The John Ross House

 

As I mentioned in another post, we have some Native American blood in our family.  We come from the Cherokees.  It’s not unusual to have Cherokee ancestors in this region as this was their land before many were forced to leave, (some Cherokees hid, and some became citizens of their state and were allowed to stay).  There are many points of interest in our area that relate to the Cherokee people, and we intend to visit them, one by one, with our children.  I’m excited by this because there are some that I’m sure I have never seen myself. 

This last week was the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Chickamauga, (more on that later), and the John Ross House in Rossville was open, and had a Civil War re-enactor present.  My childhood home was just down the road from this house, and I saw it in passing many times.  It has been so long since I’ve been in the house that I couldn’t remember anything about it.  Fieldtrip!! 

John Ross was a part Cherokee man, who among other things, was an Indian agent, founder of Ross’s Landing which would later become Chattanooga and Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.  He would go to Washington to fight for Cherokee rights, and when removal was forced, he traveled the Trail of Tears.  His home, in what was then called Poplar Spring, but then changed to Rossville, GA in his honor, has been preserved and occasionally opened to the public. 

The house was used as headquarters for both the Union and Confederacy during the Civil War. George Barnard, Civil War photographer, took the following picture of the house in its original location, (it was moved a few hundred feet in 1962).

It turns out that this historic marker is full of errors.  I’m not too crushed by this because I love the science and research that has brought information to light.  Check it out in this article.  Maybe someday there can be a new sign.

Any child that grew up in the area probably spent a good amount of time at the duck pond adjacent to the house.  We made a little visit that day.

This little guy was quackin’ me up! 

This one had astonishing blue eyes.

The John Ross House is only open at certain times.  I believe you can call and make an appointment to see the inside.  It is always viewable from the outside, so you can drive by for a look and visit the duck pond.

The John Ross House

200 East Lake Avenue Rossville, GA 30741

706-861-3954