Chieftains
Built 1971. Added to the National Register in 1971, and a National Historic Landmark.
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What it is
Chieftains Museum, also known as the Major Ridge Home, is a two-story white frame house built around a log house of 1819 in Cherokee country. It was the home of the Cherokee leader Major Ridge. He was notable for his role in negotiating and signing the Treaty of New Echota of 1835, which ceded the remainder of Cherokee lands in the Southeast to the United States. He was part of a minority group known as the Treaty Party, who believed that relocation was inevitable and wanted to negotiate the best deal with the United States for their people.
Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The record
| Property type | Building |
| Address | 80 Chatillon Rd., Rome, GA |
| County | Floyd County |
| Listed | Apr 7, 1971 |
| Listed for | Native American heritage, Politics and government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| Also known as | Major Ridge House |
| Reference number | 71000273 |
| Built | 1971 · more from the 1970s |
| Type of place | historic house museum |
| Designations | National Historic Landmark |
| Contributing resources | 1 building |
The nomination form, the document that argues why this place matters, is in the National Archives: Read the nomination ↗
Visiting
| Address | 80 Chatillon Rd., Rome, GA |
| Website | chieftainsmuseum.org ↗ |
| Coordinates | 34.2862° N, 85.1722° W · Directions ↗ |
| Also in Rome | 21 listed places in Rome → |
| Nearest national park unit | Little River Canyon National Preserve · 27 miles · on Park Atlas |
| Federal campgrounds nearby | Pocket Campground 21 miles · Pocket Picnic Shelter 21 miles · Riverside Park Day Use Area (Ga) 26 miles |
Explore
Map
Nearby in Floyd County
Local history books for Rome
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Georgia travel guides
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
When was Chieftains listed on the National Register?
Apr 7, 1971. It is also a National Historic Landmark, the higher of the two designations.
Source: National Park Service
When was Chieftains built?
1971.
Source: Wikidata
Can I visit Chieftains?
Yes. Chieftains is recorded as open to the public, and hours are on the official website.
Source: Official website
Where is Chieftains?
80 Chatillon Rd., Rome, Floyd County, Georgia. The nearest national park unit is Little River Canyon National Preserve, 27 miles away.
Where is the nomination form for Chieftains?
The National Archives holds the nomination form, the document that made the case for listing.
Source: National Archives
Are there campgrounds near Chieftains?
Three federal campgrounds are within reach. The closest is Pocket Campground, 21 miles away. Pocket Picnic Shelter is 21 miles away, and Riverside Park Day Use Area (Ga) is 26 miles away.
Source: Campsite Atlas
Is there cell service at Chieftains?
FCC coverage maps show Verizon 4G LTE, AT&T 5G, and T-Mobile 5G at the listed point. Coverage indoors and behind old masonry is another matter.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
Is there a wildfire near Chieftains right now?
1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-10-17, nearest Rx - West Viniard Alexander, 43 miles away.
Source: Map
Sources
Location, type and contributing counts come from the National Park Service's National Register spatial data. Listing dates come from the National Register office's spreadsheet where it carries the listing. Construction date, architect, style, photograph and encyclopedia link come from Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons, matched on reference number 71000273. Nothing here is transcribed by hand. The nomination form and photographs ↗ at NPGallery are the original nomination as filed with the National Park Service, and the form is often the best description of the place. The description under "What it is" is the opening of the Wikipedia article, CC BY-SA.