The House on Diamond Hill: A Cherokee Plantation Story

by Tiya Miles

At the turn of the nineteenth century, James Vann, a Cherokee chief and entrepreneur, established Diamond Hill, the most famous plantation in the southeastern Cherokee Nation. In this first full-length study to reconstruct the history of the plantation, Tiya Miles tells the story of Diamond Hill's founding, its flourishing, its takeover by white land-lottery winners on the eve of the Cherokee Removal, its decay, and its renovation in the 1950s. Vividly written and extensively researched, this history illuminates gender, class, and cross-racial relationships on the southern frontier.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, Indigenous, Race, Native American History, Native American

333 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 2, 2010

About the author

Tiya Miles is from Ohio, "the heart of it all," though now she spends summers in her husband's native Montana. She is the author of All That She Carried (which won a National Book Award for nonfiction and more), and of three prize-winning works of history on the intersections of African American and Native American experience. Her forthcoming book, Night Flyer: Harriet Tubman and the Faith Dreams of a Free People, will be out in June 2024, right on the heels of her short but sweet exploration of childhoods in nature: Wild Girls: How the Outdoors Shaped the Women Who Challenged a Nation (September 2024). Her debut dual time period (historical-contemporary) novel based on her early career research, The Cherokee Rose: A Novel of Gardens and Ghosts, was revised with new scenes and released as a paperback original by Random House in June 2023; check out the new version! She has also published a study of haunted plantations and manor homes in the South that reads like a travel narrative. (And she is as surprised as you are that two of her books focus on ghosts!) Her newest book, just out from W. W. Norton, is Wild Girls: How the Outdoors Shaped the Women Who Challenged a Nation. Tiya's favorite activities are reading good books while her three teenaged kids write stories together in the background, spending time in old houses, walking along forest trails, and drinking hot chocolate. She is currently working on a history, a novel, and essays about climate change and historic sites. Check out her Substack: Carrying Capacity, for news and updates! https://tiyamiles.substack.com/

Reviews

[Charlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tiya Miles has done an excellent job of combining the stories of all the residents of Diamond Hill (northwest GA) during its time as a Cherokee plantation (1830-1835) owned by James Vann and then his son Joseph. I started this book after a tour of the Chief Vann House and grounds, which certainly made it more real to me.

Miles originally visited the plantation for possible information on her dissertation topic but her interest was caught by both the Cherokee story as presented by the beautifully preserved house and by the absence of the stories of the African American enslaved people who also lived on the plantation.

Both James and Joseph Vann were very wealthy men, prominent in the Cherokee Nation. James Vann was shrewd and a great entrepreneur but he was also violent and addicted to alcohol. He was very successful in Euro-American businesses but he kept a Cherokee way of life (including more than one Cherokee wife) and was active in Cherokee politics. His son Joseph was not as violent but in spite of the grand house (where President Monroe stayed briefly while on a Southern tour) was still very Cherokee. Miles speculates that the mansion itself was built as a symbol of both Vann success and Cherokee permanence in Georgia. But, Vann lost title to all his Georgia property and moved his family (and many slaves) to Oklahoma just a few months ahead of the Trail of Tears.

We do get some of the story of James and Joseph Vann in the book but more the stories, as best they can be recovered, of the enslaved people and the Cherokee women of the family. The Cherokee wives of the Vanns were greatly affected by the changes in Cherokee life in the early 1800s; Cherokee society was normally a matriarchal society, where husbands lived with their wives' family and women were responsible for agriculture. The Vann wives were vulnerable to violence and mistreatment, away from their own families and with their normal role diminished. The story of Peggy Vann, the half-Cherokee second wife of James Vann, is especially well told.

Much of the documentary source material for this book came from the journals and letters of the nearby Moravian missionaries. Book captures a fascinating moment in northwest Georgia when so many languages (Cherokee, English, German, African) and cultures were present.

Last chapter of the book records how the museum/state historic site was able to incorporate some of these additional stories into its presentations and exhibits.

Lots to think about from this book.

[Lindsey Z · Rating 5 out of 5]

When we think about slavery, we think about wealthy white families living on plantations in elegantly decorated mansions while their slaves toil away on their land living in unsavory housing accommodations on its outskirts. Tiya Miles challenges our understanding of slavery by investigating a Cherokee Indian family, the Vanns, who owned over 100 slaves and were among the most wealthy of the Cherokee Indians. This is a part of our history that we never learn about, thus doing a disservice to the Cherokee women who were forced to endure the elitist attitudes of their husbands and the African and Afro-American slaves who were forced to endure a life in chains. The bond that connects these two minority groups is both complicated and rich. Many of these slaves adopted Cherokee traditions and values and applied for recognition as Cherokee Indians once they were freedmen and women. Miles's book traces the narrative of the Vann family by an extensive combing through of archival documents. She questions the ways in which we look at plantation homes with nostalgia and hopes for us to understand the democratic practice we should feel inspired to adopt in telling the entire narrative of a specific time and place in our history. Until recently, neither the tour nor the literature at the Chief Vann House even mentioned slaves, while the large majority of the population on the estate was comprised of slaves. Miles's text seeks to give voice to these silences. Her research is impeccable and her commitment to understanding the whole story a goal all scholars should strive to reach in their own research projects. I highly recommend this for history lovers and those who are vaguely curious; it is easy to read and not overtly bogged down with academic jargon, but is so much smarter than any history book I've read in a while.

[John Neal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for HIST 3930. While difficult to read sometimes due to the academic nature of the writing, the information and insight behind the history of the Chief Vann House and the Vann family (as well as the slaves they owned and the missionaries that lived nearby) was invaluable. The focus on the women of the Vann household and the slaves within and without provided a valuable and rarely-seen view that enriches the historical narrative of this place. If anyone is wanting to look into the reaction of the Cherokee people towards encroaching whites, the place of slaves in colonial-influenced Cherokee society, and the shifting role of Cherokee women, I cannot recommend this book enough.

[Tanya Sinha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book and Tiya Miles' work will stay with me for a long time. A must read to those seeking multitruths and microhistories. Our colonial histories are impoverished until all marginalized voices are heard. I learned so much about the ways in which the Cherokee communities resisted encroaching American colonisation, whilst also partaking in its most violent of practices - slavery and the brutalisation of black people. Tiya Miles aims to centre and give voice to the stories of Cherokee women and Black slaves, voices that have largely been sidelined in the retelling of Southern plantation histories. Highly recommend this book to those seeking complex and richer narratives of colonisation & resistance.

[Brent]

Dr. George Lamplugh reviews The House on Diamond Hill favorably, here:
at his blog

[Ella · Rating 4 out of 5]

“What is it we are connecting with when we walk the oak halls of this exquisite plantation home… What really took place on these well-worn grounds? What does this house stand for (xv)?” Tiya Miles asks in the introduction of The House on Diamond Hill. She later answers this question by stating that the house represents “a place of suffering for enslaved African Americans and their Cherokee captors (197).” In order to make this conclusion, Miles focuses on the borders of race and culture in the South through the examination of a specific family and plantation that were both typical and extraordinary for their subject matter. This family is that of the Scottish-Cherokee James Vann. James Vann, born in the 1760s into a family of "mixed-race Euro-Cherokees (41)," grew up in the cultures of both his parents as he was “exposed to the values of [his] fathers’ moral, religious, and economic belief systems” while being able to claim the political affiliation and cultural identities of his mother (42), and lived at a time when the Cherokee Nation first came into sustained contact with Euro-American capitalism, Christian missionaries, and the emerging United States (47). This book studies several of these aspects in-depth as Miles examines James, his main wife Peggy, his son Joseph, the plantation’s African American slaves, and the plantation’s Cherokee and Moravian neighbors; the people who shaped the plantation, “black, brown, red, and white (204).”
As stated in the introduction, this book “tells a story of the historic place of Diamond Hill, the people who dwelled there, and their memory in modern times, tracing the plantation from its prehistory, to its heyday and downfall in the 1820s and 1830s, to its restoration and commemoration as the Chief Vann House State Historic Site from the 1950s onward (3).” Intersectionality lies at the heart of this book as, “On Diamond Hill, one of the first and most prosperous Cherokee plantations, American Indians, enslaved people of African descent, and Euro-American missionaries, craftsmen, and laborers lived incredible, intersecting lives (3).” Thus the main themes discussed in the book are intersectionality, power dynamics, and how different aspects of the house’s history should be discussed at the site itself.

[Lori Mize · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so well researched. Tiya Miles brings into focus those who are left out of the “ romantic and guilt-fee” narratives we are so often told about our past. She makes us understand the complexities of human relations in a time of so much upheaval in this county’s history. Her study of Diamond Hill “ reveals the layered and contingent nature of the individual existences, the force of personality that drives historical events, and the impact of the political, economic, and cultural change on the formation of personalities. We learn through prolonged concentration on the intertwined biographies of a small set of Diamond Hillians that external challenges, internal struggles,incredible strengths, and heartbreaking failures shaped the people who made our history.”
I would also call this book a study in how violence begets violence in turbulent times. I learned so much of Cherokee culture and how trying to change to fit into Euro, white Southern culture cost them so much, especially the Cherokee women. A once matrilineal society became a much harsher place. Learning so much more about the daily lives of enslaved Africans and how cruel the American chattel slavery system was is heart wrenching.
But we are moving forward. Plantation tours are no longer glossing over the lives of enslaved persons who built these fortunes for their owners. The U.S. nation is a “racial house” ( in the words of writer Toni Morrison), Miles writes at the end of her book. We need to know and acknowledge our real history. As Tiya Miles also points out in this book: “In the resonant words of southern writer Alice Walker, the way forward is with a broken heart.”

[Alia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never read anything quite like this. Honest, thoughtful and difficult. My favorite part about this book is that Miles gently weaves threads in between the gaps in history and that is powerful...and a great way to do history, in my opinion. Glad to know about a little more about these Black peoples lives. Frustrated to read about how the Cherokee Nation gave into capitalism and whiteness by owning their brothers and sisters, who were also Indigenous people but from the African continent. There were so many cultural similarities. Was it worth it? Is appealing to whiteness ever worth it? I'll be thinking on this book for a long time. Beautifully written and well crafted.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting account of Cherokee plantations and how Native Americans fit within the entire plantation and societal system of 19th century America. This book highlights both the good and evil of humanity as well as how Diamond Hill is portrayed and presented to visitors and scholars today.

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my family. I come down from James Vann through one of his daughters. I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about the family and this period in Cherokee history.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly researched, an interesting telling of a Cherokee plantation owner who owned enslaved people. Vann and then his son Joseph.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish there was a middle ground book between this and Cherokee Rose that blended more of the history and fiction.

[Caroline]

brilliant

[Cordellya Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was educational and interesting. The Vann family created a dynasty that the US government destroyed with their removal.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

As was the case with Miles' book on Detroit this was a very thoroughly researched, comprehensive and well organized piece of work.

The author took the time to present the complex interaction which took place at that time between the Southern White slave owner mentality; the Germanic Moravian Christian Missionary who lived on the grounds of the plantation; and the Cherokee, African, and African American cultures. She did not go into graphic descriptions of the horrific ongoing, if not escalating brutality with which the plantation owner Joseph Vann treated all of those who lived under his control, including and especially his young wife Peggy Scott. But Miles certainly did not excuse it. In fact, she noted how even the Missionaries who were strong supporters of slavery were horrified by his behavior. Miles also took care to explain how his terrible cruelty was probably due to the confluence of a number of factors: his strivings to prove himself as an equal to his White plantation owner neighbors, his alcoholism, and his own Cherokee spiritual beliefs.

Miles failed to note two other issues which were relevant to understanding Vann's brutality. First, many Native Americans lack an enzyme needed to metabolize alcohol efficiently. Thus, they are much more prone to get intoxicated and eventually develop alcoholism than Whites are. Second, Vann was probably in conflict over his Cherokee vs his European/White heritages. These two factors probably exacerbated the rage reactions he had towards those who failed to comply with his demands.

Miles provided sensitive portrayals of the lives of Peggy Scott, the Moravian missionaries who lived nearby and taught and prostalatized Peggy Scott as well as the slaves, and a number of Cherokee and African and African American servants and slaves who toiled on the plantation. She also wrote about how Peggy Scott and Joseph's son James lived after the death of Joseph in 1809 until their forced removal in the mid 1830's. Thus, one comes away with a very thorough picture of the place, the people, and the times. All in less than 200 pages!

To her credit, in the introduction and in the conclusion of the book Miles writes about the importance of overcoming the denial of the important roles that the Cherokees and the Black slaves played in the history of the plantation. She explains the reasons for this, the unfortunate consequences it has had, and the recent efforts by some to overcome it.

I have two relatively modest criticisms of this book. First, this one's prose style is somewhat less readable than was the case with her book on Detroit. Perhaps it was the complexity of the interaction between the various cultural, racial, and social factors. Or perhaps it was because of the incredibly wide ranging sources of information which Miles reviewed and tried to integrate into her narrative. But there were times when her use of long, complex sentences with numerous subordinate phrases and clauses made the book slow going. A simpler, more direct prose would have been easier on this reader's brain anyway!

Second, the map provided at the start of chapter two was not very helpful. It contained way too much detail, some of which was never noted in the text. And it failed to denote some of the places Miles wrote about in that and subsequent chapters. Maybe more, simpler maps located at different points throughout the text would have helped communicate more effectively what Miles wanted this reader to learn. As it was I gave up relying on the map and tried to use my imagination when she wrote about specific places related to the plantation, its inhabitants, etc.

For these reasons I would give the book a 4 rather than a 5 star rating. Miles skillfully demonstrated that there is much that one can learn about the Cherokee nation, the interactions between its members and the Africans and African Americans who lived with and under them, and the tragic impact that colonialism and slavery had on them. Some of the other books noted in her bibliography will help me do that. So will reading her other books. She is a talented historical researcher and writer.

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a slower read but I enjoyed how it was organized. I really appreciate the research journey Dr. Miles provides, and how she framed this around the current society of the Vann house.

[maddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

favorite read of the year

[Becky Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book when I visited the Vann House last year. My Cherokee ancestors lived and were educated at Spring Place Mission, and they knew the Vann's, so I wanted to know more. I was pleasantly surprised at the personal and thoughtful approach of this publication. Reading it through took longer than I expected, but it was a memorable experience, especially following my most meaningful personal visit to the sites that are referenced throughout. I recommend this book for anyone who desires to understand American History better. It is the unique blending of Cherokee, black, white, and Moravian missionary culture and how they influenced each other.

[Val · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot even imagine the research that went into this book of the Chief Vann House and property and all who lived there...from slaves to traders to wives to politicians. I have been a lifelong student of this property and there is so much here I did not know. Miles has an elegance at presenting the cold hard truth that few possess. I am sure I will refer back to this book and its appendix many times. So much history and so many characters right in my own back door. I have been inside that house so many many times yet knew so little it seems now. We are so fortunate Miles has documented this for posterity when history is rapidly slipping away from all American generations.

[Priya · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a while since I've read an historical monograph, but I am glad I read this one after hearing Miles speak at a conference. In short, Miles encapsulates the Vann house within the context of it times. providing a space where the traditional narrative of history is difficult to grasp and see. A space where the master-slave relationship was not between a white master and a black slave, but rather a region where Native American masters held land and worked it for economic gains. Here is a link to an interview I did with Miles for work: http://blog.preservationnation.org/20...

[Sven · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book of history that may be unfamiliar to most Americans. It is a scholarly book covering the real lives of Cherokee people in the early 1800's, who were caught up in a time of great cultural, political, economic, and social change.

It's a true story of a Cherokee plantation owner, his family, slaves, and the circumstances surrounding this place in what is now northern Georgia.

Well written and researched, it should be read by anyone who wants to know more about American history from a different point of view than is normally presented.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book. It's grown on me over time. The more I've thought about it, the more I like it. The author's compassion oozes through the pages.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect read for the GA historian. Interesting presentation of the Cherokee misconceptions.