A History of Fort Peachtree   The general area surrounding the site of Fort Peachtree is richly endowed by the history of its glorious past.  Our state and city were shaped by events of yesteryear in this region. Arrowheads unearthed by archaeological explorations indicate that Indians lived here in 8,000 B.C.  The Creek Indian village of Standing Peachtree was well established during the Revolutionary War and was not used as a boundary by the Creek and Cherokee nations.  It served as a trading post. During the War of 1812, active hostilities were taking place against the Creek Indians who were allied with the British.  In the summer of 1813, Georgia Governor David Mitchell, after correspondence with the Secretary of War, acted to protect the frontier of Georgia from the Creeks. Lt. George Gilmer, later Congressman and Governor of Georgia, was dispatched along with 22 soldiers and a group of workmen headed by James McC. Montgomery to build Fort Peachtree and a boat dock for transporting supplies to Fort Mitchell in Columbus.  Lt. Gilmer and his men arrived on March 14, 1814, at their appointed station at the confluence of the Chattahoochee River and Peachtree Creek, about 30 or 40 miles beyond the frontier of the state. As the fort was being constructed, Lt. Gilmer heard shots across the river.  Upon investigation, he found that the Cherokee Indian villagers who were in alliance with the American troops were celebrating a decisive victory over the Creeks at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend.  General Andrew Jackson was commander of the victorious American and Cherokee troops.  The Creeks ceded this land under their treaty with General Jackson and it became a part of the State of Georgia.  On July 14, 1814, Fort Peachtree, the boat yard, five boats, two large block houses, six dwellings, and one storehouse had been constructed which constituted the nucleus for the first non-Indian settlement in this area, which was later to become part of Atlanta, then in DeKalb County. The first DeKalb County post office was opened at Standing Peachtree February 5, 1825, and the Montgomery family served as postmasters until the office was closed in 1842, moving to Cobb County.  James McC. Montgomery acquired 1,000 acres of land, and Montgomery’s Ferry was constructed.  It was the first permanent crossing of the Chattahoochee.  The available water and nearby rail transportation played a major role in the location of Atlanta, first known as Terminus in 1837 when the railroad was completed, then Marthasville in 1842, and finally, by an Act of the State Legislature on December 26, 1845, the name was changed to Atlanta.  Legend differs as to whether the village of Standing Peachtree derived its name from a large peach tree or a pitch (pine) tree located on a knoll in the village.  Atlanta’s world-famous Peachtree Street derived its name from Standing Peachtree.

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