Renovation set to begin this month on Sequoyan Birthplace Museum [photos]

A diorama depicting the Cherokee Sequoyah and his daughter Ayoka is part of the exhibits at the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum in Vonroe, Tenn. Sequoyah, born in 1776, invented the Cherokee Syllabary and a written language for his people. A diorama depicting the Cherokee Sequoyah and his daughter Ayoka is part of the exhibits at the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum in Vonroe, Tenn. Sequoyah, born in 1776, invented the Cherokee Syllabary and a written language for his people.

By Ben Benton July 23, 2017 4 min read

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Renovation set to begin this month on Sequoyan Birthplace Museum

Exhibits at the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum in Vonroe, Tenn., include copies of calendars from the 1980s made using the Cherokee Syllabary. Sequoyah, born in 1776, invented the syllabary, establishing a written language for his people.

A portrait of Sequoyah, the Cherokee man born in 1776 who invented the Cherokee Syllabary and a written language.

The Sequoyah Birthplace Museum in Vonore, Tenn., as seen from the other side of the Tellico Reservoir on the Little Tennessee River on Dec. 2, 2015.

This photo from December 2015 shows the grounds and exhibits that lie between the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum, not shown, and the Little Tennessee River in Vonore, Tenn., in the distance.

Maxwell D. Ramsey, who has been instrumental in the preservation of Cherokee history and cultural sites since the 1960s, was the recipient of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution National Historic Preservation Medal on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2017, at the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum in Vonore, Tenn. Officials with the Judge David Campbell Chapter of the DAR in Chattanooga presented the medal.

HOURS OF OPERATION/SCHEDULE CHANGES

On July 26, the main building at Sequoyah Birthplace Museum will be closed for extended internal and external renovations.Phase 1: Offices and gift shop will move to a temporary trailer that will operate on-site until that portion is completed in December.Phase 1 hours of operation: Monday-Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday 12 to 5 p.m.On the move: The Timberlake Exhibit will move to the log cabin on the museum groundsClasses and events: Outdoor classes and events will continue to be held on-siteOpen as usual: Blacksmith shop, picnic pavilion, Maxwell D. Ramsey Shoreline Hiking Trail, the Chota Town House and the Tanasi Memorial.Source: Sequoyah Birthplace Museum

VONORE, Tenn. – After more than three decades, the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum is getting a long-awaited update, with work starting by the end of the month.

The main museum building will close Wednesday and remain closed while the interior is renovated with a new exhibit, officials said. Parts of the project will continue into 2018. In the first phase of work this fall, the museum gift shop and offices will move to a temporary trailer.

“During this time, many of the museum activities and features will still be available for visitors to experience,” museum spokesman Cal Davis said in a statement. “We will be removing our current exhibit and begin replacing it with an exciting new exhibit and delivery system.”

The new exhibit will focus on the Overhill Cherokee and Sequoyah – the inventor of the Cherokee alphabet, Davis said.