FEATURED EXHIBIT

THE STORY OF SEQUOYAH

Sequoyah (c. 1776-1843)

Never before or since, in the history of the world, has one man not literate in any language, perfected a system for reading and writing a language.

Visitors to the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum will experience the life of the man Sequoyah – father, soldier, silversmith, statesman and creator of the Cherokee writing system. At the center of the story the deeply personal quest of Sequoyah’s single-minded concentration on solving the mystery of the “talking leaves.” He spent those years in near isolation, facing down social derision and tribal suspicion, enduring family rebellion, and believing – almost alone – that he could create a written language for the Cherokee.