Editing Charleston, Tennessee (section)

==History==
The land now occupied by Charleston and Bradley County was home to the [[Cherokee]] long before European settlers arrived. What is now Charleston began around 1808 when Major John Walker Sr., a part-Cherokee grandson of [[Nancy Ward]], established a ferry across the [[Hiwassee River]] between present-day Charleston and [[Calhoun, Tennessee|Calhoun]]. As a result, the community was initially known as "Walker's Ferry."<ref name=lillard86>{{cite news|last=Lillard|first=Roy G.|date=June 8, 1986|title=Charleston is One of Oldest Places in Southeast Tennessee|work=Cleveland Daily Banner}}</ref> The Hiwassee Purchase of 1819 resulted in the cession of Cherokee lands between the Hiwassee and [[Little Tennessee River|Little Tennessee]] rivers to the Federal Government, and as a result, the Hiwassee River became the boundary between the [[Cherokee Nation (1794–1907)|Cherokee Nation]] and the United States, where it remained until the [[Cherokee removal]] in 1838. In 1821, the Cherokee Agency&mdash; the official liaison between the U.S. government and the Cherokee Nation&mdash;  was moved to the location of present-day Charleston.{{sfn|Lillard|1980|p=11}} The agent to the Cherokees was first Colonel [[Return J. Meigs Sr.]], who had served in the [[American Revolutionary War]], and later [[Joseph McMinn]], who served as [[Governor of Tennessee]] from 1815 to 1821.<ref name=lillard86/> Lewis Ross, the brother of [[John Ross (Cherokee chief)|Chief John Ross]], constructed a home nearby in 1820,<ref>{{cite news|last=Lillard|first=Roy G.|date=June 8, 1986|title=Historic House Dedicated to Ross, Cherokee Nation|work=Cleveland Daily Banner}}</ref> and established a trading post and store in the city the following year.<ref name=lillard86/> Between 1832 and the [[Cherokee removal]] in 1838, the Red Clay Council Grounds in southern Bradley County, now a [[Red Clay State Park|state park by the same name]], served as the final eastern capitol of the Cherokee Nation.{{sfn|Lillard|1980|p=12}}

In the 1820s and 1830s, many white settlers began to move into the area anticipating a future forced removal of the Cherokee by the Federal Government. At times, these settlers came into conflict with the Cherokee, who resisted settlers who tried to take over their territory.<ref name=goodspeed>"  [http://www.tngenweb.org/bradley/b_gdsp.htm Goodspeed's History of Bradley County, Tennessee]", published in 1887.  Transcribed for web content and maintained by TNGenWeb – Bradley County.  Retrieved: December 30, 2007.</ref> After the passage of the [[Indian Removal Act of 1830]], [[Fort Cass]] was constructed in Charleston as the headquarters of the Cherokee removal, which was initiated by the [[Treaty of New Echota]] in December 1835. During the summer of 1838, thousands of Cherokees from various locations were held in internment camps at the fort under the supervision of federal troops before starting their journey westward, which became known as the [[Trail of Tears]]. Several other internment camps were located in the valleys between Charleston and present-day [[Cleveland, Tennessee]] over a distance of {{convert|12|mi|km}}, including one at nearby [[Rattlesnake Springs]].{{sfn|Duncan|Riggs|2003|p=261}}

During the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] the [[Henegar House]], the oldest remaining brick structure in Bradley County, was used as headquarters by both Union and [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] generals including [[William T. Sherman]], [[Oliver O. Howard]], [[Marcus J. Wright]], and Samuel Bolivar Buckner.<ref name=natgeo>{{cite web|url=https://www.tennesseerivervalleygeotourism.org/content/henegar-house/ten35364e22407dd9942|title=Henegar House|author=<!--Not stated-->|date=2012|website=Tennessee River Valley Geo-Tourism|access-date=March 4, 2019}}</ref> The [[Charleston Cumberland Presbyterian Church]] building was used as a hospital by Confederate Forces in 1863.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cchhistoricalsociety.org/sites.htm |title=Local Sites of Historical Interest |publisher=Charleston-Calhoun-Hiwassee Historical Society |access-date=January 24, 2014 |archive-date=May 15, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515134148/http://www.cchhistoricalsociety.org/sites.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> The railroad bridge over the Hiwassee River in Charleston was destroyed as part of the [[East Tennessee bridge burnings]] in November 1861.{{sfn|Lillard|1980|p=59}}

Charleston was incorporated on November 11, 1956.<ref name=mtsu/> Several areas in and around Charleston were used as the primary filming locations for the 1960 [[Elia Kazan]] film ''[[Wild River (film)|Wild River]]''. The city's business district served as the fictional Garthville in the film.<ref>{{cite news|title=TED STRONG IN CHARLESTON, TENN..  "CHARTING A 'WILD RIVER,' TENNESSEE-STYLE :Real Sites, Citizens Add to Flavor Of T.V.A. Drama Now Being Made|work=New York Times|date=November 29, 1959|via=ProQuest}}</ref>

Charleston was the first city in Tennessee to elect a black mayor and the first city to appoint a black police chief.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.museumcenter.org/the-curious-curator/2019/2/22/black-history-in-the-ocoee-region|title=Black History in the Ocoee Region|author=<!--Not stated--> |date=February 27, 2019|website=museumcenter org|publisher=[[Museum Center at Five Points]]|access-date=September 2, 2019}}</ref>