archaeologist Darla Spencer as she discovers the history and habits of 16 Native American sites in West Virginia.

Once thought of as Indian hunting grounds with no permanent inhabitants, West Virginia is teeming with evidence of a thriving early native population. Today's farmers can hardly plow their fields without uncovering ancient artifacts, evidence of at least ten thousand years of occupation. Members of the Fort Ancient culture resided along the rich bottomlands of southern West Virginia during the Late Prehistoric and Protohistoric periods. Lost to time and rediscovered in the 1880s, Fort Ancient sites dot the West Virginia landscape. This volume explores sixteen of these sites, including Buffalo, Logan and Orchard. Archaeologist Darla Spencer excavates the fascinating lives of some of the Mountain State's earliest inhabitants in search of who these people were, what languages they spoke and who their descendants may be.

A tradition that dates back almost ten thousand years, basketry is an integral aspect of Cherokee culture. Cherokee Basketry describes the craft's forms, functions and methods and records the tradition's celebrated makers.

In the mountains of Western North Carolina, stunning baskets are still made from rivercane, white oak and honeysuckle and dyed with roots and bark. This complex art, passed down from mothers to daughters, is a thread that bonds modern Native Americans to ancestors and traditional ways of life. Anna Fariello, associate professor at Western Carolina University, reveals that baskets hold much more than food and clothing. Woven with the stories of those who produce and use them, these masterpieces remain a powerful testament to creativity and imagination.

The first Europeans to arrive in the Ohio Valley were intrigued and puzzled by the many conical earthen mounds they encountered there. They created wild theories about who the mysterious “mound builders” might be.

It was not until the 1880s that Smithsonian Institution investigations revealed that the mound builders were the ancestors of living Native Americans. More than four hundred mounds have been recorded in West Virginia, including the Grave Creek Mound in Marshall County, once the largest conical mound in North America. Join archaeologist Darla Spencer and learn about the Grave Creek Mound and sixteen additional Adena mounds and groups of mounds from the fascinating Woodland period in West Virginia.

Explore the sacred homeland of the Cherokee people

Created in 1920, the 650,000-acre Cherokee National Forest lies north and south of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Located in the sacred homeland of the Cherokees, it pays tribute to its heritage in its name and protects ancient indigenous burial caves and portions of the Trail of Tears. By car, foot, horse, or watercraft, visitors explore the natural beauties of the region, such as the Roan, Max Patch, Unicoi, and Unaka mountains and the Ocoee, Hiwassee, Nolichucky, Watauga, and French Broad rivers. The Appalachian, Benton MacKaye, and John Muir trails and other pathways lead to mountain-top views, rock cliffs, forested coves and gardens of abundant wildflowers.

Local author Marci Spencer tells the stories of these wonders and the early settlers, railroad workers, loggers and miners who lived and worked among them.

Tragically, relatively little of this flourishing nation and its rich culture has survived. Its stories, however, live on today.

In this priceless and engaging collection, native Cherokee and professional storyteller Lloyd Arneach recounts tales such as how the bear lost his long bushy tail and how the first strawberry came to be.

Savannah's storied history begins with Native Americans.

The Guales lived along the Georgia coast for hundreds of years and were the first to encounter Spanish missionaries from St. Augustine in the 1500s. Tomochichi of the Yamacraw tribe is lauded as the co-founder of Georgia for his efforts in helping James Oglethorpe establish the Savannah colony in the eighteenth century. In 1830, President Andrew Jackson forced southeastern Native American tribes to resettle in the West, including descendants of the Savannah Creek, who had fought by Jackson's side at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. Michael Freeman explores the legacy of coastal Georgia's Native Americans and the role they played in founding Savannah.

Where Patriots vs. Loyalists wasn’t a slogan—it was your neighbor

Across the rugged ridges of Southern Appalachia, the fight for American independence took on a raw and uncertain life of its own. Long before the ink dried on the Declaration of Independence, the backcountry of Western North Carolina and what would become Eastern Tennessee was already a pressure cooker of rebellion, loyalty, and survival. Here, far from Philadelphia’s debating halls, the American Revolution unfolded in skirmishes, alliances, and personal gambles that helped shape the future United States. Although George Washington never set foot in these mountains, the region’s role in the American War of Independence proved critical. Patriots, Loyalists, frontier dissidents, and multiple Native American nations fought for control of strategic valleys, trade routes, and communities. Their clashes left lasting marks on both regional identity and the national story. From shifting frontier loyalties to decisive campaigns, this was a battleground where everyday families became part of America’s founding struggle. Award-winning historian Michael C. Hardy brings the era to life with clear research, vivid storytelling, and a deep understanding of Appalachian history. Through profiles of influential figures, accounts of pivotal events, and insights into the geopolitical stakes of the backcountry, Hardy reveals how this overlooked frontier helped forge the nation.

The Catawba—one of the few original Native American communities of the Carolinas—have a rich and fascinating history that can be dated to 2400 BC.

While the Catawba once were the inhabitants of a large swath of land that covered parts of North and South Carolina, after managing to remain in the Carolinas during the notorious Trail of Tears, most Catawba now live on a reservation in York County, South Carolina. In Catawba Nation: Treasures in History, Thomas J. Blumer seeks to preserve and present the history of this resilient people. Blumer chronicles Catawba history, such as Hernando de Soto's meeting with the Lady of Cofitachique, the leadership of Chief James Harris and the fame of potter Georgia Harris, who won the National Heritage Award for her art. Using an engaging mix of folklore, oral history and historical records, Blumer weaves an accessible history of the tribe, preserving their story of suffering and survival for future generations.