The Spike Buck site lies on the Hiwassee River in Hayesville in southwestern North Carolina. It has been identified as the Cherokee town of Quannassee. Captain George Chicken gave a talk there in 1715 that convinced the Cherokees to support the British in the Yamasee War. In 1716, John Sharp out of Charleston, South Carolina, was appointed the trader at Quannasssee, supplying the British colony with deer hides and slaves.
In 1973 and 1975, Western Carolina University, under the direction of John Dorwin, excavated the site. Beginning in 2000, Dan and Phyllis Morse inventoried and analyzed the collection, stabilized the metal artifacts, had the animal bone identified, and prepared the artifacts for permanent curation. This study is a product of that work.
Until their removal in 1838, the Cherokees controlled a large area of the southern Appalachians. This volume provides critical information about one of their most important centers, and thus about the history of the Cherokees over a period of some 3,000 years. The Spike Buck site is now an Archaeological Conservancy preserve.