chief vann house historic site

I'm a history nut and you will find plenty of it there. It is we restored and maintained. It tells a lot about the trail of tears. Take the family and talk to the Rangers and you will get informed about a piece of history you may not know about.

Full of history and Cherokee heritage, of which my husband is, beautifully maintained and great outing

I am a travel writer who covers National Parks (npplan.com) and I visited the Chief Vann House Historic Site, an official site on the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail, in April, 2013. The park is part of the Georgia State Park system. It is comprised of the Vann family mansion and grounds, which contain various out buildings of the 1800s time period. There is also a Visitor Center that houses a small museum about the Vann family, plus historic and natural history exhibits from the area, such as arrowheads and fossils. In addition, there is an interesting documentary film about the Vann family. The mansion and grounds are open to the public for tours on specific days of the week. There is a fee for tours. Check the Vann House web site for details. I suggest beginning your tour of the park by watching the short documentary about the Vann Family, which is shown in the Visitor Center’s small movie theater. The film lasts about fifteen minutes and is shown on demand. It is full of information about the Vann Family, the mansion, and their forced removal by the government during the Trail of Tears period. There are some exhibits in the theater which you can view after the movie.For those interested in learning more about the Vann family, following the film you can visit the museum. Housed in a medium size room, you can read all of the information and see all of the exhibits in roughly a half hour. The exhibits in the museum cover the history of the Vann Family and their house. Trail of Tears history is covered mainly in reference to the Vann Family saga. To tour the Vann House, you must go on a Ranger guided tour. There are no set times for house tours and no minimum group size. Visitation is low, so as soon as a Park Ranger is available, a tour will be given—even if you are the only person. When I arrived, the Ranger was currently giving a tour and I was told that as soon as she got done with her group that she would take me for a tour. While waiting for a Ranger I explored the museum and exhibits. A tour of the mansion lasts around twenty to thirty minutes, so if you just missed a tour, you should not have to wait for more than a half hour for the next one.The Ranger will take you through the house at your pace, meaning that if you want to spend more time in a particular room, feel free to do so. Photography is allowed, so take your time and get the photos you want.Once done with the mansion tour, you are free to roam the grounds and visit the out buildings on your own. None of the buildings are original to the property, but most are historic structures transported from the surrounding areas of Georgia to the Vann property. All are buildings representative of the time. There are corn cribs, a reproduction of the kitchen that was manned by the Vann Family slaves (yes, the Indians had black slaves), and historic Cherokee Indian log cabins. The Ranger pointed out that Indians of the area and era did not live in T-pees, but log cabins just like everybody else. The buildings are furnished with period furniture, equipment, and tools. There are no actual Vann Family furnishings, as the Vanns took everything with them when the were forced to move to Oklahoma.The tour and exploration of the grounds should take no more than an hour. There is also a trail opposite the entrance to the Visitor Center that takes you to a pond on the property. Allow fifteen to twenty minutes for the round trip visit. Factoring in the park film and museum, plan to spend no more than three hours for a thorough tour of the Chief Vann House Historic Site. You can breeze through the site in around an hour.For complete information and plenty of photos on this and other Trail of Tears sites, please visit National Park Planner.

Hard to believe an Indian with this much influence and beautiful property could be made to leave his home by the white man

My fiancé and I decided to take a trip over to Murray County, GA, last week to have a look at the Vann House and property. The museum, while somewhat small, is well out together and maintained. It houses many artifacts found on site, as well as some interesting pieces from the wider Cherokee nation. Our docent, a Mr. Tim Howard, was incredibly knowledgeable about the Vann House, it's history, and much more. The house itself is beautifully restored, including many period pieces throughout. As one of the premier Cherokee locations, I believe this to be an important historical site. Do yourself a favor, and take a trip to the Chatsworth area, which has much to offer in the way of history, landscape and recreation.

The Chief Vann home is an excellent place to visit. Relatively low admission fee and you will learn a lot about how the Cherokee lived before the great removal. There is a short film to give you a good overview, a small museum, and guided tour of the house. Grounds can be explored on your own before or after the house tour. I have visited many historic homes but was surprised and impressed with this one. It has a great story to tell and is one of the more uniquely constructed places I have seen. The guide even stated that it would be safer inside the house during a tornado than the more recently constructed visitor center.

I never knew the Cherokee lived this way until my recent visit to this Georgia Historic site. You hear Indians and you think teepees, and long houses, not brick and mortar homes or even stick build wood frames homes. But the Cherokee did adapt a European way of life in the early 1800's and Chief Vann took that further as a business man. The property is in amazing shape and my park ranger guide of the house was very knowledgable, even passed on a tidbit about my Friends of GA State Parks membership I did not know. Yes because of state cut backs this needs to be a destination visit, as they are only open Thur. thru Sat.

You can really understand the plight of the Cherokee tribe when they were forcefully driven from their ancestral home. Lands that had been held by their people for generations that they had graciously shared with the white settlers. One of the real tragedies in the history of our country.

Thought I had went here as a child, later found out I didn't. This place was a great place to learn some history in general and even better because it is supposed to be related on my mom's side (my grandfather). Prices are reasonable and staff is nice and informative. Items for sale by museum and also from the Friends of The Vann House.

Very interesting historic home of Chief Vann of the Cherokee Tribe. The circa 1803 house was very impressive. Everything authentic or period. Georgia DNR tour guide was very knowledgable. Museum was very informative and well done. Worth the time.

The Vann House is definately a must see if you love history. The Cherokee sophistication in the early 1800's is phnominal. Definately see the museum, the film and home which are lovingly maintained primarily by The Friends of the Vann House. Walk the grounds. Visit the buildings and sheds. If you are like my family, read every word and ask questions on the guided tour. Julia will be waiting to explain everything and answer your questions.

We thought this would be a 30 minute stop and ended up staying almost two hours. The limited days and hours that this site is now open because of Georgia cut backs requires you to make it a planned destination. You'll come away with an excellent introduction to the story of the Cherokee indians who once lived and prospered in North Georgia along with more bothersome knowledge about the greed and cruelty of the Georgia state legislature during the early 19th century. Ever think about the German holocaust of the 1930's and feel smug, knowing such terrible things could never happen in the United States? Learning about what was done to the Cherokee will teach you differently. The Georgia legislature simply made legal claim to the land that had been given to the Cherokee's by treaty and then sent illegal surveyors into the area to measure it out by grids. They then held a land lottery in which white Georgians could receive free land, and any buildings, crops, etc. that stood there. Never mind that there were Cherokee families already living and farming on these locations. By the stoke of a pen, Georgia's politicians removed any legal right the Cherokees had to their own land. Chief Vann was the wealthiest Cherokee of North Georgia, perhaps the wealthiest of ANY Cherokee. A trader, farmer, merchant, ferry operator, land speculator he was instrumental in bringing in the Federal Road through North Georgia and built the most spectacular house of the region directly by the road where it would be seen. President Monroe once spent the night here. Moravian missionaries opened a school on land Vann provided them next to his plantation to educate Cherokees. The house is fully restored and although the furniture inside is not original, it is from the period. If you are fortunate, you will have "Julia" as your guide (we never caught her last name!). She is a wonder and knows the history of the house, the Vann family and the Cherokee experience backwards and forwards. She escorts you through the house and tells story after story about the Vanns and what happened, including what happened when Georgia militia showed up in the 1830's and told the family there to leave since they no longer had legal ownership under the signed Georgia law. Local missionaries were arrested because they were assisting the Cherokees. All of this led to the well known "Trail of Tears" as thousands of Cherokees, living on land they had lived for generations, were forced by bayonet to leave. They were put into stockades, mini-concentration camps, until set on the path to Indian Territory across the Mississippi. Its a complex story, but this is a place to learn some of the major pieces. Highly recommend.

This is a great day trip and very educational for those who think of teepees when you talk about Native Americans. The house and all the amenities are a real eye-opener to how "Europeanized" some of the Cherokees had become before their removal during the "Trail of Tears." It reminds me very much of some of the colonial homes we visited in Virginia. The attention to detail in the woodwork and the period furniture are clear indicators that people who care have spent a lot of time restoring this home. Not very interesting for children, but my wife and I found it very enjoyable to see such a fine historical house in excellent condition. You could combine a trip here with a short drive over to Fort Mountain State Park for a picnic and some fun for the kids.

A well preserved slice of history, relevant to both North Georgia, and our nation. Stop here and you get to peek into the lives of the Cherokee Indian people before the Trail of Tears. Who would've thought that Chief Vann lived on such an elegant plantation?

Although it is definitely off the beaten path, this museum is not to be missed. If you have any interest in the Cherokee or American history in general you could spend an hour or a day here and be fascinated. Absolutely beautiful.