We Neighbors Would Meet Together

oothcaloga Moravian mission, integration, and Cherokee identity

ON DISPLAY THROUGH JUNE 16

This exhibit explores the relationship between the Moravian Church and the Cherokee Nation in early nineteenth-century northwest Georgia. Beginning with the establishment of missions at Springplace and Oothcaloga, Moravian missionaries and Cherokee communities developed complex relationships shaped by faith, education, cultural exchange, and political upheaval.

The exhibit traces the origins of the Moravian Church in Central Europe, the Cherokee Nation’s deep roots in the Southern Appalachians, and the ways both communities encountered one another during a period of rapid change. Through mission schools, translation work, agriculture, and religious practice, Cherokee and Moravian families formed lasting connections that influenced daily life and identity within the Cherokee Nation.

Panels highlight the establishment of Springplace Mission near present-day Chatsworth, the rise of Oothcaloga as a center of Cherokee Christian life, and the role Cherokee women played in shaping mission communities. The exhibit also examines the broader pressures facing the Cherokee people, including U.S. “civilization” policies, land lotteries, and the forced removal era that ultimately disrupted these communities and missions.

Artifacts, maps, diaries, and historic imagery illustrate how Cherokee and Moravian individuals worked together, negotiated cultural differences, and created spaces of cooperation and resilience during one of the most transformative periods in regional history.

Exhibit Topics Include:

  • The origins of the Moravian Church in Bohemia and Europe

  • Cherokee society, governance, and culture before Removal

  • The “Plan of Civilization” and Cherokee nationhood

  • The founding of Springplace Mission

  • Daily life within Moravian mission communities

  • Cherokee-language Christian worship and translation

  • Women’s leadership and kinship networks at Oothcaloga

  • The seizure of Cherokee lands and the end of the missions

  • Archaeology and Indigenous history of Lookout Mountain

The exhibit was written and curated by Matthew Gramling and examines the enduring legacy of Cherokee and Moravian interactions in northwest Georgia.