Aparachikora on Irene Island

Both Apalarchikora and Yamakora (Downtown Savannah) were thriving when visited by Jean Ribault in 1562 and René Goulaine de Laudonnière in 1565, but Aparachikora moved upstream after the Spanish founded Santa Elena on Parris Island, SC. During the 1600s, most of the town’s population moved to the Lower Chattahoochee River to put more distance between them and Euroepan diseases.

SLIDE SHOW from The Sea Peoples of the South Atlantic Coast

by Richard L Thornton, Architect & City Planner

Irene Island on the Savannah River near Downtown Savnannah

The island was created by the confluence of Pipemakers Creek with the Savannah River.

The first school for Creek children was constructed by the colonists of Savannah in 1736. The mound remained a popular landmark used for picnics and watching ships until the late 1930s, when it was completely destroyed by archaeologists, employed by the WPA. The island was destroyed during the early days of World War II to construct docks for the Georgia Port Authority.,

Archaeologists discovered that island had been occupied over the over the previous 3,200 years. There were frequent changes in the styles and locations of buildings. The shape of the main mound also changed over time.

There were similar mounds in Bronze Age Greece and scaled down copies on Hiwassee Island, Tennessee and on the Santee river in South Carolina.