Cherokee Heritage Center
The Cherokee Heritage Center is the premier cultural center for Cherokee tribal history, culture, and the arts, located in the heart of the Cherokee Nation in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. It was established in 1963 by the Board of Trustees of the Cherokee National Historical Society to preserve and promote the Cherokee culture while sponsoring dynamic educational programs, reconstructed historic villages, engaging exhibits, and scholarly research stimulating interest in the enduring legacy of the Cherokee people.
The Center is the repository for the Cherokee National Archives, the Nation’s foremost collection of historic tribal related documents and artifacts, cataloging the rich history of the Cherokee people from the 1700’s through the present day. The Center is also home to the Cherokee Family Research Center, assisting Oklahoma Cherokee descendents to reconnect with their lineage.
The Cherokee Heritage Center is on the National Register of Historic Places as it is located on the grounds of the famous Cherokee Female Seminary, c. 1851, one of the first institutions of higher learning for women west of the Mississippi. The site is designated by the National Park Service as the interpretive site for the western terminus of the Trail Of Tears for the Cherokees and other tribes forcibly removed to Oklahoma during the 1800’s.
