Cherokee Female Seminary

Built in 1846. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

From the record

“The Cherokee Female Seminary was built by the Cherokee Nation in 1889 near Tahlequah, Indian Territory. It replaced their original girls' seminary, the first Cherokee Female Seminary, that had burned down on Easter Sunday two years before.”
Wikipedia article Cherokee Female Seminary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 20 National Register listings published here for Cherokee County · listed in 1973 · category: Building · built in 1846.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building as contributing to the listing.
Address. Northeastern State College campus, Tahlequah, 74464
When was it listed? April 1973
Category. building
Census division. Tahlequah
When was it built? 1846
National Register reference number. 73001558 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

Fires near this property

364 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 364 fires within 5 miles of Cherokee Female Seminary between 1992 and 2020, burning about 2,538 acres in total. 18 started naturally. 90 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause	Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	102
Debris and open burning	92
Arson/incendiarism	90
Equipment and vehicle use	26
Natural	18
Recreation and ceremony	11
Smoking	11
Misuse of fire by a minor	7
Power generation/transmission/distribution	4
Railroad operations and maintenance	2
Other causes	1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

Date	Cause	Size	Reported by	Name on the report
8 September 2000	Debris and open burning	4.0 acres	Oklahoma Division of Forestry	not named
8 September 1998	Equipment and vehicle use	under an acre	Oklahoma Division of Forestry	not named
7 September 2000	Arson/incendiarism	under an acre	Oklahoma Division of Forestry	not named
6 September 2010	Arson/incendiarism	50 acres	Cherokee Nation Tribe	TAHLEQUAH CEMETERY
5 September 2010	Arson/incendiarism	20 acres	Oklahoma Division of Forestry	30469
4 September 2010	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	5.0 acres	Oklahoma Division of Forestry	30467
30 September 2016	Debris and open burning	2.0 acres	Oklahoma Division of Forestry	not named
3 September 2000	Arson/incendiarism	under an acre	Oklahoma Division of Forestry	not named

Every fire recorded in Cherokee County

Mines and quarries near this property

7 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 7 workings within 5 miles of Cherokee Female Seminary: 6 past producers, 1 producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Stone, Crushed/Broken, Silica, Clay. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Site	Commodity	Status
Charley Ryals Chert Pit	Silica	Past Producer
Unknown Limestone Pit	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Past Producer
Unknown Shale Pit	Clay	Past Producer
Unknown Gravel Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
Unknown Gravel Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
Unknown Gravel Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
Unknown Gravel Pits	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer

Every working recorded in Cherokee County

Storms near this property

60 of 243 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Tahlequah, the town this property stands in, in 243 storm reports between 1993 and 2024: 108 thunderstorm wind, 79 hail, 26 flash flood, 24 flood. The reports record 4 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

When	Event	Place named	Harm	What the report says
July 1996	Lightning	Tahlequah	2 hurt	no account filed
May 2016	Thunderstorm Wind	Tahlequah	1 hurt, $50,000	Strong thunderstorm wind blew down a tree onto a vehicle and travel trailer at Diamond Head Floats Resort, northeast of Tahlequah. A person was injured by this storm.
August 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Tahlequah	1 hurt, $25,000	Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew down several trees. A few of the trees fell on homes. One person was injured. In addition, the metal roof of the sanitation plant was damaged.
October 1995	Tornado (F0)	Tahlequah	$200,000	no account filed
May 2005	Flash Flood	Tahlequah	$100,000	Heavy rains caused flooding in Tahlequah. A few inches of water entered ten business. Four people had to be rescued after their car stalled in a low water crossing.
July 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	Tahlequah	$100,000	Thunderstorm winds estimated at 80 miles an hour caused extensive damage in a one square mile area in the city of Tahlequah. Twelve homes and one shed were damaged. Numerous trees and large tree limbs were blown down.
July 1995	Thunderstorm Wind	Tahlequah	$100,000	no account filed
April 2022	Hail	Tahlequah	$75,000	Golf ball size hail damaged homes, businesses, and vehicles.
October 2014	Hail	Tahlequah	$50,000	Hail larger than baseball size damaged vehicles and the roofs of homes.
June 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	Tahlequah	$50,000	Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour damaged a hangar and some planes at the airport near Tahlequah.
May 2003	Flash Flood	Tahlequah	$50,000	Heavy thunderstorm rains estimated at a rate of over an inch an hour caused severe street flooding. A few streets had to be closed and a car on one street was half submerged. The water on Main Street was so high that it flowed into several businesses.
April 2009	Hail	Tahlequah	$50,000	no account filed
May 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Tahlequah	$30,000	Thunderstorm winds destroyed a 100 foot by 30 foot storage building, blew down 5 business signs and blew out the windows of 6 cars.
May 1999	Lightning	Tahlequah	$30,000	Lightning struck a home in Tahlequah, starting a fire and destroying appliances in nearby homes.
May 1999	Thunderstorm Wind	Tahlequah	$30,000	Numerous trees and tree limbs were blown over throughout Cherokee County, including Tahlequah. Many trees were blown into electrical lines. Strong winds also caused heavy damage to the county's north solid waste transfer station.
July 2020	Hail	Tahlequah	$25,000	Ping pong ball size hail damaged vehicles and homes.
February 2018	Flood	Tahlequah	$25,000	A creek flooded cropland and a basement of a home.
July 2016	Thunderstorm Wind	Tahlequah	$25,000	Strong thunderstorm wind blew down a tree onto home.
April 2011	Hail	Tahlequah	$25,000	no account filed
January 2008	Hail	Tahlequah	$25,000	no account filed
May 2015	Flash Flood	Tahlequah	$20,000	A road was washed out due to flooding.
June 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Tahlequah	$20,000	Thunderstorm winds blew 20-30 big trees down, destroyed three barns, and unroofed a shed near the Woodall community.
March 2024	Hail	Tahlequah	$15,000	Half dollar size hail damaged vehicles and homes.
October 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Tahlequah	$15,000	Strong thunderstorm wind blew down several trees and numerous large tree limbs in a mobile home park on the west side of town. Some trailers were damaged and the roof was blown off of a shed by the strong wind.
April 2011	Flash Flood	Tahlequah	$15,000	Cars were stranded with several water rescues necessary as a result of flooding. Flood water was over Highway 82 near Moodys Corner.
August 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Tahlequah	$15,000	Strong thunderstorm wind blew down a tree onto a mobile home on the west side of town. Power lines were also blown down in and around town.
January 2020	Hail	Tahlequah	$15,000	no account filed
May 2016	Hail	Tahlequah	$15,000	no account filed
June 2009	Hail	Tahlequah	$15,000	no account filed
July 2016	Thunderstorm Wind	Tahlequah	$10,000	Strong thunderstorm wind blew down a tree onto an automobile.
April 2009	Flash Flood	Tahlequah	$10,000	Heavy rain caused flooding of a few low lying areas in Tahlequah. Multiple water rescues were performed.
June 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	Tahlequah	$10,000	Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew down a very large tree limb and downed power lines.
May 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Tahlequah	$10,000	Thunderstorms winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew down several trees, large tree limbs and power poles.
May 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Tahlequah	$10,000	Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour destroyed a barn.
May 1999	Flash Flood	Tahlequah	$10,000	A road was washed out.
October 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Tahlequah	$10,000	A barn was blown away.
September 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Tahlequah	$5,000	Strong thunderstorm wind blew the roof off of a barn and blew down large tree limbs.
May 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Tahlequah	$5,000	Several trees and a few power poles were blown down by strong thunderstorm winds.
August 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Tahlequah	$5,000	Thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 miles an hour destroyed a barn.
August 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Tahlequah	$5,000	Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew down trees. The falling trees damaged a few houses.
August 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Tahlequah	$5,000	Thunderstorm winds estimated by a spotter at 60 miles an hour blew down power lines.
May 1999	Lightning	Tahlequah	$5,000	Lightning blew shingles from a house roof and caused a fire in the home's attic. The time of this event is a gross estimate.
April 1996	Flash Flood	Tahlequah	$5,000	no account filed
July 1994	Thunderstorm Wind	Tahlequah	$5,000	no account filed
March 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Tahlequah	$4,000	Strong thunderstorm wind blew shingles off of a home and blew down a privacy fence.
May 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Tahlequah	$3,000	Thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 miles an hour blew down power lines in the Keys area.
August 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Tahlequah	$3,000	Thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 miles an hour blew down large tree limbs and power lines.
June 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Tahlequah	$3,000	Thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 miles an hour blew down power lines.
August 2018	Thunderstorm Wind	Tahlequah	$2,000	Strong thunderstorm wind blew down trees and power lines.
August 2018	Thunderstorm Wind	Tahlequah	$2,000	Strong thunderstorm wind blew down trees down and power lines.
June 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	Tahlequah	$2,000	Thunderstorm wind gusts were measured to 63 mph one mile east of the airport. Power lines were blown down in Tahlequah.
January 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Tahlequah	$1,000	Thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 miles an hour blew down large tree limbs and power lines.
March 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Tahlequah	$1,000	Thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 miles an hour blew down power lines.
July 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Tahlequah	$1,000	Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew down large trees and large tree limbs. Power lines were also blown down.
September 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Tahlequah	$1,000	Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew down trees and power lines near Keys.
May 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Tahlequah	$1,000	Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew down power lines.
November 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Tahlequah	$1,000	Numerous trees were blown down.
November 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Tahlequah	$1,000	Numerous trees were blown down. Other scattered trees were blown down countywide.
April 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Tahlequah	$500	Thunderstorm winds blew down several large trees.
May 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Tahlequah	$500	Thunderstorm winds blew down several trees.

Every storm recorded in Cherokee County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Property	Distance	Listed
Rosamund	0.1 miles	2006
M.E. Franklin House	0.2 miles	2006
Indian University of Tahlequah	0.2 miles	1976
Dr. Irwin D. Loeser Log Cabin	0.2 miles	1978
Leonard M. Logan House	0.2 miles	2005
American Baptist Home Mission House	0.3 miles	2010

Sources for this property

National Archives record	The nomination case file for reference 73001558 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia article	Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Cherokee County	All 20 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.