In a message dated 5/3/05 4:36:37 PM Eastern Daylight Time, blessedmomof8@bellsouth.net writes: << It's a crying shame that there aren't more historical markers around to commemorate the fact that the place was the first headquarters for the Cherokee Nation. >> Very likely, the reason why there is no marker for Turkey Town, the Indian village, is that, while there is an area today that is generally referred to as Turkey Town, the precise location of the Indian town is very uncertain. As a young fellow, I am age 69, I listened to My Granddad Adams and his cronies discuss that very point, more than once. Those were guys who were born in the area during the 1800s. Their debate was always much the same -- was the Indian village over near the ridge line (north of hwy 411), or south of 411 near the river. They were "sure" it was one or the other, but even then, there was no physical evidence of the former village evident to the naked eye. My grandfather said there had not been in his lifetime. My own search of those areas, for artifacts, alas, produced none. Not surprising given that the village had long since, over a 130 years, been gone by the time I was searching. Ah, if you do a bit of research, you will find that eveyone does not agree with my grandpop and his cronies. You can find historical references that place Turkey Town, the Indian village, on the "south" side of the Coosa River. I have seen one old map, dated in the 1830s, that so shows the village. And, I have seen on citation that say it was located in the river bend "opposite" Centre. So, to the folks who were lost while searching for Turkey Town, and found themselves at Goodyear, you may have been closer to Turkey Town than you knew. As for "Ball Play", well, that is an Indian story I never heard. If one looks at any decent map, it is easy to locate Ball Play Creek. It enters the Coosa River on the south side, and runs for miles back, I think, into Calhoun County. In years past, if you asked for directions to Ball Play, folks would likely vector you to the area known as Ball Play Swamp. You would be hard pressed to find any denuded areas anywhere near that Swamp, or anywhere along that creek. It was a great place, for a teenage boy to explore, if you did not mind a few snakes. If you are trying to locate where your ancestors lived, you have to be very careful with a lot of the old "area" names. The places stay put, but the names tend to migrate. Another such example of that in Etowah Co. is the name "Smoke Neck." Ask most anyone living today, they will give you sure directions to an area in Etowah Co. But, if you had asked some of the old folks, they would have told you that Smoke Neck was across the river on St Clair Co. It is regrettable that a lot of the old names are vanishing. too bad there isn't a good way to hold on to them. People need roots, and they are largely vested in the "old" place names. Many, in East Gadsden alone, are going, going, gone? Paden Farm, College Heights, Cox Town, Garden City, to name a few. Harry Nelms