Cleveland in Bradley County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

Red Clay Council

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, March 28, 2026

1. Red Clay Council Marker

Inscription.
Between 1828 and 1830, Georgia passed laws prohibiting the Cherokee from meeting for any purpose other than to sign a treaty giving up their land.

The council that had been meeting the Cherokee "capitol" of New Echota, Georgia, met once in Alabama in 1831, and then moved here to Red Clay in 1832. The council met here until just before the removal in 1838.

Three archaeological investigations between 1973 and 1976 failed to determine the exact location of the council house. The reconstruction is based on eyewitness painting by John Mix Stanley (pictured on the right) and eyewitness report of the structure from the time of the 1830s meetings.

A firsthand description identified the council house as "a simple " parallelogram formed of logs with open sides, with benches for the councilors." More recent investigation suggests that the structure may have been much larger than this replica, possibly having an opening in the roof to allow smoke from the council fire to escape. Benches like those here would have lined the perimeter to allow for the seating of the delegates from each of the eight districts.

[Caption:]
International Indian Council (Held at Tallequah, Indian Territory, in 1843) by John Mix Stanley, 1843
Courtesy of Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Misses Henry.

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This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Civil Rights • Government & Politics • Indigenous Peoples and Communities.

Location. 34° 59.591′ N, 84° 56.745′ W. Marker is in Cleveland, Tennessee, in Bradley County. It can be reached from Red Clay Park Road Southwest north of Godfrey Lane, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1140 Red Clay Park Road SW, Cleveland TN 37311, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in East Tennessee.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Great Council Spring (within shouting distance

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, March 28, 2026

2. Red Clay Council Marker

of this marker); The Eternal Flame (within shouting distance of this marker); Sleeping Huts (within shouting distance of this marker); A Visitor's Account (within shouting distance of this marker); Eternal Flame of the Cherokee Nation (within shouting distance of this marker); Cherokee Farmstead (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Inside the Farmhouse (about 300 feet away); Red Clay Council Grounds (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Cleveland.

Credits. This page was last revised on April 15, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 9, 2026, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 8 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 10, 2026, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.

Editor’s want-list for this marker. Transcription of the Cherokee script • Can you help?