Near Sallisaw in Sequoyah County, Oklahoma — The American South (West South Central)

Cephas Washburn

Founding Missionary

— Dwight Mission —

Cephas Washburn Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 22, 2025

1. Cephas Washburn Marker

Inscription. Dwight Mission was founded as a school for the Cherokees under the leadership of Rev. Cephas Washburn in 1818. Originating near present Russellville, Arkansas, the mission was moved to this location in 1828. For four decades Rev. Washburn inspired missionaries to dedicate their lives to Indian education and provided Cherokee youths with an incentive to learn and to achieve. Born in a well-to-do New England family, Rev. Washburn foresook an aristocratic life to come to a frontier country to live among a people who had been banished from their homes and whose language he did not understand. He suffered disease, privations and inadequate financial support, as well as the indifference of many Indian families. However, he refused to waver from his mission and after forty years, having retired from the mission, he spent the remainder of his life organizing churches and seeking financial support for Indian education.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1818.

Location. 35° 33.084′ N, 94° 50.754′ W. Marker is near Sallisaw, Oklahoma, in Sequoyah County. It is on East 1010 Circle 0.1 miles east of South 4590 Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 459196 E 1010 Cir, Vian OK 74962, United States of America. Touch for directions.

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Regionally, this marker is in the Cherokee Nation

and in Northeast Oklahoma — Green Country.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Ozarks,

on the prairies,

and on the Southern Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 13 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Dwight Presbyterian Mission (within shouting distance of this marker); Dwight Mission (approx. 6.4 miles away); The Spirit of '76 (approx. 7.2 miles away); Sallisaw High School (approx. 7.2 miles away); Frederick F. Henry Memorial (approx. 7.9 miles away); Hoppy Lockhart Welcome Center (approx. 11.1 miles away); Sequoyah Waterfall Memorial (approx. 11.2 miles away); Tamaha Jail and Ferry Landing (approx. 13.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sallisaw.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 22, 2025

2. Cephas Washburn Marker

Cephas Washburn (1793-1860) image. Click for full size.

“Washburn family lineage:booklet #3…”, Vara T. Dodd & Emily H. Vowell; via FamilySearch Library (Public Domain)

3. Cephas Washburn (1793-1860)

A broken leg suffered while working on the family farm as a youth led him into teaching, then mission work.

Dwight Mission Schoolhouse, then image. Click for full size.

Unidentified; Oklahoma Historical Society via The Gateway to Oklahoma History (fair use), circa 1917

4. Dwight Mission Schoolhouse, then

Classes were held in this building until 1948.

Dwight Mission Schoolhouse, now image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 22, 2025

5. Dwight Mission Schoolhouse, now

It was renovated in 2014. The property is now a year-round conference, retreat and camping center.

Credits. This page was last revised on August 21, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 21, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 101 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 21, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 4. submitted on August 20, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 5. submitted on August 21, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.