Native American Heritage Month is a great time to explore all the cultural sites related to Georgia’s early inhabitants. The Trail of Tears evicted the “five civilized tribes”—Cherokee, Muscogee (Creek), Seminole, Chickasaw, and Choctaw—from lands east of the Mississippi River. The two main tribes in Georgia were the Muscogee and the Cherokee. Along the coast, the Guale and the Yamacraw tribes were smaller but left a significant historical impact.
Fortunately, many Native American cultural sites have been preserved and turned into educational opportunities. Through interactive displays, archaeological exhibits, and Native American artistic works, visitors can better understand the history of the tribes that called Georgia home. Visit any of these 13 sites that preserve Native American Heritage.
1. John Ross House
200 E. Lake Ave., Rossville, GA 30741
Trail of Tears National Historic Trail Site
Constructed by Scottish trader John McDonald circa 1797, the John Ross House is the oldest remaining structure in northwest Georgia. McDonald’s grandson, John Ross, became the Principal Chief of the Cherokee Tribe in 1828. By 1830, however, the Georgia legislature and Congress approved acts enabling Native removal. After serving as a post office and a Civil War hospital, the home moved a short distance in the 1960s and was restored.
2. Cherokee Garden at Green Meadows Preserve
3780 Dallas Hwy, Powder Springs, GA
Trail of Tears National Historic Site Trail Site
Cultivated by the Georgia Native Plant Society and Cobb Master Gardeners, the Cherokee garden honors Native American heritage through the use of traditional plants native to the area. Visitors can learn about the resourcefulness of the Cherokee people through their use of plants for food, medicine, tools, and more. The site also offers hiking trails to enhance your visit.
3. Vann Cherokee Cabin
24 Broad St., Cave Spring, GA, 30124
Trail of Tears National Historic Site Trail Site
Built by Avery Vann, Jr., a Scottish-Cherokee trader and brother of Cherokee Chief James Vann, the 1810 cabin hid in plain sight until 2010. Discovered within the run-down Webster-Green Hotel, preservation efforts began. The National Park Service believes this site represents the first phase of removal, where Cherokee were rounded up prior to being sent to larger camps in southern Tennessee.
4. Funk Heritage Center of Reinhardt University
7300 Reinhardt College Cir., Waleska, GA 30183
Trail of Tears National Historic Trail Site
“Georgia’s Official Frontier and Southeastern Indian Interpretive Center” is on the campus of Reinhardt University. In addition to a film exploring 12,000 years of Native American heritage in Georgia, the Bennett History Museum displays artifacts from the Hickory Log excavation site in Canton, GA, and a historic hand tool collection. An art gallery on-site displays paintings, sculptures, and pottery by Native American artists.
5. Chief Vann House State Historic Site
82 Hwy 225, N. Chatsworth, GA 30705
Trail of Tears National Historic Trail Site
Built in 1804 by wealthy and influential tribal leader James Vann, the home became the most extensive and successful plantation in the Cherokee Nation. He didn’t get to enjoy it for long; an unpopular man, James was murdered in 1809. The home was still in the family when the Vanns were forced to relocate to Oklahoma. Georgia State Parks offers guided tours of the restored house.
6. Chieftains Museum (Major Ridge Home)
501 Riverside Pkwy., Rome, GA 30161
Trail of Tears National Historic Trail Site
The Chieftains Museum is the home of the infamous Major John Ridge. Ridge, a Cherokee leader, gave up resisting removal and urged his people to get out of the way to avoid “the great storm” coming. Joined by son John and nephew Elias Boudinot, the three signed the Treaty of New Echota, resulting in Cherokee removal. They didn’t have authorization from the Cherokee Nation Council and were murdered by their own people in 1839.
7. New Echota State Historic Site
1211 Chatsworth Hwy NE, Calhoun, GA 30701
Trail of Tears National Historic Trail Site
As the location of the signing of the Treaty of New Echota, this site is considered the historic beginning of the Trail of Tears and the most significant Native American Heritage site. Established in 1825 as the Cherokee capital, New Echota was one of the earliest attempts at self-government by a Native American tribe. It includes 12 outbuildings related to the town, including a print shop for the first Indian-language newspaper.
8. Fort Mountain State Park
181 Fort Mountain Park Rd., Chatsworth, GA 30705
An ancient stone wall stretches 855 feet along a mountaintop in northeast Georgia. The wall zig-zags along Fort Mountain and is between two to six feet tall at points. Its estimated origin is between 500-1500 C.E., but its purpose remains a Native American heritage mystery. Current theory leans toward the wall built to align with the sun or moon during solstice seasons, indicating planting times.
9. Etowah Indian Mounds State Historic Site
813 Indian Mounds Rd. S.E., Cartersville, GA 30120
Occupied by several thousand Native Americans from 1000 A.D. to 1550 A.D., this site contains six earthen mounds and a village site. The location is the most intact Mississippian Culture site in the southeast. The 63-foot earthen knoll was likely used as a platform and home of the priest-chief. Take advantage of the nature trails that show how original cultures used local trees for food and medicine.
10. Kolomoki Mounds State Park
205 Indian Mounds Rd., Blakely, GA 39823
Situated in south Georgia, Kolomoki Mounds is the oldest and largest Woodland Indian Site in the southeastern U.S. Occupied from 350-750 A.D., the 57-foot high Great Temple Mound is the oldest in Georgia. Two smaller burial mounds and several ceremonial mounds are nearby. View found artifacts and a short film in the Visitor Center.
11. Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park
1207 Emery Hwy, Macon, GA 31217
Archaeologists have uncovered over 12,000 years of continuous human habitation during the most extensive archaeological dig in U.S. history. Men working with Roosevelt’s relief organizations between 1933-1936 found 2.5 million artifacts here. Scientists used them for piecing together a cultural timeline of Native American heritage from 12,000 B.C.E. to 180 C.E. Many artifacts are in the museum on-site at this national park.
Archaeologists say that the first inhabitants, hunting Ice Age mammals, arrived during the Paleo-Indian Period. The mounds were likely the work of tribes during the Mississippian period, 900 C.E. The site also claims two Civil War battles that created one of the few surviving Civil War earthworks in Macon.
12. Rock Eagle and Rock Hawk Effigy Mounds
Rock Eagle – 350 Rock Eagle Rd., Eatonton, GA 31024
Rock Hawk – 125 Wallace Dam Rd., Eatonton, GA 31024
These mound effigies are earthworks built up with thousands of pieces of quartzite. Rock Eagle is in the shape of a large bird that measures 102 feet long from head to tail and 120 feet long between wing tips. According to maps dating from 1878 and later, Rock Hawk has been damaged and poorly preserved. Archaeologists believe the mounds were created before the Mississippian period, possibly by a Woodland culture.
13. Indian Springs State Park
678 Lake Clark Rd, Flovilla, GA 30216
Indian Springs State Park is the oldest state park in Georgia and one of the oldest in the United States. The Creek people collected the spring water for its believed healing qualities. The Creeks suffered much warring with the early settlers and signed a treaty ceding thousands of acres of their land. In 1825, Creek leader William McIntosh signed a second treaty against the wishes of his people that sold all remaining Creek lands.
The area was a busy resort town in the 19th century. The Indian Springs Hotel that McIntosh established remains near the park’s entrance. The Civilian Conservation Corps created a spring house during the Great Depression, and visitors can still sample the spring water.
Explore Native American Heritage in Georgia
While most preserved sites are related to the large Cherokee Nation in Georgia, the state has been home to civilizations dating back to prehistoric. With countless sites lost to time and development, archaeologists and historians are fighting to preserve the remaining cultural heritage spots. Organizations such as the National Park Service, Georgia State Parks, and local heritage groups are supporting preservation and education opportunities across the state.
Amy Albers is a librarian in the Atlanta suburb of Marietta. When she’s not getting lost in genealogy and local history, she is finding fun solo and family travel destinations to share with others. With over a dozen years of experience writing about family and travel on her own blog, Amy now enjoys freelance writing. She has three teen and young adult boys who turned her on to all things Marvel and Star Wars and a husband who has nurtured her into a committed SEC football fan. The beach and the great outdoors are her happy places but she’s never mad at a luxury hotel. Her book reviews and latest adventures are found on Instagram at Exploring The Amysphere.