Utoy Village

Utoy Indian Village, Georgia is located on the Utoy Creek in present day Fulton County at the intersection of Cascade Road (Former Sandtown road until 1933) and I-285.
History
A branch of the Creek (Muscogian) Indians living on the boundary of the Chattahoochee and Cherokee lands existed since the 1400s in this area hunting local deer and farming maize (Corn) peas, squash, the polk plant and other items. They lived in wood cabins known as lodges which were filled with clay. Early settlers were taught to subsist in the Muscogian Indian manor and to survive the winter using local herbs and plants. They were peaceful farmers who subsisted well with their neighbors.
In 1521, the village was likely visited by Spanish Explorere Juan Ponce de León in his travels looking for both gold and the fountain of youth. He traveled to modern day Atlanta up the Indian Sandtown Trail (present Cascade Road).
In 1775 the creek Indians maintained peaceful relations with the white settlers to the south who were fighting the British Army. In return in 1789 they received a treaty from the United States Senate guaranteeing their lands to remain harmless forever.
In 1816 a South Carolina Missionary from the Methodist Church named Gilbert ministered to the local Indians at the village of Utoy.
In 1821 the US Government forcably moved the local Creek Indians to Oklahoma on what is referred to as the trail of tears.
In 1822 the First US Post Office was established here the first in Dekalb, (Now Fulton County) at the former site of the Utoy Trading Post.
The first settlers in the Atlanta area settled here as the lands had already been cleared and were ready for immediate farming. The Indian trails established made the Sandtown Road a major trading path that developed trade into the new county seat of Decatur from the Chattahoochee River.
In 1864 the town of Utoy was visited by US Forces moving to break the railroads at East Point. August 267th 1864 the Entire US Army moved down the Fairburn Road in the vicinity of the town of Utoy en route to Shadnar Church (Red Oak) to cut the West Point Railroad bringing supplies to the Ccnfederate Army.
In 1933 the postal function was moved to Adamsville (The former village of Lick Skillet, named for the "Lickskillet Pub") and the Utoy post office was closed.
Early prominent citizens of the Community were Judge James Wilson, Dr William Gilbert, Dr. Joshua Gilbert, The Childress family, the Suttles family, the Willis family, the Kennedy family, Bennett family, The Roberts family, The Bryant family, the Donahoo family and Holbrook families.
In the 1950s the area became one of the most affluent suburbs of Atlanta with many prominent citizens residing here in Cascade heights. The housing boom with US Army veterans purchasing homes utilizing the VA Housing Guarantee caused great expansion of the former farmlands
In 1975 the area became predominantly African American 85% and still maintained as one of Atlanta's affluent suburbs. Former Mayor Andrew Young, Shirley Franklin, Hank Aaron and the first president of the Savannah College of Art and Design are all from the area.

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