Just a short distance from Station Cove Falls is Oconee Station, which was a frontier trading post where the early European settlers traded with the local Cherokee nation. To help protect their interests, a military presence was housed in the Stone Block House. The original building, constructed in 1792, remains in near pristine condition. As my nephew and I walk around the grounds and examine the dwelling, he seems impressed with the construction and materials used back then. I think he thought something so old would be much more primitive, but I explain that the European settlers brought many technologies with them.
Nearby, a home constructed by Irish immigrant William Richards in 1805, also remains. It's construction is a bit more complex than the Stone Block House and includes a second story and and a cellar. The cellar is accessed by climbing down a set of stone steps exposed once two doors that form the surface of the front porch are folded back on hinges. My nephew is amazed.
We begin heading back to the jeep, but I think an interest in history has been sparked in my young ward. If I do nothing else of note in my life, inspiring young people to learn about the history around them is still a life well spent.
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