A Traditional Cultural Property Study of New Echota the First Cherokee National Capitol from 1825-1838

New Echota, the first capitol of the Cherokee Nation, 1825-1838, located in present Gordon County, Georgia, is a National Historic Landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Established as the capitol by the Cherokee National Council, it was the seat of Cherokee government prior to removal as well as the location where the Cherokee alphabet, developed in 1821, achieved its most prominent expression, through publication of the Cherokee Phoenix, the newspaper of the Cherokee Nation. New Echota is also the location of the signing of the Treaty of New Echota that would result in the Cherokee's forced removal from the Southeast and the "Trail of Tears."

While New Echota's historical significance is obvious and recognized, it was not known if New Echota could be considered as a Traditional Cultural Property, or TCP, by the Cherokees - a place of importance for its association with a community's beliefs and identity. The Georgia Department of Transportation contracted for a TCP study of New Echota as part of the long-term planning for transportation projects near the site. This TCP study entailed the development of archaeological and historical contexts to understand the history and historic landscape of New Echota, interviews with representatives of the three federally recognized Cherokee tribes which have associations with New Echota - the Cherokee Nation, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and United Keetoowah Band, and an assessment of the current landscape. While the Cherokee tribes have different perspectives on New Echota, the consensus among them is that New Echota is a TCP. This study thus recommends that New Echota be nominated as a TCP and provides recommended boundaries.