Chieftains Museum facts for kids
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Chieftains Museum
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Chieftain House
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 Location in Georgia (U.S. state)
Location in the United States
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| Location | 501 Riverside Pkwy NE, Rome, Georgia |
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| Built | 1819 |
| Architect | Major Ridge |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000273 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | April 7, 1971 |
| Designated NHL | November 7, 1973 |
The Chieftains Museum, also known as the Major Ridge Home, is a historic house in Rome, Georgia, USA. It was once the home of a very important Cherokee leader named Major Ridge. The house started as a log cabin built around 1819.
Major Ridge was known for his part in signing the Treaty of New Echota in 1835. This agreement gave away the remaining Cherokee lands in the Southeast to the United States. He was part of a smaller group called the Treaty Party. This group believed that the Cherokee people would have to move anyway. They wanted to get the best possible deal from the United States for their people.
Most other Cherokee leaders and people did not agree with Major Ridge and the Treaty Party. They did not want to give up their lands. Giving away tribal lands was seen as a very serious offense by the Cherokee Nation. After most of the tribe was moved to what became the Cherokee Nation in Indian Territory, Major Ridge and some others from the Treaty Party faced severe consequences for their actions.
The Story of the Chieftains Museum
Major Ridge's first home here was a small log house. It was built in a style called "dogtrot." This meant it had an open hallway through the middle. Later, he made the house bigger. He closed off the dogtrot and added rooms on each side. This turned it into a large, white, two-story house made of wood.
This "Big House" was the center of his busy 223-acre farm. His land stretched all the way to the Oostanaula River. This river was important for travel and for sending his cotton to market. In 1973, the house was recognized as a National Historic Landmark. This means it is a very important historical place in the United States.
From Home to Museum
The Major Ridge Home was bought by a group called the Junior League of Rome. They wanted to save it and share its history. In 1971, it became a historic house museum. It was first known as the "Chieftains Museum."
In 2002, the National Park Service named the museum an official site. It is now part of the "Cherokee Trail of Tears National Historic Trail." This trail remembers the difficult journey of the Cherokee people when they were forced to move from their homes.
The building was later renamed Chieftains Museum / Major Ridge Home to honor its original owner. Today, the museum teaches visitors about Major Ridge and what Cherokee life was like in the 1800s. Part of Major Ridge's original land along the river is now Riverside Park in Rome, Georgia.
See also
