
Bring Cherokee History Home
Preserve the Past. Empower the Future.
What We’re Building Towards
We are restoring these historical structures and transforming them into a vibrant, living museum. With your help, our center will feature:
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Historical exhibits: Documents, pottery, tools, and artifacts of Cherokee daily life
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A theater: Videos and oral histories told in the voices of Cherokee descendants
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Living culture: Storytelling, music, drumming, and dance to keep our traditions alive
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Outdoor educational spaces: Gardens, homes, and living villages that show how our ancestors lived and thrived
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Exhibits on gold mining: The truth about the gold rush and its devastating impact on our people
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Student tours: Educational field trips that teach the next generation the full, unfiltered history of this land
“We are not just a page in history,
we are still here. And we remember!”


Why We Need Your Help
The Cherokee were removed. But their story does not have to be.
We are raising $1.2 million to purchase and restore this historic land and build a permanent, sacred space for our people’s legacy.
Your donation—big or small will helps us:
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Secure 2.8 acres of land along Georgia Highway 400
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Restore the historic structures that witnessed Cherokee removal
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Build immersive, educational exhibits and cultural displays
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Protect the memory that Georgia once tried to erase
This is about more than a museum. This is about justice. Truth. Healing.
Our Story
In the quiet hills of Dahlonega, Georgia, there’s a place where the earth still remembers.
It remembers the footsteps of our Cherokee ancestors. It remembers the stories, the language, the tears, the resilience and now, it calls to us to remember too.
We are the descendants of those who stayed behind. Those who endured the heartbreak of separation, who held on to culture in silence, and whose strength has carried us here, generations later. Today, we have the chance to honor them, not in memory alone, but in presence.
We are creating the Cherokee Heritage Center: a home where our history will be seen, heard, and felt. A place where our story can live again, not just in textbooks, but in every heart that visits.
On this sacred 2.8-acre land stands an old general store, still intact from the time of the Cherokee Removal. With your help, we will lovingly restore it. Next to it, an old house will become our first exhibit wing, eventually forming the hallways of a full-scale museum.
Inside, we’ll showcase:
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Cherokee pottery, tools, and documents
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A theater room for films and oral histories
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Exhibits on New Echota, the Cherokee capital, and the writing of our Constitution
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The untold story of the Georgia Cherokee, those who were never removed, but who quietly resisted, survived, and rebuilt
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Music, tradition, and storytelling: bringing voices of the past to life through drumming, songs, and spoken word passed down through generations
Outside, we dream of a living village, where visitors can walk through replicas of Cherokee homes, see crops we once grew, and experience the lifeways of our people. We’ll also share the gold mining history that forever changed this land and the miners—Indigenous and immigrant—who toiled here.
And for the children, our future, we will open our doors to schools across the region, welcoming them into a space where Cherokee history is not just taught, but felt.
We are right off Georgia Highway 400, easy to find, but impossible to forget.
The Georgia Tribe of Eastern Cherokee
The Georgia Tribe of Eastern Cherokee is the true remnant of the Cherokee Nation, which has existed in the Appalachians since time immemorial.
The original Cherokee Constitution was written here; Sequoyah invented the written syllabary for the Cherokee language here. The first Cherokee newspaper, The Phoenix, was printed here.
Principal Chief, John Ross and Judge John Martin were both from Georgia. They represented the Cherokee Nation before the United States Supreme Court in 1830 & 1831; Although the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Sovereignty of the Cherokee Nation, (which was theirs through Right of Treaty with the United States Government);
President Andrew Jackson and the State of Georgia ignored their ruling and forced the Cherokee to accept Georgia Citizenship or be removed to Oklahoma Territory.

The Gold Rush & The Fall of The Cherokee Nation.
In 1809 the State of Georgia made a deal with the United States.
The State of Georgia once encompassed the territory that is now the State of Alabama and Mississippi. The Federal Government wanted the land for future States. The State of Georgia agreed to relinquish the Territory in return for the Federal Government to rid ALL of Georgia of the Native Americans within its boundaries.
Time rocked on, and very little progress was made toward this goal. However, in the late 1820’s Gold was found in Lumpkin County in the County seat of Auraria.
(Today Dahlonega is the County seat about ten miles away).
The True Story of the Trail of Tears
In 1838, more than 16,000 Cherokee were forcibly removed from their ancestral lands in the Southeast after the Indian Removal Act of 1830.
Forced to travel nearly 1,000 miles to Oklahoma by foot, wagon, and boat, they faced hunger, disease, and bitter cold. Over 4,000 died along the way.
This tragic journey became known as the Trail of Tears. Yet, through sorrow and loss, the Cherokee spirit endured, some escaped to the mountains of North Carolina, forming what is now the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
Their story is one of immense pain, but also of survival, strength, and resilience.

About Our Council
The Tribal Council of the Georgia Tribe of Eastern Cherokee consists of 9 members.
Meetings are held twice monthly and discussions consist of business brought before the Council; including our mission to complete the Georgia Tribe of Eastern Cherokee Heritage Center and Museum in the Auraria area, Federal Recognition for the Tribe, Benefits including medical and housing for our people; The development of History, Language, and Ceremonial classes for our youth. We work with the University of North Georgia to help preserve our history in Data Banks.
We work with the Braves Organization on different projects throughout the year, including Georgia Tribe Night, and donations made to our Tribe to help preserve our records and to help tribal members in need with Christmas gifts. We work with our State Senator, Representatives and local officials on matters that affect the Native American Community. We are a State recognized Tribe, and our Council Chair sits on the Georgia Council of American Indian Concerns, members are appointed by our Governor.
We work with the local Historical Societies and are active in all community organizations.
Each of our members are the descendants of members on Cherokee Rolls or Treaties made with the U. S. Government prior to the Removal (Trail of Tears).
The majority of our current members are descendants of Cherokee listed on the Guion Miller Roll, 1906-1909. Our current membership is approximately 1200.
We are a 501(c) 3 Foundation. All contributions made to our tribe are tax deductible.
Please visit our website at georgiatribeeasterncherokee.com to learn more about our Council and tribal members.






