Cherokee Vann Cabin

Introduction

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Located in the heart of Cave Spring is this historic log cabin that dates to the first half of the 19th century, specifically between 1810 and 1839. Although the exact date is disputed, the cabin remains an important historic landmark and is an official site of the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail, which is managed by the National Parks Service. The name of the cabin has been attributed to Avery Vann (or his son, David), who was a Cherokee Indian and supposedly the cabin's builder. It appears to be open daily to the public.

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The Cherokee Vann Cabin was built in the first half of the 19th century, possibly by Avery Vann or is son David, who were both Cherokee Indians. The cabin is an official site of the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail.

Backstory and Context

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As noted above, when exactly the cabin was built is unclear. In 2012, an archaeological excavation conducted around the cabin found window glass shards indicating that it was built between 1810 and 1823. Another factor to suggest the cabin was built at this time is the crude construction of its corner dovetail joints. It is also not definitively known who built the cabin but it was possibly either Avery Vann or his son, David, who became a Cherokee Indian sub-chief. However, a study of the original pine core samples performed in 2017 suggest the cabin was erected in 1839, which was after the Cherokees in the area left on the Trail of Tears.

Nonetheless, whoever built it did not use it as personal residence; rather, it operated as an inn, which became very successful. It was so successful that it was eventually expanded into a large hotel. The old cabin was gradually surrounded by the new structure and effectively forgotten until 2010 when some demolition work was done. In 2017, the remaining portion of the hotel, which by then was no longer connected to the cabin and on the verge of collapse, was slowly taken apart, labeled and put into storage.

Sources

"Van Cherokee Cabin." Cherokee Nation. Accessed December 10, 2020. https://www.northwestgeorgianews.com/rome/news/local/core-samples-at-cave-spring-cabin-indicate-it-may-not-have-been-built-by-cherokee/article_ac51a85a-23f2-11e7-b339-3b5a4057e1fd.html.

Walker, Doug. "Core samples at Cave Spring cabin indicate it may not have been built by Cherokee Indians." April 18, 2017. Last Updated January 1, 2018. https://www.northwestgeorgianews.com/rome/news/local/core-samples-at-cave-spring-cabin-indicate-it-may-not-have-been-built-by-cherokee/article_ac51a85a-23f2-11e7-b339-3b5a4057e1fd.html.