Since the home of Cherokee leader Major Ridge was donated by the Celanese Corporation to the Junior Service League in 1969, significant donated capital has been invested in the home and grounds in order to open the Museum and to restore the various structures. This is in addition to the annual operating budget.

Through our partnerships with the National Park Service and others, we have a unique opportunity to elevate Chieftains Museum/Major Ridge Home from a local Cherokee history museum to the nationally significant historic site it represents as the home of Major Ridge.

The National Park Service’s Historic Structures and Cultural Landscape Report indicated that the “Ridge Period” (1819-1837) is the primary period of historical significance for the home and surrounding landscape. To better interpret and convey this period in time, Chieftains has approved a long-range vision that creates a visitor experience centered on the historical significance of Major Ridge and his place in the larger context of U.S. Cherokee relations and Indian removal. The historic house and farm along with new interpretive and visitor facilities will fully immerse the visitor in the life and story of Major Ridge, U.S. Indian relations, and the tragedy of the Trail of Tears.

To realize this vision, the Major Ridge Home will be rehabilitated —removing all non-Ridge period features and finishes. The Ridge House form, massing, plan, appearance and detailing will be preserved or reconstructed to more accurately depict the home that Major Ridge left in 1837. To enhance the visitor experience, an interpretive center will be constructed to house exhibits, administration, support, restrooms and additional information about the larger context of the Ridge story. The interpretive center will allow the Ridge Home to serve as the central touchstone of the experience, possessing the power to instill a deeper appreciation of Major Ridge’s life and place in Cherokee acculturation and the ultimate tragedy of removal. Further interpretive as well as architectural planning and design will be completed prior to construction and implementation.

Complementing the house rehabilitation and the new interpretive center will be a renewed landscape, immersing visitors in an agricultural landscape that more closely resembles the farm that Major Ridge departed. By interpreting the agricultural landscape of the 1830s, the entire landscape and home will serve to create a powerful venue for visitors to understand and appreciate Major Ridge and his role in events of national importance.

The new historic site entrance, parking and Interpretative Center will be located north of the Home where visitor facilities will not distract from the experience of the historic house and farm. Other important interpretive features that will complete the visitor’s experience include exhibits at the Ridge Ferry site and orchards, gardens, and agricultural fields reintroduced throughout the property. Visitors will be transported to an authentic 1837 Cherokee farm and experience the sophisticated culture of the Cherokee leader’s home.