Old Stone Fort has stood on this bluff above the Duck River for nearly two thousand years.

Massive walls of stone and earth stretch across a natural peninsula, enclosing nearly fifty acres. To early settlers, it looked unmistakable—a fortress. A place built for defense. A place of war.

But it wasn’t.

In this episode, we walk through the long story of Old Stone Fort—from early speculation and 19th-century investigation to the archaeological work that reshaped our understanding of the site. Along the way, we explore how this place was built, how it changed over time, and what it may have meant to the people who returned here generation after generation.

We also examine the layers that came later—the mills, the industry, and the transformation of the landscape—before returning to the central question that still lingers:

If it wasn’t a fort…what was it?

🎧 Bonus Content

A full-length interview with Keith Wimberley, manager of Old Stone Fort State Park, is available for premium supporters on Patreon.

Faulkner, C. H. (1968). The Old Stone Fort: Exploring an Archaeological Mystery. University of Tennessee Press.

Davenport, S., & Gibson, J. (2023). The Duck River: A river like no other. The Tennessee Conservationist.

Mayo, B. (2019, November 6). Old Stone Fort: A solstice ceremonial site surrounded by river waterfalls. Murfreesboro Pulse.

Tennessee Encyclopedia. (n.d.). Coffee County.

Tennessee Encyclopedia. (n.d.). Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park.

Tennessee Historical Commission. (n.d.). Historical Marker 2E 29: Manchester.

Tennessee History for Kids. (n.d.). Old Stone Fort.

Wimberley, K. (2026, April 7). Personal interview.

L’Amour, L. (1985). Jubal Sackett. Bantam Books.

Interpretive materials and video presentation, Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park museum.

Hosted by Big John Summers
Produced by Summers Media Enterprises

Music by Big John Summers

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