Abstract:
In the summer of 1946, Franklin, North Carolina residents came together to save the sacred Cherokee “Mother Town” of Nikwasi, located in Franklin. History student, Nathaniel F. Holly agrues that although the Franklinites relied on their ideas of the “vanishing Indian” as support for their cause, ultimately, their efforts assisted with the disappearance of these Amerindians. However, the Cherokee Indians never disappeared from the Franklin area and their presence now forces Franklinites to consider the irony of this preservation effort.