The Museum of LaFayette is asking area residents to help document local Cherokee history as the museum prepares a new exhibit at the historic Chattooga Academy in LaFayette.

Museum officials are seeking stories from people who have verified Cherokee lineage or oral Cherokee traditions that have been passed down through their families. The material will be considered for an upcoming exhibit examining the history of the Cherokee people in and around LaFayette.

The exhibit will include information about Fort Cumming, which played a role in the forced removal of the Cherokee from Northwest Georgia, as well as connections between local families and Cherokee history.

The Museum of LaFayette is a partnership between the City of LaFayette and the Walker County Historical Society. The museum held a soft opening on May 30 and continues to develop exhibits ahead of a planned grand opening this fall.

Rotating exhibits will be featured on the first floor of Chattooga Academy, while the second floor will house a permanent educational exhibit.

Anyone wishing to contribute a family history or oral tradition should submit the story either typed or legibly handwritten on standard 8½-by-11-inch paper.

Submissions may be emailed to info@museumoflafayette.org or mailed to:

Museum of LaFayette
c/o Walker County Historical Society
305 South Duke Street
LaFayette, GA 30728

The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, September 30.