Chief Vann House State Historical
Marker
Located at Ga. 52 Alt. and Ga. 225
at Spring Place, Ga.
(Text)
CHIEF VANN HOUSE
Built of locally made brick in
1804, this house, the finest in the Cherokee Nation, was the
home a Town Chief, James Vann, son of a Scotch trader, Clement
Vann, and his wife, a Cherokee chieftain's daughter. Around his
home were several of his business ventures and many acres of
land tilled by his slaves. Sponsor of Spring Place Mission, shrewd,
amiable but violent, James Vann shot his brother-in-law in 1808
and, in accordance with tribal law, was killed by relatives in
1809. His son, Joseph (Rich Joe) Vann (1798-1844), inherited
this estate. Increasing the wealth and influence of the Vanns.
When expelled in early 1834, Joseph Vann fled to Tennessee and
settled, finally at Webbers Falls, Oklahoma. Racing his steamboat
The Lucy Walker on the Ohio river, he died when the overheated
boiler exploded near Louisville, Kentucky, in October, 1844.
A tempting prize to white men,
the Vann House was the scene of a bloody battle between rival
claimants in 1834. Deteriorating since, it was purchased in 1952
by a group of public-spirited citizens of Atlanta, Chatsworth
and Dalton, and deeded to the Georgia Historical Commission.
Restored to its original grandeur, it is a monument to the culture
of the Cherokees.
- 105-4 GEORGIA HISTORIC
MARKER 1954
-
© Carl Vinson Institute of Government,
University of Georgia
Go to Georgia Historic Markers website
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