General Info

The Cherokee Nation Supreme Court Building is the oldest public building in Indian Territory, present-day Oklahoma. It was constructed in 1844 to house the Cherokee Supreme Court. For several decades, cases were heard in this building and criminals were housed at the Cherokee Prison a block away. In 1870, the building became the new home of the Cherokee Advocate newspaper, the official newspaper of the Cherokee Nation. In 1875 a fire destroyed the newspaper offices and press. The building was restored and the paper continued operation in the building until 1905. With Oklahoma statehood in 1907, the Cherokee Nation lost possession of the building. It was used by Cherokee County until 1979 when it was transferred back to the Cherokee Nation. In April 2010, the Cherokee Nation opened it’s first wholly owned and operated museum, the Cherokee National Supreme Court Museum, in the newly restored building.