One thing that we, at Middle Georgia Haunted History, want you to always remember is that the legends and lore that we share contain real people. They lived, they loved, and they died.  They laughed, smiled, feared, and cried.  Their families and descendants are real, and many are very proud of their family.  We are truth seekers into true history.  While some stories can be fun to “toss around,” we feel that sharing the lore along with its true history adds a human element to them that can stop so many negative events surrounding certain places and even people.  Leading to positive interest.  With all of that said, this case is about the Native Americans of Houston County.

Now, we realize that it can be over-the-top easy to drive by the Ocmulgee Mounds National Park in Macon and think nothing of it.  It’s also equally easy to think that the prehistoric history of our area was contained to that area.  The truth is, that if you are sitting anywhere in Middle Georgia right now, you are probably on a spot that was once sacred to Native Americans.  The most written-about tribe in Houston County is the Muscogee (Creek) tribe.

They left tons of evidence of their lives behind.  Anything from pottery, carved stones, arrowheads, and weapons are still being found today.  Their presence here was so profound yet never mentioned.

Digging deeper into our case, however, is about a place known as “The Old Indian Caves” in Southwestern Houston County.  The legends and tales from this cave system are far and wide stretching back to centuries ago.

According to Bobbe Hickson Nelson in the book “A Land So Dedicated, The History of Houston County,” there were reports ranging from hidden Confederate gold, to people driving two horse buggies through these caves in the early 1900s.   Some even mentioned that the caves ran from that spot all the way to Montezuma.  Kids and adults alike passed down stories of what went on in those caves.  In the book mentioned above, there’s even talk of huge boulders nearby with hieroglyphic writings on them. 

There’s another story about a stream of water between Hawkinsville and Montezuma where Native Americans brought their “diseased and sick” to camp, drink, and heal due to its “magical” powers.

There was an old study done on the “channels” showing that the system was used when the Native Americans came under tough times and escaped to the Flint River from those caves.  This would make the entire underground system massive, spanning counties long and incredible.

(It’s important to note that it was never recorded that anyone recently ever went all the way through the system; we assume that at that time, it was just too dangerous.  Also, this study is only found and mentioned in the above book).

The truth about them will unfortunately always remain a mystery.  The entrance to the vast system is the only thing left of the caves, as they are now impossible to enter.  Also, as we’ve mentioned so many times before, certain groups of people in history did not get recorded as properly as they deserved.  It’s a sad yet undeniable truth that can hopefully help us all learn a lesson.

We chose this story and location because of the people who once lived here.  The story of the   Muscogee (Creek) tribes and other local tribes is compelling, shocking, and sad to learn of their fate.  That is our opinion, of course.  We encourage all of you to read as many books as you can about your local history.  We will always do our best to recommend the best books we come across.  You never know what may have happened right in your backyard.  Please, never let the tribes that once inherited our lands be forgotten.

Hey!  We hope you enjoyed this story!  We purposefully left out the location of the entrance to these caves.  If you know where they are, please do not comment on them.  It will be deleted.  Check out the book, “A Land So Dedicated,” to learn more about the incredible history of Houston County!

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