Certified Sites on the Trail of Tears NHT

Museum of the Cherokee Indian is a Certified Site for the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail. The museum is dedicated to sharing the history and culture of the Cherokee people.

In 1825, the Cherokee national legislature established a capital here. Visitors can tour several original and reconstructed buildings, including the council house, courthouse, print shop, missionary Samuel Worcester’s home, and an 1805 store, along with smoke houses, corn cribs, and barns. In the site’s visitor center, guests can view interpretive exhibits and a 17-minute film.

The Cherokee Garden at Green Meadows Perserve features traditional plants used by the Cherokee planted by the Georgia Native Plant Society and Cobb Master Gardeners. Hiking trails are also available.

The Vann Cherokee Cabin is a witness house - one of the few structures of the Trail of Tears that is still standing, built in 1810. It was integrated into a larger structured, rediscovered when work was underway on the home.

Cherokee Nation leader John Ross lived in this cabin between 1808 and 1827. Its location is not original; in the 1960s it was moved a short distance to the southwest. His house, now owned by a local nonprofit organization, was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1973.

Funk Heritage Center of Reinhardt University is Georgia's Official Frontier and Southeastern Indian Interpretive Center. It is located on the Reinhardt University campus. It has dioramas and a film explaining 12,000 years of American Indian life in Georgia. Also, see exhibits that include historic artifacts and a large petroglyph found in the Hickory Log District of the old Cherokee Nation.

The Cedartown Encampment and Removal Site was one of fourteen forts and camps in Georgia the held forced groups of Cherokee before sending them to larger camps in southeastern Tennessee. The camp, an ad hoc military installation, operated during the late spring and early summer of 1838. Two outdoor exhibits interpret the removal camp. 

James Vann, a member of the Cherokee elite, built this two-story brick mansion in 1804. A 3,000-square foot interpretive center includes exhibits about the Vann family, Cherokee Nation, and Trail of Tears. Visitors receive guided tours of the historic house. The 23-acre park also includes outbuildings related to plantation operations.

The Chieftains Museum tells the story of the influential Ridge family, including Major Ridge, his prominent son John Ridge, and the Trail of Tears, as well as subsequent history of the home and region. Major Ridge was one of the Treaty Party leaders who signed the 1835 Treaty of New Echota that resulted in Cherokee removal. The park-like venue has a museum and the site of the Ridge family ferry on the river.

The earliest known owner of the property was George W. Adair, a Cherokee settler who owned five slaves. This 47-acre property includes an 18-room structure (known as the Freeman-Hurt-Evans House) dating from 1785, a “Travelers Rest” house dating from the 1830s, and two other historic buildings. The earliest known owner of the property was George W. Adair, a Cherokee settler who owned five slaves. This is a private residence and is closed to the public.

At the time of the Cherokee removal in 1838, John Ridge was one of the most influential leaders in the Cherokee Nation. The Treaty Party formed at Running Waters, the home of John Ridge, where they conducted their business and discussed in open council the terms of the Treaty of New Echota. This is a private residence and is closed to the public.

“...the people…are moving not from choice to an unknown region not desired by them.” Elijah Hicks wrote these words to Chief John Ross while camped at Port Royal, Tennessee in October 1838. Port Royal was the last place over 10,000 Cherokees slept in Tennessee before crossing into Kentucky. They were travelling along the Great Western Road, part of the Northern Route, which ran from Nashville, Tennessee to Missouri. Visitors can walk about a 1/4 mile of that historic roadbed.

The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions developed the area surrounding the site originally as a mission within the Cherokee Nation. The property, buildings, and improvements were purchased from John McDonald, the grandfather of Cherokee Chief John Ross. The mission was the principal mission among other, smaller ones within the Cherokee Nation, and served as a training ground for American Board staff.

At Audubon Acres, visitors can learn about the typical agricultural life and level of acculturation experienced by the Cherokee at the time of removal. The visitor center has exhibits on the Brainerd Mission site and on Cherokee culture.

This visitor center and art gallery, opened in May 2013, is owned by the Charleston-Calhoun Hiwassee Historical Society and is managed in conjunction with the Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce. The facility features a large number of interpretive panels that tell the story of the Trail of Tears in Charleston (a key removal site) and elsewhere in eastern Tennessee.

Blue Hole Spring, a natural landmark in the park, was used by the Cherokee for their water supply during council meetings. The 260-acre park contains a visitor center (James F. Corn Interpretive Center), theater, library, amphitheater, picnic shelter, and hiking trails. Replicas of 19th-century Cherokee buildings include a council house, farmhouse, barn, corn crib, and three sleeping huts.

This property, and several of its improvements, is linked to Cherokee leader John Martin. Martin built the main house (on the opposite side of Dalton Pike) approximately 1835 after being driven out of Murray County, Georgia. Martin, who has been described as "a distinguished judge in the courts of the Cherokee Nation, and also the national treasurer," was forced to sell his property in 1837, just prior to the Cherokee Removal.

Hair Conrad was a Cherokee leader during the 1820s and 1830s. In 1838, he was selected to lead the first Cherokee detachment, which traveled the main (northern) route from Rattlesnake Springs (near Charleston, TN) to Indian Territory. This 20-foot by 22-foot two-story cabin was built about 1804, and except for the later addition of a kitchen, this log building still looks much as it did during the 30-plus years that Conrad lived here.

Cherokee leader John Brown, who owned 640 acres in this area, ordered the construction of Browns Ferry Tavern in 1803. By the 1830s, Brown's land formed the boundary of the Cherokee Nation. In 1838, the road running past this structure was the route by which several Cherokee detachments were removed to present-day Oklahoma.

This non-profit history museum features interpretive panels and maps that tell the story of over 3000 North Carolina Cherokee prisoners in several detachments who camped and walked through Tellico Plains on the first leg of their journey to live in Indian Territory (Oklahoma). Visitors can view display cabinets of stone and clay tools and relics the local Overhill Cherokee used for farming, cooking, hunting, weapons and games.

In 1837, federal troops arrived in Wills Valley to establish a fort to remove removing the Cherokee Indians from the area. The cabin site is part of local property seized by the military for Fort Payne, one of over 20 removal forts (stockades) established in Alabama, Georgia, and North Carolina. Research indicates the cabin belonged to Cherokee John Huss (Spirit the Preacher) and was built circa 1825.

NOTE: Currently CLOSED until further notice. Manitou Cave of Alabama holds ceremonial significance to the Cherokee people due to its pure waters and underground chambers. During a guided tour, guests will learn about the cave's usage during peace and war with special emphasis on its connections to the Cherokee, Sequoyah, and the Trail of Tears. Guests will also learn why Manitou is unique in its geological features and biological diversity.

In 1837, federal troops arrived in Wills Valley to establish a fort to remove removing the Cherokee Indians from the area. The cabin site is part of local property seized by the military for Fort Payne, one of over 20 removal forts (stockades) established in Alabama, Georgia, and North Carolina. Research indicates the cabin belonged to Cherokee John Huss (Spirit the Preacher) and was built circa 1825.

Thousands of Cherokee people passed by Big Springs in the winter of 1838 - 1839 while following the northern route of the Trail of Tears. The city of Princeton, Kentucky has developed the location into a convenient recreational area and commemorative park for downtown visitors to take a scenic walk along the waters and pause a moment to reflect upon the experiences of those forced from their homeland.

In this place, over 1,000 Cherokee from the Peter Hildebrand Detachment spent around two weeks waiting for the Ohio River to thaw and become passable.

The Commemorative Park was once the location of a winter camp and ration stop along the Northern Route of the Trail of Tears. Explore exhibits inside the heritage center and along the park’s walking paths which tell the story of the Trail and two prominent Cherokee leaders who died while camped here. Visit the statue garden, flag memorial, and walk a short woodland trail with picnic tables and locations for reflection.

This is a crossing used by thousands of Cherokee to cross the Ohio River. While others crossed or the bitterly cold weather did not permit, they waited at Mantle Rock.

The Trail of Tears Historic Trail commemorates one of the few water route sites where detachments are known to have stopped. The trail observes the Cherokee tribe stopping for supplies in Paducah after being forced to relocate west to Indian Territory. Located at the entrance to the floodwall in downtown Paducah, visitors are surrounded by history as they read about the tragic story of the 1838 Indian Removal Act and why Paducah plays a significant role in its history.

The St. Francois County Jail Museum is located in Historic Downtown Farmington, Missouri, along the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail. It was constructed in 1870 and used as a jail until the early 1990's. The building is now used as a history museum and houses artifacts from the Farmington area, as well as interpreting the history of the trail. Find more information on how to plan a visit.

The Long House was constructed in 1833 by Phillip Long and Isabella (Murphy) Long. It was originally built of log construction, and additions were later added. On the lawn there is a granite pyramid identifying the first industry in Farmington, a tannery, owned by Phillip Graham Long. The house is typically open for tours during the first weekend of June and select dates during the holiday season.

Established in 1957, the Trail of Tears State Park stands in memoriam to one of the most tragic events in American history. In 1830, the United States Congress passed the Indian Removal Act. This law required native tribes to vacate their ancestral lands and relocate to reservations in Oklahoma, then simply called Indian Territory.

This mill was used by detachments to acquire supplies along their journey. Visitors can learn about historic mill operations and the types of supplies available to travelers.

In the early 1830s, the John and Mary Fitzgerald family settled on land located alongside the Military Road (also called Old Missouri Road), which ran from Springfield, Missouri to Fort Smith, Arkansas. The Fitzgerald’s took advantage of their location by establishing an inn and tavern on their farm. By the late 1830s it was a well-known stop for travelers. It became a supply source for many of the Trail of Tears Cherokee removal detachments in the late 1830s.

Today the lake looks wide and calm, but the Arkansas River still flows through it with a good current. Landmarks mentioned in journals and ship logbooks from the Trail of Tears are still known to locals and one of the site exhibits near the boat launch highlights local places then and now. There is also space dedicated to the Trail of Tears inside and behind the visitor center on the overlook deck.

Detachments following the Trail of Tears passed through this sparsely populated community in the 1830s on the Old Missouri and Old Wire roads. The museum is a certified Trail of Tears site and has information about the Trail of Tears through Northwest Arkansas. The outdoor exhibits display buildings and farm equipment from the 19th century Ozark life.

Visiting the Jacob Wolf House Historic site you are experiencing history where it happened! You can touch the historic log built 1829 Wolf House and imagine how it was constructed using rough cut yellow pine logs and half dove tail corner notches. You are walking across the grounds where thousands of frontier families came before you. Highway 5 running parallel to the property was the Benge Route of the Trail of Tears.

Active from 1824 through 1890, it was at first the westernmost US military fort and was a key to US military strategy, inasmuch as the fort held more soldiers than any other fort located west of the Mississippi River. The fort was also a dispersal site for the Seminole and Creek Indians after their long journey from their homes in the southeastern United States.

Webbers Falls was a Cherokee settlement prior to the forced removal of 1838-1839. There are several sites in Webbers Falls to visit related to the Trail of Tears.

Hunter’s Home is the only remaining pre–Civil War plantation home in Oklahoma. A kitchen garden, field crops, animals, log cabin, and the historic home give visitors a window into life on an antebellum Cherokee plantation.