(Media release from the Chief Vann House Historic Site):
To spotlight Georgia’s fascinating past, Chief Vann House Historic Site is offering free admission on Sunday, February 6. From 1-5p.m., families can enjoy a free open-house style tour of the historic Vann House. Also included in your visit is the Chambers Museum and Visitor Center containing artifacts, historic documents, historic illustrations, and more. Guests can also explore our outdoor exhibits: A 19th Century Cherokee Farmstead, a Vann Workhouse/Kitchen two-story cabin, a 1920s spring/bath house atop a natural fresh-water springs, and a one-mile medium difficulty nature trail to God’s Acre Cemetery. Please arrive by 4p.m. to best enjoy your experience, museum and grounds close at 5p.m.
The Chief Vann House was the lavish plantation home built in 1804 by James Vann, the son of a Cherokee woman and a Scottish trader. James Vann rose to fortune so that at the time of his death in 1809 he was the wealthiest Cherokee on the former Cherokee Nation with the largest plantation and holdings. His son, “Rich Joe” Vann inherited and expanded his father’s land and businesses. When you visit the Vann House, you’ll learn about Chief James Vann’s life and achievements, the Moravian Missionaries’ records that tell us the entire story, and the fate of the Vann Family after the 1830s Indian Removal Act and the Cherokee Trail of Tears.
Super Museum Sunday is an annual statewide celebration organized by the Georgia Historical Society, with admission waived at dozens of sites and museums across Georgia. Historic site visitors can see the Cherokee Nation’s first newspaper, walk in the footsteps of Revolutionary War soldiers, admire FDR’s hand-controlled roadster, or climb to the top of an Indian mound. To learn more about Super Museum Sunday, and see all participating Georgia museums, visit georgiahistoryfestival.org/events/super-museum-sunday. To learn more about your visit to the Chief Vann House, visit GaStateParks.org/ChiefVannHouse or call 706-695-2598.
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