In the 1830s the Cherokee Indians occupied most of the area now known as Cherokee County. In 1838 and 1839, Fort Butler, located across the Hiwassee River from Murphy, was a major assembly point for the Trail of Tears, that tragic episode in our nation's history when the Cherokee were forcibly removed to Oklahoma. This journey was made under very adverse conditions, and some 8,000 Cherokee died as a result. The Museum has many interesting and educational exhibits. These include a collection of over 2000 Cherokee Indian artifacts, assembled over a span of seventy years by local resident Arthur Palmer (1889-1972). The collection was made available to the Museum in 1977 by Herman H. West (businessman, former North Carolina State Senator and Representative, and a native of Cherokee County). Also approximately 500 collectible dolls and antique farm implements and vintage household items, many of which are handmade, used by early pioneer settlers in Cherokee County.
