Vann House rededicated

Published 12:38 pm Monday, July 28, 2008

SPRING PLACE — When Paul Smith first saw the house he agreed to help restore more than 50 years ago, he “wanted to run” because it was in such bad shape.

But as the 95-year-old former carpenter looked at the Chief Vann House Sunday afternoon, he was proud of the time he put into its restoration.

“We went over it inch by inch fixing everything that needed it,” Smith said. “It’s good to see it in as good of shape as it is today.”

Smith was one of approximately 300 people at the Chief Vann House state park and historic site’s 50th anniversary as a state park and historic site. The site was rededicated Sunday, exactly 50 years after its first dedication.

“Fifty years is always a milestone,” said Tim Howard, treasurer of the Friends of the Vann House. “It’s especially cause for celebration in the case of the Vann House.”

The two-story brick house built in 1804 by Cherokee Chief James Vann was almost lost. Howard said at one point the house was used as a hay barn. The house and three acres were purchased from J.E. Bradford for $5,000 in 1952 with the help of Whitfield-Murray Historical Society members. Restoration work took several years.

“After seven years, the house was ready for dedication,” Howard said. “Thousands came, or so I’m told.”

Over the years, additional buildings, including cabins and corn cribs, have been moved from sites to the Vann House. An additional 100 acres of the original Vann plantation has alsobeen added to the site.

Site manager Jeff Stancil said he and his staff give approximately 1,500 tours of the house and grounds each year.

Troy Wayne Poteete, a justice of the Supreme Court of the Cherokee Nation, fought tears as he thanked everyone involved in the restoration and maintenance of the house.

“This place is very important to us,” Poteete said. “We appreciate everything you’ve done.”

Jack Baker, a member of the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council and president of the national Trail of Tears Association, said many Cherokee leaders stayed as guests in the home before the Trail of Tears in the late 1830s.

“It’s good to be a guest here now,” Baker said. “Thanks for all you’ve done to preserve this.”

Howard encouraged everyone to continue the maintenance and growth of the site.

“Let’s pledge ourselves anew to continue the work that was started 50 years ago today,” he said.