The Vann House
In 1803, deep in Cherokee Territory, Chief James Vann, a Half-Scot, half-Cherokee, set in motion the construction of what would be the grandest home in all of the Cherokee Nation. Set on over 800 acres in a place known as Vann's Place, the massive brick mansion was built.
Chief Vann (1768-1809) was a wealthy Cherokee and large slaveholder, having over 100 slaves in his employ. The construction of his large brick home was started a few years before he helped negotiate the Treaty of Tellico. In 1805 the treaty allowed passage of the Europeans through the Cherokee Territory along an old Cherokee path. In exchange for passage, the Cherokee would have exclusive rights to the constructions of taverns and inns for lodging along the entirety of the route. Of all the tavern owners, Chief Vann had the most taverns of any Cherokee.
His home was built in the Federal Style (a classical design movement in the United States that flourished roughly between 1780 and 1830 - peak years 1785–1815), representing the building identity of our newly formed republic, and consists of two-stories, an attic, and a basement. On each floor there are two rooms 30 x 20 feet with a wide hallway in between. There are ornate fireplaces in many of the rooms of the home with carved mantelpieces.
Chief Vann made an arrangement with the religious sect of Moravians to build a large school and mission near Vann's place. He knew this would give his children and close friends and educational advantage and a chance to learn the ways of the Europeans. In addition to his son Joseph and daughter Delilah's attendance at the school, future Cherokee Leaders Elias Boudinot and John Ridge were educated there.
According to Moravian Missionary diary entries, Chief Vann moved into his house in March 24, 1805. In 1809, Chief Vann was murdered along the Federal Road at Lewis Blackburn's Tavern in what is now present-day Forsyth County.
Subsequently, the Vann house and much of his land was fought over for several years before it finally was passed down to Chief Vann's son Joseph in 1814. Five years later, his most famous guests arrived in May of 1819, and President James Monroe, the Secretary of War John C. Calhoun, and other digitaries spent the evening at the Vann House. This is confirmed by the Moravian missionary diaries.
Later in 1834, William Bishop kicked Joseph Vann and his family out of the house after he accidentally broke a law prohibiting white men working for an Indian. Vann hired a white man to be in charge of his plantation and therefore forefeited his land. Van sued for the value of his losses and the government paid Vann $19,605 - worth a little more than $765,000 in today's currency. Among the items listed in his valuation report were the following:
800 cultivated acres
One fine brick house
42 cabins
Six barns
Five smokehouses
A grist mill
A blacksmith shop
Eight corn cribs
A shop and foundry
A trading post
A peach kiln
A still
1,133 peach trees
147 apple trees
Essentially Joseph Vann lost an entire village sitting on a mile and a quarter of land.
Vann subsequently moved west to Webbers Falls, Oklahoma where he later built a duplicate version of his Vann House - sadly this duplicate home was destroyed during the Civil War.
After Vann was kicked out a Georgian named Spencer Riley moved into the mansion and made a bogus claim to it. William Bishop was sent to kick him out. Spencer wouldn't leave and Bishop's men through a smoldering log onto the staircase to flush him out. The burns from the log are still visible on the landing.
In 1920, physician J.E. Bradford moved into the house before selling it to the Georgia Historical Commission in 1952. In July of 1958, the Georgia Historical Commission opened the property to visitors.
Since 1958, many original period buildings have been added to the grounds as examples of what life was like in the days of the Cherokee. One of the cabins came from West Pickens County's Little Scarecorn Creek in 2004.
To learn more about James Vann's murder and subsequent exhumation, please click here.
To learn more about the Old Federal Road, please click here.
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