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"The Cherokee
Supreme Court was created in 1822 to hear cases appealed from lower courts.
It met annually at New Echota beginning in October 1823. This building
is a reconstruction of the Supreme Courthouse built at New Echota In 1829.
The first floor served as the courtroom. The elevated bench provided
seating for the three judges while the other six benches provided seating
for spectators and those involved in the proceedings. The Cherokee Supreme
Court heard 246 cases from 1823 - 1835. Most were civil cases, the most common
being disputes over debts. Criminal cases were usually settled in the
lower courts. The Cherokee Nation had no prison system; those convicted
of a crime were hanged, whipped, or fined. No documentation of the use of
the second floor has been established. But, it is known the building
was used for both church and school when court was not in session. Presbyterian
missionary, Sophia Sawyer, taught school at New Echota from 1830 - 1835."
A sign out front
adds, "the court clerk maintained an office inside. In all three cases, the
second floor could have been utilized."
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