Media release from Chief Vann House State Historic Site:
Candlelight Tours at the Chief Vann House Historic Site will be hosted the second weekend of December, Friday the 12th and Saturday the 13th, 5 – 9 p.m. To best enjoy your experience please arrive by 8:00p.m., the candles will be extinguished at 9p.m. No reservations are needed for this event; if you are bringing a large group, try to arrive earlier in the evening. There is no rain date for the event, and it will be held rain or shine.
The cool winds are settling in and the holidays are here. Ring in the season with Candlelight Tours at the Chief Vann House to see the historical plantation house decked with boughs, bows, greenery, and other decorations inspired by an early 19th century Moravian Christmas celebration. Visitors attending the event will tour the lovingly decorated house by the light of more than 100 candles while listening to live music sponsored by the Friends of the Chief Vann House. The tour doesn’t end there; visitors are invited to enjoy a cup of hot cider and Moravian cookies while touring the Vann Kitchen exhibit and the 19th Century Cherokee Farmstead exhibit, also illuminated by candlelight. Of course, the Visitor Center will also be open for a viewing of our site film and gallery.
This annual event celebrates the many Christmases hosted by the Moravian missionaries who operated a western-style school (sponsored by the Vann family) for Cherokee children from 1801 until 1835. It is likely the missionaries were hosting the first formal Christmas celebrations within the Cherokee Nation. In the early 1800s, the Moravians at the Springplace Mission recorded that their Christmas service was one of the most well-attended services of the whole year. Traditional gifts were often paper scrolls with beautifully scripted bible verses inside a painted wreath border, and a small candle for each service attendee. A traditional Moravian Christmas is often accompanied by a “Lovefeast” and “Singstunde” wherein the merriment was singing, praying, and the sharing of food and drink.
If you can’t make it to Candlelight Tours, the rest of December will also be a beautiful time to tour the Vann House Historic Site. Our natural, hand-crafted decorations will remain in place through the end of December. Stay tuned on our Facebook, Friends of the Chief Vann House, for updates. Admission for Candlelight Tours will be $8 per person, no tax. Children 5 and under are free, Friends of the Vann House passes will be accepted, and this is a great time to renew your membership! The Vann House will be closed Thursday, November 27th to observe Thanksgiving with our families. From December through March, the Vann House will be closed on Sundays.
Regular hours: Thursday-Saturday 9-5, Sunday 1-5. December-March: closed on Sunday.
Last tour of the day always begins at 4 p.m.
Visit us on Facebook at ‘Friends of the Chief Vann House,’ or on Instagram at ‘Vann_House_Park,’ or online at www.gastateparks.org/chiefvannhouse
82 Hwy. 225 N. · Chatsworth, GA 30705 · 706-695-2598 · [email protected]
In 1804, Cherokee Chief James Vann was the wealthiest man in the Cherokee Nation and built a three-story brick house in the center of his eight hundred-acre plantation. You can tour his Federalist era brick mansion on a guided tour, held hourly during normal days of operation.
The mission of the Department of Natural Resources is to sustain, enhance, protect and conserve Georgia’s natural, historic and cultural resources for present and future generations, while recognizing the importance of promoting the development of commerce and industry that utilize sound environmental practices.