Cherokee National Jail Explained

Cherokee National Prison Museum
Coordinates:	35.9119°N -94.9672°W
Added:	June 28, 1974
Area:	less than one acre
Refnum:	74001656

The Cherokee National Jail or Cherokee National Penitentiary (Cherokee: Ꮳꮃꭹ Ꭼꮎꮥꮎ Ꮧꮣꮝꮪꭹ) was built in 1874 as part of a governmental complex for the Cherokee Nation in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. It served the Cherokee Nation until it was sold to Cherokee County, Oklahoma, which used it as a jail into the 1970s.^[1]

The prison, as built in 1874 for $6000, was a two-story building with a basement. The sandstone structure measures 48feet by 35feet. The second floor has been removed and replaced with a flat roof. There are two sandstone porches on the main level, front and back, with hipped roofs.^{[1] [2]} The Cherokee National Jail was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 28, 1974. The jail is now a museum, named the Cherokee National Prison Museum.^{[3] [4]}

See also

• Oldest buildings in Oklahoma

External links

• Cherokee National Prison Museum - Visit Cherokee Nation

Notes and References

1. Web site: Hagerstrand. M.A.. [{{NRHP url|id=74001656}} National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form: Cherokee National Jail]. National Park Service. 2 September 2013. Ruth, Kent. March 1974.
2. Web site: Hnedak. John D.. Cherokee National Penitentiary, 124 East Choctaw Street, Tahlequah, Cherokee, OK. Historic American Buildings Survey. Library of Congress.
3. Web site: Cherokee National Prison Museum. Cherokee Nation. 2 September 2013. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140223195214/http://www.cherokeetourismok.com/Attractions/Pages/CherokeeNationalJail.aspx. 23 February 2014.
4. Web site: Cherokee National Prison Museum. Visit OK. 22 June 2015.