Hiwassee River Heritage Center

A small but large in content the Hiawassee River Heritage Center. Contains the history of Ft. Cass, the Removal Act and the horrible Trail of Tears events. The area near Charleston, Tennessee seen significant activity during the Civil War. This is a very unique museum if you're interested in the Cherokee, Trail of Tears the Trails path with it's devastating results runs through this location....

This Heritage Center is dedicated to the history of the local communities of Charleston and Calhoun as well as the Hiwassee river that runs through the middle of them. There is a very dedicated and knowledgable group of people that work hard to tell the story of these communities. There's an extremely rich history here including pre-Cherokee early American inhabitants, Cherokee and the Trail of Tears, Civil War, and African American history. They strive not only to detail what happened here but also bring it to life with personal stories of the people who lived here and/or visited the area. Its It's an amazing window into not only the past, but how those stories shaped the lives of descendants living here today. They love to here details other visitors may have about the area as well. If you are someone who loves history, I strongly recommend you visit. If you have research or detail about the area, share it with the staff so they can continue building this story of our past!

Small place worth stopping for a quick visit at.

Simply wow. Come come you gotta se this.

Knowledgeable staff, great to learn our history. This is the perfect place to bring your kids for important lessons in our history

Although I live in East Tennessee, I never realized that Charleston was the mustering point for the Cherokess they evicted from their homes and land in a forced march west. This museum gives a lot of insight as to how it happened and the people involved on both sides. The staff is very knowledgeable and helpful as well, and the trail behind the museum is a must see as well.

You would miss this send her if you drove by really fast, but you would definitely be missing out on an incredible piece of history and the stories of those who lived it. I would highly recommend getting a guided tour and hearing some of those stories first hand while exploring the area.

The woman that worked here took her time to explain the local history related to the Trail of Tears. They have a nice walking trail behind with information about the Trail of Tears.