Myths of Fort Mountain basis of local author's new novel
Feb. 16—At the top of Fort Mountain stands an almost 900-foot-long stone wall, lined with pits and an open space that appears to possibly be a gate at one point.
"The Cherokee said it was there when they arrived in this area, around the 10th century," said Jan W. Brown, author of a new novel, "The Legend of Fort Mountain."
Historians and archaeologists don't know the exact origins of the wall. But there are plenty of myths. Some of those myths say it was built by the "moon-eyed people," a bearded, white-skinned people the Cherokee said lived in the Appalachian mountains when they moved in.
"Some people say that it was built by the Mayans (a group of Indians that lived in what is now southern Mexico and Central America)," said Brown, a 1970 graduate of North Whitfield High School who now lives in Murray County.
He combined several of those myths along with the story of Madoc, a Welsh prince who folklore claims sailed to America in 1170, 300 years before Christopher Columbus. Brown's novel tells what happened when Welsh followers of Madoc met the Cherokee.
"My passion has always been history," he said.
Brown spent 32 years in law enforcement, working at agencies in Georgia and finishing his career with U.S. Customs and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
He met his wife Sheila, who is from Chatsworth, while working with U.S. Customs in Florida. They have lived in Chatsworth for about a decade.
"The Legend of Fort Mountain" is his eighth novel. All have been published through Amazon, and most have some connection to North Georgia.
For instance, his first novel, "The Ridge at Misty Meadows," is set in North Georgia during the Civil War. He released it in 2010
When that did well, he pulled out a novel he started while working as a detective in Athens in the 1980s. "Miller's Legacy" is a detective story set in coastal Georgia in the first half of the 20th century.
"After that, I just kept writing," he said.
"Andrew's Last Raider" is about a fictional member of the group of Union raiders who in 1862 stole the locomotive the General near Kennesaw with the intent of tearing up the tracks and blowing up the railroad tunnel in Tunnel Hill. They were pursued by Confederate forces in what is known as the Great Locomotive Chase.
"The Winds of Darby Island" follows "a bootlegger from Blue Ridge and Ellijay getting drafted into the military in World War II and chasing Nazis in the Bahamas," said Brown.
"When you write something, it's good to see the reaction," said Brown. "It's certainly good when people say they like it."
Brown's books can be found by searching for Jan W. Brown on Amazon. He will hold a book signing on Saturday, March 11, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Cleary's Sit & Sleep, 215 N. Third Ave. in Chatsworth. Scott Khun, a Chatsworth photographer who shot the photo for the cover of the book, will be there as well. He will have signed copies of his photos on hand.
