When I first saw this classic mansion it was a huge disappointment to me. That's because I was about 8 years old, and I was told we were going to see the home of an Indian Chief. I expected a tipi - not an elegant brick mansion with white columns.
I was at the Vann House most recently on the first week-end in March, 2005, and now in my 60's, I find the place utterly fascinating. It shatters the stereotypical image of American Indian life, and to visit it is both an eye opening and a moving experience.
Called the "Showplace of the Cherokee Nation," the Vann House is perhaps the best-preserved Cherokee plantation home. It was built by James Vann, the son of a Scottish trader and a Cherokee woman. Vann became an influential Cherokee and gained great wealth by placing various businesses along the Federal Road which forked through the Cherokee Nation in the early 1800s. Brick for the house was made of clay found on Vann's plantaion; lumber was cut from his own forest and sawed at his mills; nails were hand made from his blacksmith shops. The labor was provided by his more than 100 black slaves. At the time Vann moved into the mansion with his 2 wives and 9 children, March 24, 1805, he was one of the wealthiest men in America.
James Vann, who lived a rather violent life, was murdered in 1809, and his son, Joseph inherited the house. Joseph, called "Rich Joe," proved to be an even better businessman than his father. He became a leading and respected voice in the Cherokee Legislature.
Despite his wealth and influence, Vann was forced to leave his home and move to "Indian Territory" in present-day Oklahoma in 1832, during the inmamous "Trail of Tears," one of the darkest hours in American history.
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