Sequoyah is one of the most important Tennesseans to have ever lived. But no matter what book you read, video you watch or website you click on, you ll find a different account of his life.
VONORE, TENNESSEE â Located on the shores of the Tellico Lake in the southeastern part of Tennessee is the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum.Â
Owned and operated by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the museum was built in 1986 and has recently been renovated and showcases an exhibit that was installed in 2018.Â
âThe old exhibit was a lot of the period paleo Indian, tons and tons of artifacts, pottery shards, and we only spent about four (display) cases talking about Sequoyah and the syllabary,â Charlie Rhodarmer, Sequoyah Birthplace Museum manager/director, said.Â
He said the museum is more of an experience than a walk-through museum, with two small theaters that give a glimpse into what the life and hardships of Sequoyah might have been like as he spent his days creating symbols to match sounds that would become the Cherokee syllabary.Â