Tuckasegee, ---also spelled Tuckaseegee, Tuckaseigee,
and pronounced by locals with a soft "g"----
a town in Jackson County.
A little spot on a mountain top approximately 3000 ft in elevation.
Latitude and longitude markings 35 degrees 16' 13" N/83 degrees 7' 22" W
The many spelling variations derive from the Cherokee name Taskegi-agi for the Tuckasegee River, meaning place of the Taskekee people. The Taskekee were a ranch of the Muskoegean tribe, who lived in western Carolina prior to the Cherokee. There is also the Cherokee spelling Tsiksitsi which means "crawling terrapin" alluding to the slow moving waters of the river.
Nearby towns: Sylva, Dillsboro, Cullowhee (home of Western Carolina University), Cashiers, Highlands. Cherokee Indian Reservation isn't far, either, just at the southern entrance to the Smoky Mountains National Park.
Some of this area of western North Carolina could be the setting for the movie Deliverance. (anybody hear a banjo?) In fact, it was. Downtown Sylva had a role in the film, and Ken (from Ken's Grocery in Tuckasegee) was a consultant on the set.
Each of these towns has its own unique personality: shops, homes, tourists and residents. In an area where we find continuous evidence of untold stories...like the old moonshine still site we found on the property...and the dilapidated cemetery at one side of the mountain, this tiny cabin sits amidst it all.
