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Monday 8am - 4:30pm Tuesday 8am - 4:30pm Wednesday 8am - 4:30pm Thursday 8am - 4:30pm Friday 8am - 4:30pm Saturday 8am - 4:30pm Sunday 8am - 4:30pm

Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park

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Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park

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Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park is home to a prehistoric enclosure built 2000 years ago. There are also a few hiking trails in this 400 acre space.
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This historic Native American site is perfect for history and archaeology buffs. There is also a museum and theater to offer multiple tools to learn about the history behind this site. More information on this park and many more can be found at the TN State Parks website.

10/24/2026

Welcome back to Flora-Fauna Fridays! Hopefully, you’re figuring out your Halloween costume as easily as the Raccoon we talked about last week. This week, we’re back into the woods for another local specialty snack that’s more treat than trick: the Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)!

- Black Walnut is a large, deciduous tree that can tower in forests. The average height can be between 50-90 feet, but has been found up to 150 feet tall with an umbrella-like crown in the woods or round-topped crown in the open. The diameter of the trunk can measure 3-6 feet when mature. The bark is often a grey-black color and deeply furrowed with thin ridges, showcasing a diamond shaped pattern.

- The leaves are another easy way to help identify the Black Walnut. They will have pinnately (or leaflets growing along a central stem) compound, alternate leaves measuring in between 12-24 inches in length. On average, there are about 15-23 dark green leaflets (each measuring between 2 to 5 inches long) per leaf. The leaflets will be dark green in color and have finely toothed (or serrated) edges.

- As with persimmons, the Black Walnut will produce fruits (or in this case, nuts) between September and October. These nuts, measuring in between 1.5 to 2.25 inches in diameter, are covered in a green husk. The nuts are hard-shelled and contain a small amount of “meat” within the shell. The husk, as well as the stems and leaves, are considered to have a pungent or spicy odor.

- J. nigra is often found to prefer deeper, well-drained neutral soils. They are also shade intolerant species and must have direct sunlight to thrive. The native range stretches from Vermont in the northeast, down to Florida in the southeast, and west to Texas and Minnesota.

- The Black Walnut has a vast variety of uses, for both the nut and lumber. The wood is a very valuable hardwood and used for gun stocks, furniture, and flooring most commonly. The nut, however, has the widest variety of uses. The actual kernel or “meat” is high in fat and can be eaten raw or cooked. If cleaned and stored properly, they are shelf stable nearly indefinitely. The husks can be used for dye, creating a nice yellowish-brown color. Due to the high tannins in the husks, it also helps the dye adhere to the material. Even the shells are often used as an abrasive during sand blasting!

- If you want to go nuts and see one of the trees, they are found near the Enclosure Mound entrance, as well as the Forks of the River trail and in the main parking lot.

10/17/2026

Welcome back to Flora-Fauna Fridays! We hope we grabbed your attention with the Dead Man’s Fingers fungus we discussed last week. This week, we thought it a good idea to talk about the one of the most commonly seen mammals that is always prepared for Halloween (and our state mammal): the Raccoon (Procyon lotor)!

- The Raccoon is a medium size, stocky mammal that is often seen as just a bit larger than an Opossum (like we talked about on August 21st). Raccoons are often found to be between 26 to 38 inches in length, with their tails measuring between 7.9 and 12 inches in length. The weight can vary drastically though, from 8 to 25 pounds!

- Raccoons are easily and most commonly identified by the mask of black fur that surrounds their eyes. This fur is thought to help with their night vision as it could reduce glare. The Raccoon is also easily identified by the 5-8 light and dark alternating rings along their tail. Their fur is mostly a grizzled brown and black with greyish shorter fur. They have rounded ears, and appear to walk with a hunch as their front legs are shorter than their hind legs.

- P. lotor have been known to be incredibly adaptable, but are seen most commonly in hardwood marshes, swamps, and bottomland forests. Dens are often located in hollow trees, caves, rocky ledges, old groundhog (or woodchuck) burrows, or abandoned structures. The range has also expanded over the last century, from being uncommon outside of the Eastern United States to being found nearly everywhere except parts of the Rocky Mountains and Nevada. They have even been introduced into parts of Europe and Asia!

- Just like their range, the diet of a Raccoon is incredibly varied. Commonly, they are known to be omnivorous. For plants, they are known to eat persimmons, grapes, blackberries, corn, acorns, walnuts, and grasses. For animal matter, they are keen on crayfish, insects, fish, bird eggs, frogs, and snakes. However, they are opportunistic as well, as the nickname “trash panda” would imply. Any food source they can access with little effort (especially human made messes) are fair game.

- Raccoons in Tennessee peak for breeding in February, with a female producing on average 2-5 young (also known as “kits”) after around a 63-65 day gestation period. The black mask is already visible upon birth of the kits, and these kits will stay with their mother in the den until they are about 8-10 weeks old. After this, they will begin to forage with their mothers outside of the den.

- If you’ve ever seen a Raccoon eat, you’ve likely noticed that they will appear to “wash” their food. This was noticed by early settlers and scientists, lending to their scientific name “lotor” which is Latin for “washer.” The reason they “wash” their food is due to their front paws having specialized nerves that help identify objects through touch. Water heightens that sensitivity, allowing them to gather more information about what they are handling.

- Food washing isn’t the only interesting thing about Raccoons. In the early 20th century, various studies were done involving Raccoons and puzzles. It was found that raccoons can not only solve some simple locking puzzles, but also remember solutions for up to three years! Talk about being smarter than the av-er-age bear (especially since they used to be in the same Genus as bears).

- Like some of our other nocturnal animals, they are somewhat tricky to see at Old Stone Fort since we close at sunset. However, if you camp with us and leave food out (which, please don’t), you’ll likely be visited by the trash pandas. However, backroads and other parks at night are great places to see Raccoons in their natural habitat.

10/12/2026

Today is Indigenous Peoples' Day. We would like to take a minute to honor the reason why Old Stone Fort is here.

Old Stone Fort is not a fort; it was misnamed by settlers when they arrived in Manchester thinking that the mounds were a fort.

In 1966 when the state acquired the land the University of Tennessee did archaeological excavations and figured out what exactly the “fort” was. Old Stone Fort is a ceremonial site built by the Middle Woodland People about 2,000 years ago. The entrance mounds align with the Summer Solstice Sunrise within one degree. The ceremony would have taken place on that day for about 500 years.

10/10/2026

Welcome back to Flora-Fauna Fridays! Hopefully, you had a hoot of a time as we talked about the lovely Barred Owl last week. This week, continuing with this “spooky” theme of the month, we thought it fun to talk about a real fungi: Dead Man’s Fingers (Xylaria polymorpha)!

- Dead Man’s Fingers is a saprotrophic fungus, or a fungus that feeds on dead or decaying organic matter. They are often found in clusters of 3 to 6 mushrooms, ranging in pale to dark grey, with a blueish or purplish zone. As they mature, the colors change to dark brown or black and measure between 4-14 centimeters (or about 1.5-5.5 inches) long and 1-3 centimeters thick. They are club-like in shape, but have been likened to “fingers” reaching up from the ground.

- These specific fingers are often found along the base of deciduous trees, with decaying beech, apple, maple, locust, and elm trees being the most common host for this fungus. The range is vast, being found across 6 of the 7 continents of the globe. In the United States however, they are most commonly found east of the Rocky Mountains.

- Identifying X. polymorpha is fairly easy, in part due to its unique appearance. It’s commonly compared to fingers reaching up from the ground, which has caused a few calls and comments from guests. Another way to identify these mushrooms, along with many more mushrooms, is by using spore prints. The spore print of this mushroom is black.

- Dead Man’s Fingers, like many mushrooms, spread by spores. In the spring, it produces asexual spores (called conidia) all over its surface. Some have compared the spore covered “fingers” as having “skin”, before the wind can spread these spores along to create more mycelia (or root-like structure for fungus) elsewhere.

- If you’re a woodworker, you might wonder how spalting (or change in color or appearance in wood) may occur. Well look no further for an answer, as Dead Man’s Fingers is one of the fungi that can cause this! It will grow inside the dead wood or a stressed tree and slowly break it down, leaving the spalting behind.

- If you are out in the park, don't get tripped up by these fingers reaching up near the paper mill foundations. It can also be seen along the mounds along the Enclosure Trail.

10/08/2026

Thanks to everyone who showed up for our Annual Knap-in and Archaeoskills 2026 this past weekend. Even though there were some high rain chances we had an absolutely amazing turn out!

We can't wait to see you at the next one!

10/03/2026

Welcome back to Flora-Fauna Fridays! It’s almost as sweet as the American Persimmons that you came back to check us out. This week, to kick off a month of more “spooky” things, we thought we’d start with none other than something that calls who in the night: the Barred Owl (Strix varia)!

- Barred Owls are considered a medium-sized, stocky owl. They are often between 16.9 and 19.7 inches in height/length and weight is often between 16.6 and 37 ounces. The wingspan is rather impressive as well, ranging from 39-43 inches!

- Barred Owls can be easily identified by the white horizontal bars on their chest and vertical bars on their bellies. Overall, they are mostly covered in grayish brown or brown feathers. Another easy way to identify these nocturnal creatures is by the distinct call they have. Many use the phrase “Who cooks for you, who cooks for you-all” as a way to find the birds in the dark.

- S. varia tend to prefer living in large, mature forests made up of deciduous trees and evergreens, often near water. They tend to favor making nests in cavities in deciduous trees but occasionally will use nests made by hawks, crows, or even nest boxes if cavities are limited. These beautiful avian friends can be found natively from Nova Scotia in Canada down to Florida, stretching west to Texas, Oklahoma, and western Minnesota. Unfortunately, they have begun to creep into the Pacific Northwest and further endanger their Spotted Owl.

- The diet of a Barred Owl is a varied one, often focusing on small mammals such as squirrels, chipmunks, mice, and rabbits. They have also been known to feast on aquatic life like fish, frogs, and snakes, as well as other birds. They tend to hunt by sitting and waiting on an elevated perch while scanning for prey. The Barred Owl’s largest threat, other than habitat loss, is the Great Horned Owl which is known to hunt Barred Owls.

- When it comes to mating and young, Barred Owls mate for life and will lay between 1 to 5 eggs in a clutch. Peak egg laying occurs in early March in Tennessee, with the incubation period being from 28-33 days. The female will do the bulk of incubation, but both will help with feeding the helpless young. The young will begin to leave the nest at around 5 weeks and begin to fly better at around 6 weeks. After roughly 3 more months, they will leave their parents.

- Historians believe that Harriet Tubman, who was an avid naturalist, used the Barred Owl’s call as a signal for people seeking to use the Underground Railroad. Depending on the call that Tubman used, those seeking to escape slavery were able to know if it was safe to come out of hiding.

- While it may be hard to ~see~ a Barred Owl at Old Stone Fort since they are nocturnal, it is quite easy to hear them if you camp with us! We have a resident Barred Owl that lives in the woods surrounding our campground. If camping isn’t your thing, many parks have Animal Ambassadors that are Birds of Prey that cannot be released for their safety. The closest parks to us are Fiery Gizzard State Park and Tims Ford State Park.

09/30/2026

Here is the schedule of all the programs/tours going on this weekend for our Annual Knap-in and Archaeofest. We hope you will come and join us in celebrating the primitive ways of the Native Americans that used this site long ago by coming and learning about them.

To register for a program or for more information about them please click the link below:
https://tnstateparks.com/parks/old-stone-fort

09/26/2026

Welcome back Flora-Fauna Fridays! We’re glad to see that you haven’t soured on us after 37 weeks and talking about the Sourwood last week. This week, we’re back into the forest for another incredibly popular tree that provides a tasty treat when ripe: the American Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana)!

- The American Persimmon is a deciduous tree that can vary rather drastically in height, from a low shrubby 15 feet up to 100 feet tall depending on soil quality. It can also range in width from about 20 to 35 ft. The bark is usually a dark brown or dark gray, divided into plates that some say resemble reptile scales.

- The Persimmon’s leaves are alternate and simple, measuring in at 4 to 6 inches in length and oval in shape. During the summer months, they are a dark green and somewhat shiny color. Once autumn rolls around, the leaves are known to change to your standard fall colors of yellow to orange to red.

- The fruits of the Persimmon are the real star of the show with this flora. These trees are dioecious (meaning that there are separate male and female trees) and will require one male and one female to produce the fruit. While it may take 4 to 9 years to produce fruit, it is worth the wait. They are often about 1 to 2 inches in size, 2 to 8 seeds per fruit, orange in color, and have been compared in flavor to dates when ripe. However, if you want to prank someone you know, you could give them an unripe persimmon. Unripe persimmons are incredibly astringent, due to being high in tannins. This will cause the mouth to feel dry, numb, or “sandpapery”.

- D. virginiana has been found to grow best in moist, well-drained soils in full sun to partial shade. They can tolerate a variety of other environments, but will likely stay somewhat diminutive in size and closer to shrub-like in appearance. They are native to the eastern United States, ranging from southern Connecticut in the north to Florida in the south, and stretching west to Iowa.

- While you can eat a raw Persimmon straight from the ground or tree (please wash it for your safety first), there are plenty of uses for it. The pulp of the fruit can be made into jams, pie, pudding, or bread. Some have taken the fruit and fermented it to create b**r or brandy. The wood has been known to be heavy, strong, and very close-grained. This makes it preferred for golf-club heads and furniture veneers.

- While this fruit has come to be known by many names, there are two particularly interesting things we think should be known in regards to the Persimmon seeds. One is that, during the American Civil War, soldiers were known to wash, boil, and roast persimmon seeds to create a coffee substitute whenever trade routes were unavailable (while we cannot confirm caffeine content, it did taste fairly coffee-like). The second is one that many have likely heard: if you open the seed of a Persimmon, you are able to tell what type of winter you are likely to have. If the inside of the seed resembles a Fork, you can expect to have a mild winter. If the inside resembles that of a Knife, it will be a cold or “cutting” winter with ice. If the inside resembles a Spoon, it predicts a heavy snow winter as you could interpret the spoon to relate to shoveling.

- If you’re looking to try our Persimmons, there are some that can be found around the Museum/main parking lot. There are also some found along the back of the Enclosure Field and along the Nature Trail.

09/24/2026

Happy Native American Day! To celebrate that we wanted to make sure you were aware of our Annual Knap-in and Archaeofest happening on the park the first weekend of October! This is to celebrate the primitive ways of the Native Americans that used our site long ago!

To register for a program or to learn more about the event please click the link below:
https://tnstateparks.com/parks/old-stone-fort

09/19/2026

Welcome back to Flora-Fauna Fridays! We’re absolutely stoked you’ve swooped back to our feed after getting to see our friend the Black Vulture last week. This week, we’ll be diving into one of the prettiest fall color trees that you’ll likely see changing in the near future: the Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum)!

- The Sourwood tree is a small to medium deciduous tree. It can grow to be between 30 and 60 feet in height, with a possible trunk width of up to 20 inches in diameter. The bark is a gray color, with deep furrows and scaly. The wood is a reddish brown, with a paler sapwood.

- Sourwood leaves are alternate, ranging in length from 4 to 7 inches long and about 1.5 to 2.5 inches wide. Oblong in shape, the summer months allow it to become a deep, rich emerald green. Once fall arrives though, the Sourwood’s leaves become a beautiful deep red, orange, and purple before falling.

- O. arboreum is often found in acidic and well drained soils throughout its native range. It is found to grow best in partial to full sun, with the largest examples having been found in the Appalachian Mountains. These trees can be found from southwest Pennsylvania, along the eastern United States down to northern Florida and west to Louisiana.

- While the Sourwood is mostly used as an ornamental tree in modern society, it does have a lengthy history of uses. Native Americans and early pioneers used the sap in a mixture to treat fevers, the bark for chewing to soothe pains in the mouth, and the leaves for tea to treat a host of gastrointestinal issues and for seasoning foods. However, the most popular use of Sourwood is for sourwood honey. This honey is prized for its unique flavor, likened to having notes of anise and spice.

- As with many native flora we’ve talked about, Sourwood has a plethora of names including: Lily-of-the-Valley tree, sorrel tree, sour gum, arrow wood, elk tree, t**i tree, and sorrel gum.

- Some of the best spots to see the Sourwood when it's starting to change is along the Enclosure Trail in the main section of the park or along the Nature Trail located in our campground.

Address

732 Stone Fort Drive
Manchester, TN
37355

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 4:30pm
Tuesday	8am - 4:30pm
Wednesday	8am - 4:30pm
Thursday	8am - 4:30pm
Friday	8am - 4:30pm
Saturday	8am - 4:30pm
Sunday	8am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+18888672757

Website

https://tnstateparks.com/parks/old-stone-fort

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