Catawba Indian Nation

The Catawba Indian Nation has been an integral part of the Fort Mill community from its early beginning. The township itself is located on original Catawba Nation land and even the towns name is derived in part from the old Catawba Indian Fort. Early trade between the Catawba’s and the colonists developed into a very close relationship. The Catawba’s always carried a philosophy of brotherly love and peace when it came to the early settlers. They fought alongside the colonist in Indian wars and even sided with the American Patriots in the Revolutionary War. Unfortunately, the settlers brought diseases with them and in 1759, a smallpox epidemic decimated the Catawba population to less than 1,000. As the tribes’ numbers dwindled, the Catawba land leases to the settlers were not enforced and eventually resulted in the loss of their native land.

Click on a category to learn more about the fascinating history of the Catawba Indian Nation.

This information is copyright protected and the property of the Fort Mill History Museum. This material can be utilized for history research which requires proper citing and credit conferred to the Fort Mill History Museum.