82 Hwy. 225 N Chatsworth, Georgia 30705 tel: 706-695-2598 fax: 706-517-4255 email: vann.house.park@dnr.state.ga.us www.GeorgiaStateParks.org Located at the intersection of Ga. Hwy. 225 and Hwy. 52A, near Chatsworth, Georgia. HOURS: Tuesday-Saturday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Sunday, 2 - 5:30 p.m. Last tour begins 45 minutes before closing (gates locked). Closed Monday (except holidays), Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Closed Tuesday when open Monday. FEES: Small admission fee charged. Group rates available with advance notice. Picnic area and bus parking available. This publication is printed on paper containing 100% post consumer waste recycled content which is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council to be environmentally safe. 01/2008 - 5M/1591.94 The largest, most prosperous plantation in the Cherokee Nation . . . Vann History Studying the Cherokee can dispel many stereotypes of Native Americans. The Cherokee have never lived in teepees nor have they ever worn large feathered headdress. The Cherokee's first known encounter with Europeans was Hernando DeSoto's expedition in 1540. Within the next three centuries, Europeans came to the eastern United States in everincreasing numbers and native culture began to lose ground to a more Europeanized lifestyle. Around the time of the American Revolution bows and arrows were replaced with rifles. Mud homes (called wattle and daub) were replaced with log cabins. One of the early settlers into the Cherokee Nation was a Scottish trader named Vann. Vann lived with a Cherokee woman, Wahli, who bore him several children. In 1768 Wahli had her first child, a son whom she named James Vann. James Vann became an influential Cherokee. He gained great wealth by placing various businesses along the Federal Road, which forked through the Cherokee Nation in the early 1800s. James' primary contribution to the Cherokee was the support he provided toward establishing the Springplace Moravian Mission. While the Moravians were primarily interested in bringing the gospel to the tribe, Vann's main focus was the education of Cherokee children. In 1801 Vann sent his young daughter, Sarah (Sally), to be the first pupil at Springplace. Across from the new mission, Vann completed construction on his new house and the family moved in on March 24, 1805. The Moravians found their new neighbor to be both a blessing and a curse. He could be very benevolent when sober but was treacherous when drinking, which was often. Nevertheless, more than any other, James Vann contributed to the education of the men and women who were later leaders in the Cherokee Nation Elias Boudinot, John Ridge, Sarah Ridge, Stand Watie, and Joseph Vann (James' son) among others. James Vann was fatally shot at Buffington's Tavern south of his home on the old Federal Road. Vann had several enemies and his murderer(s) was never found. In their diary dated Feb. 21, 1809 the Moravians recorded their benefactor's death: "Thus ended the life of one who was feared by many and loved by few in the 41st year of his life . . .Vann had been an instrument in the hand of God for establishing our Mission in this Nation. Never in his Portrait of "Rich Joe," son of Chief James Vann wildest orgies had he attempted to harm us. We could not but commend his soul to God's mercy." James Vann's last will gave virtually everything to his 11-year-old son, Joseph. The Council of Chiefs declared this unfair and intervened to give continues . . . . . . continued at least a few slaves and livestock to the remaining Vann children and widows (according to the Moravian diaries there were a total of 8 consorts and 9 children who were awarded these portions of the holdings). When the estate was finally settled in August of 1814, young Joseph (then 16) still inherited the house, the land and all of his father's businesses. Joseph Vann then became known as "Rich Joe" and proved to be an even better businessman than his father. He also became an instrumental voice in the Cherokee Legislature. Joseph Vann was a victim of the Indian removal movement in Georgia. In 1832 the lottery system of land grants took effect. White citizens could purchase lottery tickets for the chance to win 160 acres of Indian land. During this time Georgia passed several laws specific to the wealthier Cherokee. A Cherokee could not testify against a White in court, nor could a Cherokee hire Whites. Joseph Vann unknowingly violated these new laws when he sought to hire a White overseer for his Springplace plantation. Because of this infraction Col. William Bishop, the head of the Georgia Guard, sought to claim Joseph's beautiful brick mansion for himself in March of 1835. Spencer Riley, a White boarder who was renting from Joseph, claimed that he had won the Vann's house in the 1832 Georgia land lottery. Suddenly, a gun battle erupted in the house between the claimants while the Vann family huddled in an adjoining room. On orders from Bishop, militiamen wounded Riley and then placed a smoldering log onto the stairway to smoke everyone out. The charred flooring from this extraordinary event is still visible on the landing. Forced from their home on that cold March day, Joseph Vann and his family fled north to a farm he owned in Tennessee. In 1836 the Vanns made their way to Webber's Falls, Oklahoma at the southern end of the new Cherokee Nation. In the early 1840s the federal government made restitution totaling nearly $20,000 to Joseph Vann for his holdings. The property valuation for the Georgia tracts included 800 acres of land under cultivation, 110 African slaves, and appraisals for 96 structures including Joseph's fine brick home, cabins, barns, smokehouses, corn cribs, a grist mill, a sawmill, blacksmith shops, taverns, a peach kiln, whiskey stills, and 1,133 peach and 147 apple trees, along with other possessions and properties. Overall, Joseph Vann's businesses and farms were estimated to cover over 4,000 acres in the Cherokee Nation. At Webber's Falls, "Rich Joe" built another mansion (later burned by federal troops during the Civil War). While there he purchased a steamboat line that operated on various rivers. On the Ohio River in October 1844, Joseph and more than 100 other passengers were bound for New Orleans aboard his new steamship, the Lucy Walker. Earlier, they experienced engine trouble and had to stop several times. Within minutes of casting off from Louisville, Kentucky the steamer suddenly exploded and sank, killing more than 60 people on board, including Joseph Vann. He was 46 years old. The Lucy Walker explosion is still considered one of America's greatest maritime disasters on an inland waterway. Vann House Architecture The Vann House, often called The Showplace of the Cherokee Nation, is significant as a mansion house of both architectural and historical distinction. Involved in its planning and construction were an architect named Vogt, a brick mason from Virginia named Robert Howell, and carpenters from Tennessee named McCartney. Various Moravian craftsmen from the mission worked side by side with Cherokee laborers and Vann's African slaves. Architecturally it is best described as Federal, but the continuing tradition of the American Georgian style is apparent. Two-story-high solid brick walls are crowned front and rear with a classic cornice. Each end has two-story whitewashed plaster pilasters and double doorways opening to covered porches above and below. On each of the two main floors there are two rooms, 24 by 14 feet, with a wide hallway between. To the left of the main (north) entrance is an elaborately carved stairway, the oldest example of cantilevered construction in Georgia. Originally there was no semblance of support for the stairway, which caused it to be referred to as Vann's "floating staircase." All the bricks were made by slaves here on the plantation. Hand-wrought nails and hinges were produced in James Vann's own blacksmith shops and floorboards were cut at his sawmill. It is said that the only building material not produced here was glass for the massive windows. Beautiful and intricate hand carvings are an outstanding feature of the house, both inside and out. The parlor, or drawing room, to the right of the north entrance has a huge fireplace bordered by a mantle that stretches up to the 12-foot ceiling. This mantle is an especially fine example of wood craftsmanship and design. It includes arches and columns on its over-mantle along with a formal cornice. The original paint colors found during the restoration are representative of the earth tones blue sky, red clay, yellow sun and grain, and green forests. These colors can be found in a variety of combinations throughout the house. Under the drawing room and hall is the root cellar. Originally, the only door to the cellar was outside just off the rear porch. Now, under the staircase the floor of the closet has been removed to allow access. These two subterraneous rooms were cool, dry places used for processing and storing foodstuff, wine and whiskey. To the left of the front entrance is the dining room. The southern exterior door in this room led to the outside cookhouse and was used primarily as the slave entrance. The cookhouse was adjacent to the dining room and was described in 1837 as being a "hewn log structure." The kitchen was connected to the rear porch by a brick walkway. The second floor contained sleeping quarters for family and guests. The attic "coffin rooms," so named because of their unusual shape, were probably also used as sleeping space for children and guests, as well as for storage. The Vann House Later Years The Vann House was owned and lived in by numerous families until the mid1940s. After 150 years of continuous use, the once-beautiful home deteriorated. Ultimately, it took an inspired community to raise funds and purchase the house from Dr. J.E. Bradford in 1952. They presented it to the Georgia Historical Commission. At that time an extensive restoration was required; the roof was almost gone, both porches had rotted and separated from the main structure, the dining room floor had collapsed, and every windowpane was shattered. Over a period of several years the Georgia Historical Commission, with assistance from the Whitfield-Murray Historical Society and local historic-minded citizens, restored the structure and began to furnish it. The Vann descendents donated priceless family heirlooms to be added to the house as exhibits. The fully restored Vann House was dedicated in July of 1958 before a distinguished gathering of Cherokee leaders, 42 Vann descendants, and many interested Georgians. Today the State Parks and Historic Sites division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources operates the Chief Vann State House Historic Site. Bibliography McClinton, Rowena, The Moravian Springplace Mission to the Cherokees. University of Nebraska Press, 2007 Perdue, Theda, Slavery and the Evolution of Cherokee Society, 1540-1866, University of Tennessee Press, 1979 Shadburn, Don S., Cherokee Planters in Georgia 1832-1838, Wolfe Associates, 1990 Wilkens, Thurmond, Cherokee Tragedy, University of Oklahoma Press, 1970 and 1986 Woodward, Grace S., The Cherokee, University of Oklahoma Press, 1963