WORCESTER HOUSE

 

 

It is a pretty good little jaunt up the trail from the cabin to the Worcester place.  You cannot help but wonder if it seemed this secluded back in the early 1800's, or if the town extended out this far. Was there a conscious space separation between Worcester, as a Christian missionary, and us, the Cherokees he came to work among?  What I have read about him would make it seem unlikely. But I still wonder.  The picture at left is coming up the trail, and the photo below is looking back down the trail from Worcester's yard (or I might have been on the porch taking the picture). 

 

 

The SGT brochure/map has this to say about stop number six; "This is the only original building to survive at New Echota. Constructed in 1828 by Rev. Samuel A. Worcester, it served as a Presbyterian Mission Station and also as the Worcester family home. Worcester worked with Elias Boudinot and translated parts of the Bible and many hymns into Cherokee.  He also started a church and school at New Echota and served as the town postmaster.  He was arrested in 1831 and sentenced to prison by Georgia officials due to his refusal to obtain a permit to reside in the Cherokee Nation.  The case was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court where Worcester and the Cherokees won, but the State of Georgia ignored the court and continued its annexation of Cherokee land.  Worcester and his family were forced from the house in 1834 when it was confiscated by a Georgian who obtained title to it in the 1832 Land Lottery.  Worcester moved west where he continued his service to the Cherokees.  The house was occupied by various families until 1952 and was restored in 1958-59." 

 

"Rev. Worcester and his family lived on the first floor. This room (fireplace photo right) served as a living and dining room, and was a favorite gathering place for Cherokee visitors. The room to the rear is a bedroom. Worcester was innovative and built three closets into the house.  Closets are rare in 19th century homes." 

 
 

"The four second floor rooms were used by visitors passing through New Echota and for several people who boarded with Worcester. The outside stairway provided private access to these rooms. The inside stairway was added after Worchester left New Echota. Notice the spinning wheel and loom. By the 1820s almost every Cherokee family included at least one spinner or weaver. In 1828 there were 2,428 spinning wheels and 769 looms in use by the Cherokees."  

 
 

"Worcester’s hand drawn plans for building this house. Sawmills were in operation in the Cherokee Nation by 1828, so Worcester ordered most of his materials from a mill.  Total construction costs were $800."  

 
 
 
These illustrations were on the signs.
         
   
"Spinning wool yarn"   "Weaving on a loom"   "Removing loaves of freshly
   cooked bread from the oven"
 
 

"The Worcester House has several New England features such as the central fireplace. This room served as the kitchen. Notice the bake oven beside the fireplace. The bake oven was heated by letting a fire burn in it for several hours. When the oven was hot, the ashes and coals were quickly removed, the oven swept clean, and the food placed inside. Speed was important because the baking was done on retained heat. At least one day a week was devoted to baking." 

 
   
 

I was having some difficulty identifying which photos were upstairs and which down, so I called New Echota to ask about locations and usages.  While the general information quoted may have held true for the most part, in our conversation, they reminded me that this was an intense and perilous period for, and in, the Cherokee Nation.  It was a time of great activity amid much confusion over what was happening.  Indeed, for over a year Reverend Worcester was away from his family (while in the Georgia prison), when he was one of those arrested for not obeying Georgia's new set of laws. Usages of the rooms in the home most likely changed according to the needs of the circumstances of the moment.  That awareness begins to "flesh out" the Worcesters (above photos) and their home for me.  A Google search of "Samuel Worcester 1832" will give you plenty of additional information about him and his extensive involvement with our people, right on up to letting you know his Cherokee name was "The Messenger" (as-tes-nu-sti).  But for our purposes here, it is time to move outside the house to a sign which brings a different dynamic to this general area on our tour. 

 
Fort Wool
Military fort used during the Cherokee Removal

"New Echota became a major military headquarters and supply depot during the Cherokee removal. Fort Wool was constructed about 250 yards south of here (Worcester house) in 1837. During the forced removal in May and June 1838, several hundred Cherokees were held at Fort Wool.  The site of the fort is now on private property and not open for touring." 

On Tuesday, June 19, 1838 the last group of Cherokees left New Echota.

"I have the pleasure to inform you, that I am now fully convinced there is not an Indian within the limits of my command, except a few in my possession who will be sent to Ross Landing tomorrow. None can escape our troops. Georgia is ultimately in possession of the Cherokee country." 

 Gen. Charles Floyd, New Echota, June 18, 1838

 

"The 7,000 troops sent into the Cherokee Nation constructed a series of forts on the presumed threat of war with the Cherokees. When the forced removal took place without warfare, the forts became prisons for the Cherokees. On a daily basis, beginning May 26, 1838, detachments of troops left each fort to find and take prisoner, Cherokees from the surrounding area. By mid-June almost 15,000 Cherokees had been forced from their homes and held at the forts. From there they were transferred to emigration depots or internment camps in Tennessee." 

This information is, of course, pertaining to the beginning of the Cherokee Removal called the "Trail of Tears."  Both brochures include information about this, which is reprinted on the text page

 
 

As we prepare to depart the Worcester place, one more sign, "The Exodus" greets us with these words . . . 

"In the years following World War II, thousands of farms were abandoned as rural Georgians moved to towns and cities in search of better paying jobs. In 1949 there were 222,000 farm families in Georgia, but by 1969 only 47,000. Walt White and his family moved from the Worcester House in 1952 and the house and land were offered for sale. Realizing the historic value of New Echota, a group of local citizens purchased 200 acres here and donated it to the State of Georgia. 

We hope you enjoyed your walk on the New Town Creek Trail." 

As with several of the previous pages, before we follow the SGT brochure/map instructions to . . . 

"Retrace your path across the creek to the next stop."

. . . here are some additional photos I shot at this stop. 

     
     
             
     
             
     
             
     
 

I have included these next three pictures because they are almost the same shot from 1998 (left), 2000 (center), and 2005 (right), and I was fascinated by the growth of the newly planted pines and the small tree to the right of the house.  The 2005 photo had already been used on the main page (I cropped it some here).  They are a little hard to see in this small of an image, but you can if you look closely. 

 
   
         
 

 

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