Fort Payne’s Fort was built in 1838 by order of General Winfield Scott as a log house and large stockade during the removal of Cherokee Indians. Soldiers under Captain John C. Payne, for whom the fort was named, occupied it. Cherokee in the DeKalb County area who refused to move westward voluntarily were gathered and held in the stockade pending their forceful removal to Indian Territory. A chimney from the fort still stands near the railroad at 4th Street S. E.

Photo: Tim Carr

Photo: Tim Carr