The name “Cateechee” is in commemoration of the noble Choctaw maiden, one of the spoils of war and a slave of the old Cherokee Chief Karuga, around whom tradition has woven this story of love and courage.  She was called Issaqueena in Choctaw and Cateechee in Cherokee, both names meaning “Deer’s Head.”

The Cherokee village of Keowee was nestled at the foot of Stump House Mountain.  Allan Francis, a young trader from Fort Cambridge, made frequent trips to Keowee and fell in love with the Indian maid.  Cateechee, overhearing the Indians planning to attack and massacre the whites at Fort Cambridge, made the perilous journey of ninety-six miles, arriving in time to save the settlers’ lives and village.  Cateechee remained with her white friends and became the wife of Allan Francis, beloved and honored by all.

Until some time after the Revolutionary War, this section of South Carolina was the home of the Cherokee Indian tribe.