OLDEST - Cherokee Supreme Court Building - Tahlequah, OK
Posted by: 
hamquilter
N 35° 54.707 W 094° 58.221
15S E 322208 N 3975957
Built in 1844, this is the first permanent structure built by the Cherokee in their new home in Indian Territory, and the OLDEST government building in Oklahoma.
Waymark Code: WMPBYX
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 08/06/2015
Views: 4
After the infamous Trail of Tears, when the Cherokee Nation was removed from their home and brought to Indian Territory, they immediately began to re-establish their Nation in this new location. This building was constructed to house the center of their legal system. It is the only government structure in the area to survive the Civil War.
This is a two-story brick building (34 ft by 28 ft), which sits on a sandstone foundation. Each elevation has four wood-framed windows, with stone sills and lintels. Entrances are located on the front and back, each having two wood doors with eight small panes in each door, with a four-panel transom. The roof is hipped.
The building housed the District and Supreme Courts of the Cherokee Nation until the Supreme Court moved to the new Capitol Building in 1869. Continuing as the location of the District Court, as well as the printing offices of the Cherokee Advocate newspaper, the building was partially damaged by fire in 1874, but was immediately rebuilt.
In 1907 when Oklahoma became a State, the building was used to house the Cherokee County offices. But, in 1979, the building was reacquired by the Cherokee Nation, completely refurbished in 2008, and today houses the Cherokee Supreme Court Museum.
FIRST - Classification Variable: Place or Location
Date of FIRST: 01/01/1844
More Information - Web URL: [Web Link]
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