Many of our guests ask us about the unusual name and background of the place where we are located, Sautee Nacoochee. So this blog is for all of you!
The beautiful area around our Inn is comprised of two valleys, the Sautee and the Nacoochee. Sautee is an Americanized version of the name for the Creek Indians, Sawate, which means “Racoon People.” Nacoochee is from the Cherokee pronunciation of the Creek word Nakose, which means “bear.”
According to legend, the valleys were named for fated lovers, the Romeo and Juliet of two warring Native American tribes. Nacoochee was a beautiful Cherokee girl who fell head over heels for a Chickasaw warrior named Sautee. The lovers eloped, but a war party caught them and threw Sautee off the mountain. Distraught, Nacoochee leaped to her death.
Back in the mid-1600’s, a trading post was constructed in the area. However, later maps show that the area was home to Creek Indians and then the Cherokee. In 1722, the land was sold to families from North Carolina.
The heart of the valley is the community of Sautee Nacoochee, where Lucille’s is located. In 1986 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places due to its unique agricultural, architectural and historic significance. In the area you’ll find pre-historic villages, as well as structures, such as the Nacoochee Indian Mound, and those from early American settlers. The area was also an important center for gold exploring.
Today it’s most noted for the Sautee Nacoochee Center, a wonderful building housing the Folk Pottery Museum of Northeast Georgia, as well as a center for many cultural activites.
Sautee Nacoochee is a very cool place to call home. Come for a visit to Lucille’s and take it all in!