Tahlequah is the capital of Cherokee County and Cherokee Nation , as well as the United Band of Keetoowah Cherokees . It was established in the 19th Century when the U . S . government forced Cherokee off their homelands in the Southeastern U . S .. The U . S . military moved Osage peoples off their original homeland to make way for Cherokee and Keetoowahbound newcomers .

Cherokees , along with Choctaws , Muscogees , Seminoles , and Chickasaws , set themselves apart from other Indigenous peoples because by embraced slavery . Along the Trail of Tears , Cherokees brought by force enslaved peoples . In its infancy in the 1830s , Tahlequah became home to Indigenous peoples from different backgrounds , as well as Black and white newcomers .

Cherokee National Museum

The Cherokee National Capitol Building was constructed in 1869 and served as the tribe ’ s executive , legislative , and judicial offices until 1906 , when the state

detribalized Cherokee Nation and transferred tribal land to themselves . The building was used as the Cherokee County courthouse , and later it was acquired by Cherokee Nation where it served as the tribal courthouse until 2018 . The landmark now serves as the Cherokee National History Museum . The exterior is the original brick façade , but the inside now showcases 4,000 square feet of permanent exhibit space and 1,000 square feet of rotating gallery space .

In the stairwell , the Cherokee Nation features an exhibit that teaches museum-goers the Cherokee origin story , and how they arrived at their homelands in the Southeast . On the upper level , visitors can go through a Trail of Tears exhibit , which shares stories of the journey from the Southeast to what is now Northeastern Oklahoma . Visual elements are enhanced by audio , as Cherokee elders share their insights in English . On the lower level , the museum features a rotating art exhibit by artists from different Indigenous nations .

The museum is open from Tuesday to Saturday , 10 a . m . to 4 p . m . It is located at 124 E . Choctaw St . For information , call 918-207-3699 .

Carnegie Library

American industrialist and steel baron Andrew Carnegie had a passion for literacy . Between 1883-1929 , he donated money to build 2,509 libraries throughout the world , and one of them lies in the heart of Tahlequah .

A Tahlequah committee heard that Carnegie was building libraries across the Midwest , so they garnered the support of various organizations

, Tahlequah City Council , and the Cherokee Nation who successfully negotiated with Carnegie to send $ 10,000 to Tahlequah to construct a new library . On April 24 , 1905 , Tahlequah successfully accepted the grant , and in its aftermath , city workers cleared four acres of donated land , and the Carnegie Foundation supplied plans for the building , which included carved woodwork and ornamental glass .

Construction was completed , following the Classical Revival architectural style . A glass dome fits the center of the original 12-foot ceiling . The Carnegie library is listed on the national Register of Historic Places and is now a part of the Tahlequah Public Library . It now houses activities and events put on by the TPL , and is at 120 S . College Ave .

Cherokee National Prison Museum

As a sovereign nation , Cherokee Nation reserved the right to establish their own courts and laws . They also established their own prison , which held many as early as 1874 . The prison was still in use until the 1970s , and could hold up to 25 inmates . Today , tourists can visit the site and visit a reproduction of the gallows , which took many lives over the hundred years that the prison was in operation .

The prison was intended to help rehabilitate prisoners . Classes were taught , including blacksmithing , horseshoeing , and wagon-making . Cherokee Nation sought to help inmates become productive citizens after they were released . Visitors can go to the site and learn about famous outlaws who were imprisoned there .

The facility , like most buildings held by Cherokee Nation , was appropriated by the U . S . government ( 1901 ) and later repatriated to the tribe .

The hours are Tuesday to Saturday , 10 a . m . to 4 p . m . The Cherokee National Prison Museum is located at 124 E . Choctaw St . Call 918-207- 3640 .

Hunter ’ s Home

George Murrell was born and raised in Virginia and moved to Park Hill where he built a plantation in 1845 that he called the Hunter ’ s Home . Dozens of enslaved people were forced to work at the home at any given time , producing field crops , apples , and raising animals , while also maintaining the home and kitchen . Enslaved people lived in small quarters outside the Hunter ’ s Home .

Murrell met his future father-in-law , Lewis Ross , in Athens , Tennessee , and married Minerva Ross , and later Fannie ( Holt ) Ross , who were members of an influential family . The Hunter ’ s Home is located at 19479 E . Murrell Road , and is a Greek Revivalstyle house . The property also included a rock building behind the creek branch over a cold spring , which was used to preserve food , and it also houses a barn with stables and horses .

The Hunter ’ s Home holds frequent events , both in person , and virtually on its Facebook page , which includes May Day Celebration , Antique Agriculture , Ghost Stories , and a Christmas open house . The Oklahoma Historical Society has rebranded the state ’ s only antebellum mansion as an agriculturalism site .

It is open Tuesday to Sat-