The Major Ridge Home was purchased for preservation by the Junior League of Rome . In 1971 it was adapted for use as a historic house museum , known as the " Chieftains Museum " . In 2002 the museum was designated by the National Park Service as an official site on the " Cherokee Trail of Tears National Historic Trail , " which had been established in 1987 . The building was renamed as '' ' Chieftains Museum / Major Ridge Home ' '' in his honor . The museum 's exhibits focus on Major Ridge and 19th-century Cherokee life and culture . Ridge 's plantation had extended to the river , which he used for travel and transportation of his cotton to market . An eight-acre area along the river is now part of Riverside Park in Rome , Georgia
Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
Chieftains Museum (Major Ridge Home)